World-renowned Fetal Surgeon Joins UHealth

1/22/2009

World-renowned fetal surgeon Rubén A. Quintero, M.D., joined the University of Miami Health System/Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine and the Women’s Hospital Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital on March 1 as director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and professor of obstetrics and gynecology. At UHealth/Jackson, Dr. Quintero will launch a unique fetal therapy program that will treat previously untreatable, life-threatening disorders discovered in unborn babies. UHealth is a comprehensive network of six hospitals, two dozen outpatient facilities, 1,200 doctors, and 8,000 associates and is the region’s only university health system.

“The addition of Dr. Quintero to our team of maternal-fetal medicine specialists will result in a true transformation of the services we will be able to offer our pregnant patients,” said Leo B. Twiggs, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UHealth/ Miller. “This is an exciting opportunity to build on the quality of care at the Women’s Hospital Center at UHealth and Jackson Memorial. His addition will also complement our internationally renowned neonatal and pediatrics program at Holtz Children’s Hospital.”

Few hospitals in the country offer fetal therapy services. Dr. Quintero is a leader in the field, a subspecialty in existence since 1980. He is best known for developing a minimally invasive approach for the correction of birth defects in utero, also known as Operative Fetoscopy. He has also developed the selective laser technique to treat twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), a condition resulting from the unbalanced flow of blood between two fetuses sharing a common placenta. The condition affects up to 10 percent of identical twins in utero and without surgical intervention both babies could die.

After undergoing fetal surgery, infants can receive additional care after their birth at Jackson’s Holtz Children’s Hospital, known worldwide for its team of pediatric specialists experienced in treating children with all types of needs, from routine care to life-saving procedures.

A native of Venezuela, Dr. Quintero received his medical degree from the Universidad Central de Venezuela Medical School in Caracas in 1983. He completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology and a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at Yale University School of Medicine.

A fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Quintero has published many peer-reviewed papers and is the editor of the only book on minimally invasive fetal surgery, Diagnostic and Operative Fetoscopy, published in 2002. He is also the editor of Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, which was published in 2007 and is the only book currently available on twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.

About UHealth Obstetrics and Gynecology

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UHealth offers comprehensive services for women of all ages. We offer quality care that is personal and compassionate and services in subspecialties such as maternal-fetal medicine, gynecologic oncology, infertility, diagnostic ultrasound and urogynecology.

The UHealth Advantage:

• UHealth is the region’s only university-based health system, delivering leading-edge patient care by top-ranked physicians.
• UHealth is powered by the groundbreaking research and medical education of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
• UHealth provides life-saving care to patients from across South Florida and around the globe.