Robert Welch, M.D., M.S.A., F.A.C.O.G., professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology for the Wayne State University School of Medicine, received the 13th annual "Excellence in Medical Education Award" from the Southeast Michigan Center for Medical Education Board of Directors.

Dr. Welch received the award - given by the organization to only two medical educators annually during the past 12 years - in recognition of his participation in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Education Committee, lectureships and for the area-wide Fetal Assessment Course that he has directed for nearly 30 years.

"Receiving this award is exceptionally gratifying for me, especially when it is for something that I live and love to do," said Dr. Welch, who serves as vice chair of Obstetric and Clinical Operations, vice president of the Women and Infants Service Line for the Detroit Medical Center and chief and division director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine for the School of Medicine. "Recognition from peer medical educators in this region is really a special honor, because there are so many great ones who teach the art and science of medicine daily."

SEMCME is the largest community-based medical education consortium in the Midwest. The organization was created in 1974 to coordinate and assist in educating medical students, medical residents, faculty and other health professionals.

The Fetal Assessment Course that Dr. Welch directs is among the most popular post-graduate programs in SEMCME's educational offerings, and allows him to influence and educate nearly all Obstetrics and Gynecology residents in southeast Michigan.

Dr. Welch is active in local, regional and national quality improvement activities in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology. His research focuses on measurement of a specific cell-free fetal RNA in amniotic fluid and maternal circulation, and utilizing this portion of the fetal transcriptome for future clinical applications in perinatal medicine.