Maureen Phipps RES’98, MD, MPH, a professor emerita of obstetrics and gynecology at The Warren Alpert Medical School, was elected to the National Academy of Medicine’s 2025 class.
Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honors in health and medicine and recognizes individuals at the top of their field who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.
According to the NAM, Phipps was elected “for her visionary academic and executive leadership in women’s health, and her transformative contributions to pressing health care challenges across state, national, and global contexts.” The academy also noted her work “advancing reproductive and maternal health, championing evidence-based care, and shaping policy solutions through trusted leadership, thoughtful research, and strategic collaboration.”
Phipps says the appointment left her feeling “humbled and grateful.”
“My work has always been collaborative and has bridged many departments across Brown as well as the medical and public health community of Rhode Island,” Phipps says. “I find myself deeply moved by this honor. It is an unexpected recognition of the care and commitment I brought to my work as a clinician, professor, researcher, leader, and member of the community.”
Phipps completed her residency training at Women & Infants Hospital and joined the Brown faculty in 2001. She served as chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and assistant dean for teaching and research in women’s health at Brown, and the executive chief of women’s health for the Care New England health system.
Over two decades, Phipps spearheaded numerous initiatives in research, education, policy, and program development, including directing the federally funded Women’s Reproductive Health Research Scholars Program, leading the Rhode Island Task Force on Premature Births, and overseeing the Brown and Women & Infants Hospital National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health.
Phipps’ research focused on health outcomes of vulnerable and under-resourced women and their families, and her scholarly contributions involved collaboration across departments, hospitals, and state agencies. She served as principal or co-investigator for various projects funded by the National Institutes of Health and other organizations. At Brown’s School of Public Health, she co-led the National Children’s Study research project, an initiative of Brown and Women & Infants.
She retired from Brown in 2019 to serve as CEO of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a role she held until 2023. She was a member of the US Preventive Services Task Force, president of the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society, and a board member for the Council of Medical Specialty Societies, among other roles. She also started a business providing leadership support and guidance to health care leaders and physicians.