Complex Family Planning Fellowship

Fellows receive training in complex abortion and contraception care using evidence-based medical and procedural methods. Most training occurs at the UNM Center for Reproductive Health, where Fellows teach residents and medical students under the supervision of our Complex Family Planning faculty. Fellow training also occurs at the Albuquerque Planned Parenthood Health Center. Medically complex abortion training requiring inpatient care takes place at UNM Hospital. UNM's referral area includes all of New Mexico and parts of Arizona, Colorado, Texas, and other states where abortion is not accessible. Fellows also participate in a low-resource rotation with Indian Health Services.

Fellows also perform ambulatory procedures at UNM’s Outpatient Surgery and Imaging Services (OSIS) and become experienced in moderate procedural sedation in the outpatient setting. By maintaining some general clinical practice, Fellows can choose to collect cases for board certification.

Fellows are immersed in a variety of collaborative experiences, including:

• Didactic seminars
• Mentorship from Fellowship Directors
• Joint journal club with Complex Family Planning and Maternal Child Health faculty, fellows, residents, medical students, Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs), and CNM students
• Opportunities to teach medical students and residents in the Kenneth J. Ryan Residency Program
• Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) meetings
• OB/GYN Grand Rounds
• Annual meetings of the Society of Family Planning and ACOG
• Develop as an educator through UNM’s Achievement in Medical Education Program (AMEP).

In addition to these collaborative experiences, Fellows are expected to gain advanced research training by earning a Master of Public Health (MPH) through the College of Population Health at UNM. Grounded in social justice, the MPH program offers opportunities to study epidemiology, community health, and research, enabling Fellows to make a positive impact on diverse populations.

Tuition for the MPH is covered through UNM’s Tuition Remission program. Additionally, the UNM Office of Continuous Professional Learning provides professional development opportunities in medical education.

For more information, please visit the program website here.

Join Complex Family Planning faculty in researching a wide variety of topics, including:

• Patient perspectives about complex contraception research
• Patient perspectives about abortion care
• Immediate postpartum LARC
• Postpartum contraception and lactation
• Abortion training and undergraduate and graduate medical education
• Early pregnancy loss management
• Early postpartum IUD placement
• Family Planning implementation research
• Policy effects on abortion care
• Rural and urban access to family planning and abortion care

During the two-year fellowship, CFP Fellows will design and execute a primary research project in Complex Family Planning. Fellows’ research mentor and the Complex Family Planning research team will facilitate and advocate for CFP research. Fellows are expected to present their findings at national scientific meetings and publish in peer-reviewed journals. Fellows also complete a secondary project acceptable for publication or approved by the Fellowship Directors in an area of their choosing.

Fellows have the opportunity to collaborate with experts, including faculty from the School of Medicine, College of Population Health, Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC), and staff from the New Mexico Department of Health.

Take part in the CBPR summer institute, which weaves the theory and practice of CBPR with indigenous and critical methodologies.

Our fellows have the opportunity to work with Fellowship faculty and residents on a variety of advocacy initiatives, including:

• New Mexico legislative session – Fellows can collaborate with ACOG on annual lobby day training and ACOG lobby day with a focus on reproductive health access.
• Assisting residents with advocacy projects.
• Writing op-eds focused on current advocacy issues locally and nationally.
• For Fellows accepted into the program, Building Inclusive Leadership (BIL), a six-month extracurricular program from the Learning Environment Office aimed at developing SOM learners’ understanding of and advocacy for marginalized identities.
• Participating in advocacy-focused presentations or interviews.
• The Physicians for Reproductive Health Leadership Training Academy for selected Fellows.