Pettker named chair and DEO of UI Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
After a national search, Christian Pettker, MD, has been selected to serve as chair and department executive officer of the OBGYN department
Christian Pettker, MD, has been appointed chair and department executive officer of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.
Pettker, who will serve as the Jennifer R. Niebyl Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology, will begin his new role on July 1, pending approval by the Iowa Board of Regents. Pettker is a maternal-fetal medicine specialist who currently serves as professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and vice chair of quality and patient safety at the Yale School of Medicine. He is the chief of obstetrics at Yale New Haven Hospital and oversees Yale’s comprehensive obstetric patient safety program. Pettker has also served as the associate chief quality officer and chief patient safety officer of the Yale New Haven Health system.
“Dr. Pettker is an impressive clinician, educator, researcher, and leader who prioritizes clinical quality and safety to improve pregnancy-related outcomes. I’m thrilled to welcome him to Iowa and to UI Health Care,” says Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine. “It’s clear that Dr. Pettker has expertise in delivering high-quality clinical care. The OBGYN department—and our larger enterprise—will benefit greatly from his experience and knowledge. We look forward to having him join our team this summer.”
“The UI Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has a long history of distinguished faculty and chairs who have made major contributions in service to the specialty, and I believe Dr. Pettker will successfully continue this legacy at Iowa,
Pettker primarily treats high-risk and complicated pregnancies, with an emphasis on quality improvement and patient safety.
Pettker’s research and scholarship also focus on quality and patient safety, particularly in obstetrics and hospital care. He is the site principal investigator for the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development-sponsored Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network, which supports clinical research to improve the health of mothers and infants. He is the co-author on numerous practice guidelines for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
Throughout his career, Pettker has been active in education and training, earning him several teaching awards at Yale, including the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics Excellence in Teaching Award.
“My family and I are thrilled to join the team at the University of Iowa, and it is an honor to be asked to lead such a well-rounded and accomplished group of faculty, trainees, and staff,” Pettker says. “I have been impressed with each individual I have met at the UI, and I am inspired by the commitment to the institution’s clearly set mission, vision, and values. The world has seen what strong teams come from the University of Iowa, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is another one of those teams that has a bright future to lead Iowa, the nation, and the world in education, scholarship, and health.”
Pettker earned his medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed his OBGYN residency at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. He completed a three-year fellowship at Yale in maternal-fetal medicine before joining the faculty.
He is a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and he is a board examiner of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
“The UI Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has a long history of distinguished faculty and chairs who have made major contributions in service to the specialty, and I believe Dr. Pettker will successfully continue this legacy at Iowa,” Jamieson adds.
Jamieson expressed her gratitude to Rachel Maassen, MD, MBA, who has served as the department’s interim chair and DEO since Feb.14, 2024, and Brad Van Voorhis, MD, who led the department before Maassen for three-and-a-half years on an interim basis. Both Maassen and Van Voorhis will continue as faculty members in the department.
Jamieson also thanked members of the search committee—led by Gerry Clancy, MD, senior associate dean for external affairs in the Carver College of Medicine, and Jeffrey Quinlan, MD, professor and chair in the Department of Family Medicine—for their work in conducting a national search for the position.
“I appreciate the time and effort of our search committee members who identified and vetted top candidates from across the country for this position,” Jamieson says. “This was no easy task, but I believe they made a fantastic recommendation.”
The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has more than 60 primary faculty members and offers a four-year residency training program and competitive fellowship programs in urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery, gynecologic oncology, maternal-fetal medicine, and reproductive endocrinology and infertility. The department also offers a Nurse-Midwifery Education Program.
The chair is the leader of all aspects of the department, serves as the spokesperson for the faculty, and represents the department throughout the college, UI Health Care, and practitioners throughout the state and nationally.