Family Medicine OB Fellowship Iowa Lutheran Hospital
A Message From Our Program Directors
Welcome to the UnityPoint Family Medicine Obstetrics Fellowship. Our mission is to prepare family physicians to provide comprehensive, evidence-based obstetrical care for the communities that need it most.
As access to maternity care continues to decline across many rural and underserved regions in the state of Iowa, there is a growing need for highly trained family physicians who can provide full-spectrum obstetrical services. Our fellowship is designed to meet that need by equipping graduates with advanced clinical skills, surgical obstetrical training, and the confidence to practice independently in a variety of settings.
Fellows receive extensive hands-on experience in high-volume obstetrical care, including management of low- and high-risk pregnancies, labor and delivery, postpartum care, newborn care, and surgical obstetrics, including cesarean delivery. Through close mentorship from experienced faculty, fellows develop the technical expertise, clinical judgment, and leadership skills necessary to provide safe, high-quality care for mothers and infants.
What makes our program unique is our commitment to serving rural and underserved populations. We believe that geography should never determine access to quality maternity care. Our graduates are trained to become leaders in communities where obstetrical services are limited, helping hospitals maintain local delivery services and ensuring that patients can receive care close to home.
The fellowship experience extends beyond procedural competence. We emphasize patient-centered care, interdisciplinary collaboration, health equity, and advocacy. Our goal is to develop physicians who not only excel clinically but also become champions for maternal and infant health in their communities.
We are proud of the impact our first OB fellowship graduates has made in her community, bringing comprehensive obstetrical care—including surgical obstetrics—to areas where her skill was needed. If you are passionate about full-spectrum family medicine, dedicated to serving underserved populations, and committed to advancing maternal health, we invite you to apply to learn more about us.
We look forward to training the next generation of family physicians who will help ensure that every family has access to exceptional obstetrical care, regardless of where they live.
Alexandra K Hubbell, DO
Program Director, Family Medicine Obstetrics Fellowship
I welcome you to the UnityPoint Family Medicine OB Fellowship. As department chair for Women's Health in the Des Moines area, I would like to express the excitement and enthusiasm of our obstetric providers to be a part of this endeavor. We recognize the profound need in rural areas of our state for better access to obstetric care and are proud to partner with our Family Practice colleagues in this training opportunity. Our team of obstetrician/gynecologists practice in an evidence-based, high-volume setting that will promote the clinical and surgical skills to allow our graduates to be skilled and competent leaders in maternal health in their communities. We look forward to being a part of this important program while advancing maternal care in rural and underserved areas.
Chris M. Johnson, DO, FACOG
Women’s Health Department Chair
UnityPoint Health – Des Moines
About Our Program
OB fellows will spend approximately 2,000 hours on the Iowa Methodist Medical Center Labor and Delivery unit, gaining extensive hands-on experience in labor management, operative obstetrics, and comprehensive maternity care. Fellows actively manage laboring patients, perform vaginal deliveries, and receive robust surgical training in cesarean sections within a high-volume clinical environment.
Our fellowship provides exceptional procedural experience. Our previous fellow completed more than 190 primary cesarean sections and over 350 vaginal deliveries during the training year, offering a level of operative and obstetrical exposure that prepares graduates for independent full-spectrum rural practice.
In addition to intensive labor and delivery training, fellows rotate with a variety of obstetrical and gynecologic subspecialties, including Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Gynecologic Oncology, and Reproductive Endocrinology. These experiences provide fellows with a deeper understanding of high-risk obstetrics, complex gynecologic conditions, fertility care, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Why Choose Us
Iowa continues to face significant gaps in access to obstetrical care, particularly in rural communities. The state ranks last in the nation in OB/GYN physicians per capita, creating a critical need for well-trained Family Medicine physicians who can provide comprehensive maternity care. While deliveries in urban settings are often managed by OB/GYN specialists, nearly 58% of rural deliveries in Iowa are performed by Family Medicine physicians, underscoring the essential role they play in improving access to care for underserved populations.
Our year-long fellowship is designed to equip Family Medicine physicians with advanced obstetrical training, including comprehensive prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, and surgical obstetrical care with cesarean section training. Fellows graduate prepared to confidently meet the unique needs of rural and underserved maternity populations while practicing full-spectrum family medicine.
Training takes place at the Maternity Center at Iowa Methodist, the largest birthing center in Iowa, offering fellows exposure to a high-volume and diverse obstetrical experience. Additional training will be provided at Grinnell Hospital under Abby Flannagan, DO. In addition, our established Family Medicine Residency program maintains its own dedicated obstetrics service, creating robust opportunities for hands-on learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, teaching, and mentorship. This combination of high patient volume, strong faculty support, and mission-driven training makes our fellowship an exceptional choice for physicians passionate about advancing maternal healthcare access in Iowa and beyond.
Curriculum
Training will include:
- Vaginal deliveries
- Operative vaginal deliveries
- C-section training
- Post C-section tubal ligations
- Management of post-partum hemorrhage including Jada placement
- Management of 3rd and 4th degree perineal lacerations
- Post-partum D&C training
- High risk pregnancy care: including gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, hypertension, obesity, advanced maternal age
- Newborn resuscitation (this will be done through the NICU rotation)
Application & Contact Information:
If you are interested in applying, please send CV, obstetrical procedure logs, program director letter and letter of reference from obstetrician to Dr. Alexandra Hubbell at alexandra.hubbell@unitypoint.org.
