Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship
The SSM Health/Saint Louis University School of Medicine Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Program offers specialized training for managing high-risk pregnancies and preparation for careers in academic and clinical medicine.
A Message From the Program Director
Welcome to the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Program.
Our fellows receive didactic and practical experience in maternal-fetal physiology and pathophysiology, medical complications, obstetric complications, perinatal diagnosis and fetal interventions.
Research is also central to this program. Fellows have multiple research opportunities, including basic science, fetal intervention and clinical maternal-fetal medicine, and they are each expected to serve as the primary author of a publication before completing their training.
Our program fosters a collegial environment, and our faculty are experienced, board-certified specialists who have a broad range of expertise.
Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Niraj Chavan, M.D.
Program director
Program Overview
The three-year, ACGME-accredited maternal-fetal medicine fellowship provides dynamic training that blends clinical excellence with innovative research. The program is based in SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - St. Louis. Experiences include:
- Perinatal pathology
- Genetics
- Critical care
- Neonatology
- Fetal echocardiography
- Labor and delivery supervision
- Outpatient clinics
- Quantitative techniques
Through the Fetal Care Institute, fellows work closely with the neonatal division and all pediatric subspecialists. They participate in multiple seminars and lecture series, journal club and Grand Rounds, and they take three in-house night calls per month as the general OB-GYN attending physician.
Fellows also must author and defend a hypothesis-driven research project prior to graduation. They can team with maternal-fetal medicine faculty for fetal intervention research that covers a scope of topics. They'll also have opportunities to collaborate on basic science projects with researchers who've secured R01 grants.
Prior to starting the program, fellows must have a permanent Missouri license and registration from both the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.
Program Highlights
- Multidisciplinary teams
- Major maternal and perinatal referral center
- Mentored research opportunities, including first-author requirement
- Robust didactic sessions
- Opportunity for advanced degrees (M.P.H., MBA) available
Current Fellows
Tucker Doiron, M.D.
Hometown: Morgan City, Louisiana
Residency: University of Arkansas Medical Sciences
Medical school: Louisiana State University - New Orleans
Undergraduate school: Baylor University
Tucker Doiron's favorite part of the fellowship program is the great group of fellows and faculty that she can rely on both professionally and personally. She also has great exposure to both fetal and maternal pathologies. She decided on maternal-fetal medicine because she feels passionate about walking patients through high-risk pregnancies. She has a special interest in the fetal side of MFM and hopes to pursue fetal intervention.
Doiron enjoys watercolor painting, exploring St. Louis, walking around Tower Grove Park and the St. Louis Botanical Gardens, and walking her dog, Walter. Her favorite St. Louis restaurant is the Fiddlehead Fern Café.
Research Projects
- Class III Obesity SSI Prevention
- Placental Changes in CHD
- Antihypertensive Choice in Severe Preeclampsia and FGR
- Fetal UTD Outcomes After a New Classification System
Michelle Petrich, M.D.
Hometown: O'Fallon, Illinois
Residency: The Ohio State University
Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Saint Louis University
Michelle Petrich enjoys trying new restaurants and going out to support our local teams, the Blues and Cardinals! Her favorite St. Louis restaurant is Seamus McDaniels in the Dogtown neighborhood.
Research Projects
- Predictors of maternal and neonatal outcomes among pregnant individuals with substance use disorder
- How does social vulnerability influence substance use patterns in pregnant persons with substance use disorder?
- Impact of a Statewide Quality Collaborative on Screening and Referral for Perinatal Substance Use Disorders
- Universal cervical length screening at the time of the fetal anatomic survey for patients at low risk of spontaneous preterm birth
- Improving RSV vaccine hesitancy amongst pregnant individuals at a single academic tertiary care center
Katherine Chen, M.D.
Hometown: Strongsville, Ohio
Residency: University of Toledo College of Medicine
Medical school: University of Toledo College of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Case Western Reserve University
Katherine Chen's favorite part of the fellowship program is the fellows! They have all been so supportive and have become some of her closest friends. She chose the maternal-fetal medicine program because she loves taking care of women during their high-risk pregnancies, and she loves ultrasound!
Chen enjoys brewing her own kombucha, plant propagating, walks in the park, and a post-clinic trip to Sasha's Wine Bar. Her favorite St. Louis restaurant is TAI KE.
Research Projects
- Smoking Cessation Among Women with Perinatal Substance Use Disorders: A Mixed Methods Implementation Science Study
- Racial Disparities in Severe Maternal Morbidity: Identifying Predictors for Designing Interventions and Risk Reduction (presented as SMFM)
- Randomized control trial to compare post-op pain control in SUD population
- Buprenorphine metabolites
Andrew Storm, M.D.
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Residency: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Medical school: Rush Medical College
Undergraduate school: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Andrew Storm enjoys exploring St. Louis, running in Forest Park, and a post-clinic dinner at Sasha's Wine Bar. His favorite St. Louis restaurant is Basso.
Research Projects
- Success of vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) following induced versus spontaneous labor
- Sociodemographic and Clinical Predictors of Severe Maternal Morbidity: Opportunities for Prevention of Maternal Morbidity
- Provider Perspectives About Smoking Cessation Programming for Patients with Substance Use Disorder: Mixed Methods Approach
- Piperacillin-tazobactam and clindamycin based standardized treatment of chorioamnionitis: non-inferiority study
- Maternal immune microenvironment in fetal congenital disease
Andy Chen, M.D.
Hometown: Torrance, California
Residency: Rutgers Health — Jersey City Medical Center
Medical school: Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of California - Los Angeles
Andy Chen's favorite part of the fellowship program is the fantastic mentorship. The senior fellows and faculty are so enthusiastic about teaching, and the diversity in pathology seen here in training makes for an excellent training program.
Chen enjoys working with patients whose pregnancies are high risk for all different kinds of reasons. He feels it is truly a privilege to serve and learn from these patients in some of their most memorable and most vulnerable moments. He also has a special interest in medical education and teaching, as well as ethics, policy and law.
In his free time, Chen enjoys swimming, watching the Lakers and Dodgers, walking around the Central West End neighborhood and trying new restaurants. His favorite St. Louis restaurant is Kimchi Guys.
Research Projects
- Treating Vaginal Infections Prior to History-Indicated Cerclage and its Impact on PPROM and Pregnancy Prolongation
Spencer Pope, D.O.
Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee
Residency: University of Tennessee Health and Science Center
Medical school: Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Memphis
Spencer Pope's favorite parts of the fellowship program are are getting to work with and teach the residents, and spending time with co-fellows in the office, where they can joke around or bounce ideas off each other about patient care. He chose the fellowship because he loves managing high-risk pregnancies and having the ability to understand the intersection between maternal-fetal physiology and pathophysiology.
Pope enjoys spending time with his family, trying new restaurants, watching sports, spending time outside and going to the Tower Grove Farmer's Market. His favorite St. Louis restaurant is Zia's on The Hill.
Research Interests
- Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
- Diabetes in pregnancy
Apply
The fellowship program has two available positions per year. It welcomes both domestic and international applicants but only sponsors J-1 visas.
The application deadline for the 2026-2027 academic year was April 28, 2025. Interviews typically take place in July and August of the application year.
The program participates in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP).
Review the Application Process
About the SSM Health/Saint Louis University School of Medicine Residency Program
SSM Health proudly sponsors the Graduate Medical Education program at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. This university-based training program offers a world-class academic environment that fosters clinical excellence, research innovation and compassionate care. All program participants are employed by SSM Health, ensuring a cohesive and supportive experience within a nationally recognized health system.