PHILADELPHIA —
Deborah A. Driscoll, MD, the Luigi Mastroianni Jr. Professor and chair of the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has received the Group on Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS) 2017 Leadership Award for an Individual. The award will be presented at the
Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) annual meeting in Boston on Nov. 4 during the
Group on Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS) Poster and Awards Reception, held jointly with the AAMC’s Council of Deans (COD).
Each year, GWIMS, a professional development group of the AAMC, presents awards to an individual and an organization that “demonstrate a significant impact on the advancement of women's roles in academic medicine and science.”
Driscoll is widely recognized as a transformative leader and is one of the world's leading obstetrician-gynecologist geneticists specializing in the care of women with genetic disorders. Her accomplishments include pioneering research of the genetic disorders DiGeorge/velocardiofacial syndrome and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, which can result in a wide range of congenital anomalies and learning difficulties.
At Penn, she has created one of the most highly regarded OB/GYN departments in the country for research, innovative clinical programs and teaching. She is an inspiring role model for women in academic medicine and committed to advancing the careers of physician investigators. Driscoll is also the director of the Penn’s Center for Research on Reproduction & Women’s Health and the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center. She has received a number of teaching awards at Penn, including the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. Driscoll was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, one of the nation’s premier biomedical honors, in 2010. She
is president of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and past-president of the Council of University Chairs in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
She is regularly recognized by Best Doctors in America, America's Top Doctors, and Philadelphia Magazine's Top Docs.
A graduate of Smith College and New York University School of Medicine, Driscoll completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and a fellowship in clinical and molecular genetics at Penn.
Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.