Vanderbilt School of Medicine has long been recognized as a leader in biomedical research. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has been nationally and internationally recognized for its contribution to the improvement of women’s health and reproduction. Notable surgical techniques and reproductive discoveries are part of the long-term research history of our faculty. Vanderbilt’s OB/GYN played a major role in assisted reproductive technologies as one of four IVF centers in the U.S. during the early 1980s. Our institution, through this department and the Center for Advanced Maternal and Fetal Care, serves as one of three research centers investigating in utero repair of spina bifida in an ongoing national clinical trial. Through our basic research scientists and clinical advisors, our Division of Reproductive Endrocrinology has garnered years of funding through NIH and the international Endometriosis Association for the investigation of endometriosis and its impact on women’s health and reproduction. Our basic research and clinical investigators are working continuously to advance the improvement of women’s health through innovative surgical techniques, mechanistic investigations of disease processes and a desire to decrease preterm birth in Tennessee.