Program for Researchers in Obstetrics, Gynecology and REproductive ScienceS

PROGRESS

SASGOG offers a research course, PROGRESS, for early career academic obstetrician-gynecologist specialist faculty and subspecialty fellows.

The course will establish, augment, and solidify participants’ foundational research knowledge and skills, and will establish and engage a network of experienced and emerging researchers that together will promote, sustain, and empower course participants’ careers while furthering the health and welfare of women and gender-diverse persons cared for by obstetricians and gynecologists.

The Course

The PROGRESS course is patterned from what was previously known as the Berlex Course and then the Exxcellence Course taught by David A. Grimes, MD and Kenneth Schulz PhD MBA. The PROGRESS Course uses an interactive curricular design to advance, enhance, and make more contemporary what was a superb course while retaining the important network-development component. The 2023 Course will be led by:

  • Co-Director Kristen Matteson, MD, MPH, Professor, Vice Chair of Academic Affairs, and Research Division Chief, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UMass Chan Medical School and UMass Memorial Health, and
  • Co-Director Emily DeFranco, DO, MS, Professor, Vice Chair of Obstetrics, Research and Faculty Development, and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Chief, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Information about the 2023 Course

The Course will be comprised of a virtual component followed by an in-person component held November 5-10, 2023, at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, Tucson AZ. Mentoring by PROGRESS faculty will continue following the in-person portion of the course.

Applicants will provide:

    • CV
    • Statement of interest
    • Brief description of their research plan or idea
    • Signed commitment from Chair or Division Chief

Tuition is $5,000 per selected learner. Selected learners are responsible for travel expenses and hotel sleeping room expenses. Most meals are included in the tuition.

Key Dates for the 2023 Course

  • Applications for the fall 2023 course will be accepted through June 15, 2023.
  • Selected applicants will be notified mid-July 2023.
  • In-person component held November 5-10, 2023.
  • Pre-work and virtual engagement will begin in October.
  • Tuition will be due August 15.

What Others are Saying…
2022 PROGRESS Participants

It has truly been an amazing course and I feel very lucky to have gotten to experience this and make the connections that I have.  I very much look forward to continuing to utilize these connections and resources, hopefully for the rest of my career!
– Caroline Cochrane, UNC

I would say the best work to describe this course is empowering. I am leaving with a better understanding of key concepts in research design that I know will help me create better research questions.
– Sarah Cigna, George Washington University

I loved the flow of the course with the emphasis on practical pearls, references to tools/resources, and the distribution of journal clubs.
-Claire Jensen, UNC, Chapel Hill

SASGOG Leadership

Tony Ogburn, MD, Immediate Past President of SASGOG and Professor and Founding Chair of Ob/Gyn at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley says, “I often hear David Grimes’ voice in the back of my head even now, more than 20 years after completing the course.”
Amy Young, MD, Past President of SASGOG and Chief Clinical Officer of UT Health Austin says, “The Berlex course gave me the confidence to more critically assess the literature and to create my own trials.”

PROGRESS Founding Society Sponsors
Applicant FAQ
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Course Learning Objectives