Dr. Michael J. Paidas of Yale Named Chair of OB/GYN at the Miller School

Michael J. Paidas, M.D., professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences and vice chair of obstetrics at Yale University School of Medicine, has been named chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and UHealth.

Dr. Michael J. Paidas

“Dr. Paidas brings a wide range of exceptional accomplishment in patient care, translational research, clinical trial experience and education to Miami,” Edward Abraham, M.D., Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and CEO of UHealth, said in announcing the appointment.

Dr. Paidas holds a number of prominent positions at Yale, including interim director of the Section of Maternal Fetal Medicine, interim section chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital, program director of the Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellowship, and founder and director of the Yale Women and Children’s Center for Blood Disorders and Preeclampsia Advancement.

Dr. Paidas’ career has focused on the fields of reproduction, perinatal medicine and hemostasis. He has authored or co-authored 126 peer-reviewed articles published in a variety of scientific journals, including PNAS, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Cell Death and Differentiation/Nature, and The Lancet.  Dr. Paidas has written one book, 36 book chapters, and 160 abstracts, and has given 300 presentations or courses. He has held prominent roles in several professional societies and national boards, and is a contributing author of The National Partnership for Maternal Safety.

“Beginning in November, Dr. Paidas will lead our work with Jackson Health System to expand and strengthen our services so that we are the preferred destination for obstetrics and gynecologic care,” said Henri R. Ford, M.D., M.H.A., Dean and Chief Academic Officer of the Miller School of Medicine. “We’re very excited about the inspired, innovative role we know he will play in the continued elevation of our academic health care system.”

Dr. Paidas said he too is very excited about “the prospect of joining a world-class university and health system in UHealth and UM/Jackson, and leading the OB/GYN Department, whose mission will be to provide the best possible care for women and their families in South Florida, along with attracting patients regionally and internationally.”

For more than 16 years Dr. Paidas has played a leading role in research concerning the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of Preimplantation Factor (PIF), which has important immune modulatory, neuroprotective, and neuro-regenerative properties in pregnancy and non-pregnancy related conditions. He is the principal investigator of an NIH-funded preclinical study evaluating PIF as a treatment for radiation injury.

In addition to extensive service in patient care, Dr. Paidas has collaborated with hospital and medical school leadership to initiate many advances in clinical facilities and programs, including the restructuring of obstetric services at Yale hospitals, the redesign of a state-of-the-art maternal fetal medicine outpatient facility, and the renovation of a new labor floor, maternal fetal medicine antepartum unit, postpartum unit, and neonatal intensive unit.

“One of the exciting things about coming to Miami is the unique leadership team that exists there, including Dr. Abraham, Dr. Ford, and our partners at Jackson,” Dr. Paidas said. “It’s truly a special place, and we will work together to propel the OB/GYN Department and the health system to new heights.”

A strong advocate of education at all levels, Dr. Paidas has sponsored an annual summer high school scholars program and mentors college students, medical students, residents, fellows, postgraduate researchers, and junior faculty. Together with pediatric colleagues, he created and co-directs the National Hemophilia Foundation-Shire (formerly Baxter) Clinical Training Fellowship at Yale.

In 2010, Dr. Paidas received the David J. Leffell, M.D. Prize for Clinical Excellence at Yale, which is given annually to a single physician in the Yale Medical Group. A graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine, he received the Tufts Medical Alumni Association Dean’s Award in 2012.

Dr. Paidas received his undergraduate degree from Fairfield University, cum laude. He completed his internship and residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, and a fellowship in maternal fetal medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York. He held positions at Tufts and New York University before joining the Yale faculty in 2002.

Tags: Michael J. Paidas, Obstetrics and gynecology, UM/Jackson, Yale