SMFM Announces New Board Members

Jerasimos (Jerry) Ballas, MD, MPH – Dr. Ballas is an associate professor in the department of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine, where he also completed his MFM fellowship. He finished his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook and earned his medical degree from SUNY Downstate College of Medicine in Brooklyn. Dr. Ballas earned his master’s degree in public health from Boston University School of Public Health. His research interests include placenta accreta spectrum disorders, substance use disorders in pregnancy, and environmental and social determinants of health.

Catherine (Carey) S. Eppes, MD, MPH – Dr. Eppes is an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology of maternal-fetal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, where she is the MFM division director. She received her medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, and completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Eppes completed her MFM fellowship and a master’s degree in public health from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Her primary areas of interest are patient safety and quality, substance use disorder, and infectious diseases in pregnancy. 

Moeun Son, MD, MSCI – Dr. Son is an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. She received her medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and finished her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at New York–Presbyterian Hospital Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Son completed her maternal-fetal medicine fellowship at Northwestern University School of Medicine in Evanston, IL, where she also earned her master’s degree in scientific clinical investigation. She is funded by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. FDA, and her research interests include labor induction and management, postpartum hemorrhage, and maternal and perinatal morbidity. 

Sarahn M. Wheeler, MD, MHSc – Dr. Wheeler is an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and vice chair for culture, engagement, and impact at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, NC. She completed medical school at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and finished her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Wheeler completed her fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at Duke University, where she also earned her master’s of health science degree. She is the director of Duke University’s Prematurity Prevention Program and an NIH-funded researcher. Her current work focuses on racial disparities in preterm birth and other obstetric outcomes.