Pregnancy Care

Our Experts

Doctors

• Dr. Amy (Meg) Autry, obstetrician and gynecologist

• Dr. Allison S. Bryant, perinatolgoist

• Dr. Aaron Caughey, perinatologist, medical director of the UCSF Diabetes and Pregnancy Program

• Dr. Yvonne Cheng, perinatologist

• Dr. Deborah L Cohan, obstetrician and gynecologist

• Dr. Elena A Gates, obstetrician and gynecologist

• Dr. Linda C. Giudice, obstetrician, gynecologist and reproductive endocrinologist

• Dr. Linda M. Hopkins, perinatologist

• Dr. Alison F. Jacoby, director of the Comprehensive Fibroid Center

• Dr. Deborah D Kamali, obstetrician and gynecologist

• Dr. Russell K. Laros, perinatologist

• Dr. Karen R. Meckstroth, gynecologist

• Dr. Julian T. Parer, perinatologist

• Dr. Larry Rand, perinatologist

• Dr. Patricia A. Robertson, perinatologist

• Dr. Brian L Shaffer, perinatologist and geneticist

• Dr. Mari-Paule Thiet, director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine

• Dr. Marya G Zlatnik, perinatologist

Nurses

Judith T. Bishop is a certified nurse midwife at the UCSF Women's Health Center. As part of the UCSF Obstetrics and Gynecology Group, she works in collaboration with obstetricians, gynecologists, perinatologists and other nurse midwives. She provides care for women anticipating normal pregnancies, as well as those with gynecological or family planning concerns.

Bishop has been a practicing midwife in the Bay Area for over 20 years. In addition, she has assisted writing and editing books on midwifery and family planning for developing countries. She completed midwife training at Columbia University in New York and earned a master's of public health degree at the University of California at Berkeley.

Suzanne Seger is a certified nurse midwife and a registered nurse at the UCSF Women's Health Center, working with obstetricians, gynecologists and perinatologists to care for pregnant women. In addition to patient care, Seger is interested in issues related to domestic violence, health disparities, immigrant health concerns and linguistic competency and medical education.

Seger also teachers midwifery at UCSF to students, nurses and doctors. She earned undergraduate and master degrees at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Seger speaks Spanish.

Sharon Wiener is a certified nurse midwife at UCSF Women's Health Center. Since 1978, she has provided comprehensive care to women and their families. Wiener also teaches midwifery, including gynecology and family planning at UCSF's School of Nurse Midwifery. Prior to joining UCSF, she worked for several years in Latin America, training local health providers.

Wiener received midwife training at the College of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey and a graduate degree in public health from the University of California at Berkeley.

Other Experts

Rebecca Abel has been a clinical social worker since 1980. She has worked with pregnancy and postpartum patients since 1992, both at UCSF Medical Center and Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, Calif. At both hospitals, Abel provided counseling to women and their partners experiencing high-risk pregnancies. For 12 years, Abel also worked as a social worker on the labor and delivery unit at UCSF. There, she had the privilege of helping many women cope with traumatic birth, fetal demise, unwanted Caesarean sections and sick babies.

In 2007, Abel was asked to develop a mental health program at UCSF for women suffering from pregnancy or postpartum depression, which is now the Pregnancy and Postpartum Mood Assessment Clinic. She has since worked closely with hundreds of women who feel overwhelmed by complex emotions following childbirth. Many women struggle with self and body image, partnership problems and figuring out how to be a good parent. Women with a history of depression or a dysfunctional family of origin can be at particular risk for depression and anxiety during this period. Abel is very experienced in helping families find creative ways to survive a wide range of challenges and to find their way back from pain and stress. She encourages women to bring their partners in, and believes that partner involvement is critical to the healing of perinatal mood disorders. She is married and the mother of two sons.

Mary Ellen DiPaola is a dietitian, certified diabetes educator and board-certified lactation consultant. She provides nutrition therapy for chronic kidney disease, diabetes, weight management, cardiac and gastrointestinal disorders, as well as women's health, obstetrics, and childhood feeding issues.

At UCSF, DiPaola sees patients at the Nutrition Counseling Clinic, Pre-Kidney Transplant Clinic, the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Clinic, The Young Women's Clinic and the adult diabetes practice. DiPaola received her Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition and dietetics from the University of Delaware and completed an internship at University of Indiana/Purdue University Medical Center.