UCLA Fielding School of Public Health professor honored with Lifetime Achievement Award
A professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health has been honored with a lifetime achievement award for her dedication to women’s health, including maternal health and maternal-fetal care.
Dr. Kimberly Gregory, a physician and professor in the Fielding School’s Department of Community Health Sciences, received the Luella Klein Lifetime Achievement Award from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or ACOG, at the organization’s annual conference this month in San Diego.
“I’ve always felt it was my calling. I wanted to be a doctor since I was 5 years old,” Gregory said. “I was drawn to maternal-fetal medicine because whether our patients are having a challenging pregnancy and need care–or are very healthy–they are all so motivated to do what’s best for their pregnancy, what’s best for their child.”
Along with teaching at UCLA, Gregory serves as director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and vice chair of Women’s Healthcare Quality and Performance Improvement in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. Her research focuses on health services, obstetrical health care resource utilization, cesarean section rates, and maternal quality care.
“Dr. Gregory’s commitment to guiding the practice of medicine, improving patient safety, and growing patient satisfaction is an inspiration to many,” said Dr. Stella M. Dantas, chair of ACOG’s Council of District Chairs, which grants the award. “Her expertise has always been marked by her dedication to patients, and her impact has been felt across the country.”
Gregory received her medical degree from UCLA (MD, ’85) through the Charles Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program and completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. She earned a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University before completing a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at LAC-USC Medical Center, and joined Cedars-Sinai in 1992. She has taught at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health since 1996.
“This is great, and I am very pleased to see the research of faculty like Dr. Gregory recognized; maternal mortality, infant mortality, and healthcare delivery are key issues for public health researchers and policy makers, in the United States and globally,” said Dr. Michael Prelip, professor and chair of the Department of Community Health Sciences. “The ability to bring the work of clinicians with a public health research focus, like Dr. Gregory, forward to the medical and public health disciplines, is a tremendously important element of the work we do at FSPH, including our focus on health equity and effective healthcare delivery.”