Two Ob/Gyn Faculty Members Join Inaugural Class of the Academy of Community and Public Service
Carolyn Westhoff, MD, Sarah Billinghurst Solomon Professor of Reproductive Health at CUMC, and Hilda Hutcherson, MD, MS, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at CUMC, were among 21 CUMC faculty members selected as the inaugural class of the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Academy of Community and Public Service.
Dr. Westhoff is the Chief of the Division of Family Planning in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Her work focuses on improving quality of and access to contraceptive and abortion services. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, and is Senior Medical Advisor to Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Dr. Hutcherson is a nationally renowned expert in the field of women’s health. A co-director of the New York Center for Women’s Sexual Health, Hutcherson is also the Associate Dean for Diversity and Minority Affairs at Columbia.
The ACPS recognizes medical school faculty who make substantial contributions to community and public health in clinical care, medical education, and research in the Washington Heights/Inwood community and around the world. ACPS members will help grow the program through mentoring more junior faculty and helping VP&S continue to enhance its community and public service efforts.
Led by Rafael Lantigua, MD, the ACPS is part of the VP&S Office of Community Service Programs, a newly-established office that builds on the school’s ongoing efforts to improve health and education through community engagement and health promotion activities. ACPS joins the Academy of Clinical Excellence and the Virginia Apgar Academy of Medical Educators as a means for the medical school to recognize outstanding faculty members.
The inaugural ACPS class was inducted on February 27, 2020 in a ceremony at the Faculty Club.
