Dr. Jack A. Pritchard
" A mighty oak has fallen in our forest" Wen Li
In December 2001 with knowledge of Dr. Jack Pritchard's failing health, hundreds of his former residents, faculty, and students from all over the country gathered with him to reminisce and reflect on his contributions to our department and to obstetrics. Sadly, in May of this year we lost our leader, our mentor, our friend.
Jack Pritchard sculpted and embodied the best of our department's mission. He stimulated scientific pursuit and patient advocacy. He was ahead of his time and demanded over 40 years ago that practice be directed by "evidence-based medicine" -- a term in great use today. Embracing life in big themes and in small details, he remained fiercely loyal to his calling.
Dr. Pritchard pioneered translational research in the areas of eclampsia, hematology, placental abruption, obstetrical hemorrhage, and family planning. He was the first to accept proven methods and to adopt new and innovative approaches that were based on rigorous testing. But at the same time, he was also the first to reject the unproven, untested fads of the day.
A relentless champion of patient care, he worked tirelessly to create a well-defined disciplined system of obstetrical care for indigent women. He forged for them a family planning system that stands today as a model of excellence. He demanded the best care possible for Parkland patients, and his unwavering eye for detail ensured that it would be given.
An impassioned educator, he created a comprehensive training program for students, residents, and fellows. Toward this end, he recruited and retained faculty who excelled in teaching, research, and patient care. Many have been or currently are academic leaders across the country. During his tenure, Williams Obstetrics found its home here.
Prestige and honor followed his life's work. He received the Distinguished Service Award of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Distinguished Scientist Award of the Society for Gynecological Investigation, the Joseph Bolivar De Lec Humanitarian Award of the Chicago Lying-In Hospital, Fellow ad eundem of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Ashbel Smith Professorship of the University of Texas Systems.
His greatest legacy though lies in the countless thousands of obstetrician-gynecologists, those trained and those to follow, and in the countless millions of women and infants, some yet unborn, who will be enriched by his priceless contributions to the art and science of obstetrics.
"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn" Ralph Waldo Emerson
Our department continues to grow in new dimensions and directions. Just in the short time since January 2002, we have recruited 18 new faculty members. The department is at its largest and we currently have 89 faculty members. In a relatively few years, the gynecology division has more than doubled its faculty and the division of urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery is now the largest in the nation. We offer fellowships in all subspecialties, and they are much sought after by superb graduates trained from all over the country. Our faculty additions further allow us to advance new avenues of research, to enhance academic excellence, and to continue our commitment to superior patient care.
Patient access to health care expanded with the opening of our first neighborhood-based clinic to provide gynecological services in addition to prenatal care and family planning. The Lakewest Clinic is a collaborative venture between Parkland Hospital and the division of Community Women's Health Care.
Our campus is working to significantly advance the provision of excellent care for our community and Northwest Texas. We are in the midst of a major expansion in our private practice at University Medical Center. Currently, we have 3 clinics in which faculty provided a total of 31,956 patient visits last year. Plans include expansion of high-risk maternity transport, women's preventative health care services, urogynecology, state-of-the-art fertility therapy, and gynecological oncology.
New directions in research stretch from the laboratory to the beside. Within the department, new research has begun in traditional topics as well as in exciting new avenues. To highlight and share this research, our Faculty Research Day was developed. In this its inaugural year, the CME-accredited forum allowed investigators to describe and discuss study designs and research goals for new, basic and clinical investigations in obstetrics and gynecology. During that day, 18 topics out of many more were chosen for presentation, including initiation of parturition, eclampsia prevention, polycystic ovarian syndrome, cervical cancer and dysplasia, pelvic organ prolapse, and anterior pituitary function. To bring additional administrative support to benign gynecological research, clinical research infrastructure was established to provide centralized administrative, laboratory, and study coordination expertise.
Education continues to be a priority within the department. The Jack A. and Signe Pritchard Resident Learning Center within Parkland Hospital will soon open its doors to provide residents a site for high-tech learning. This multimedia center offers computers, traditional bound texts, and a digital televised connection to "live" distance learning through operating room links. To expand the "virtual" classroom, our education division has also created and implemented the department's first web-based curriculum for resident education. Faculty members with a special interest in medical education have garnered teaching grants from the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics to develop new curricula in the areas of pelvic anatomy and sexual dysfunction.
"...and now you have grown to be a mighty tree, whose top reaches the clouds,
and whose branches overspread the whole land... Red Jacket - Sagoyewatha
In addition to all of these endeavors, our substantial academic and research organization continues as a powerful and productive force in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. Academic and clinical activities covering a variety of topics have yielded a bounty of publications. The department's accomplishments are reflected in the nearly 100 peer-reviewed articles in the last academic year. Scholarly works, including 1 new textbook and 7 book chapters, add to the list of academic successes.
Funding for our research endeavors continues to expand. Currently, there are 29 NIH grants that support research investigations within the department. Another 21 funded nonfederal grants add to our research efforts.
Resident and fellow training remains a primary mission of the department. Our department's genealogy of academicians is a tribute to Dr. Pritchard's educational legacy. Residents and fellows trained in our program now serve as professors, division chiefs, department chairs, and deans in a number of universities.
Our clinical successes also continue to flourish. Almost 16,000 babies under our umbrella of care were delivered by our obstetrical service in 2002. Rates of stillborns and very-low-birth weight infants, as well as cesarean delivery rates are all well below the national average and attest to our commitment to patient care. In 2002, gynecological services were provided during more than 116,000 outpatient visits, both centrally and in our neighborhood-based network of clinics. Again this year, US New and World Report applauded our entire team's effort. Named among the nation's "Ten Best" for obstetrical and gynecological services, Parkland Hospital's women's health-care team continues to provide high-quality care to the women of Dallas County and surrounding areas.
Dr. F. Gary Cunningham
< Back Next Page>
