OBGYN Residency
Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola

Applicant Information Contact Us Message from Program Director

Mission

The FSU Sponsored OB/GYN Residency Program at Ascension Sacred Heart's mission is to strive to improve health care in Florida, our nation, and the world through excellence and consistently superior leadership in education, clinical care, discovery, and service. To support our institution’s mission, the Residency Program will educate and develop exemplary physicians who practice patient-centered health care, discover and advance knowledge, and are responsive to community needs of Northwest Florida and Southeast Alabama, with service to elder, rural, minority, and vulnerable populations. 

Our Residency Program’s mission is to train well-rounded, obstetric and gynecologic generalists who consistently model Florida State University’s expectation for clinical excellence, superior leadership, and compassionate care in a region of most need. We also are mission minded in our care and service to the elder, rural, minority, and vulnerable populations in Northwest Florida and Southeast Alabama where no access to obstetric and gynecologic care is available in many counties. For the Residency Program’s mission, our educational program improves obstetric care and gynecologic health in our region. 

Our focus is community care educational training in an underserved region. The training of our resident physicians places emphasis on academic, clinical, and surgical excellence within the community setting which meets the standards of our university. We focus on recognizing and combating health disparities of our region and providing university-level care in a region that otherwise would not have access.

Vision

The FSU Sponsored Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program at Ascension Sacred Heart aims to lead the nation in preparing compassionate physicians who deliver the highest quality, 21st century, patient-centered medicine to communities of greatest need. The community training will be accomplished by advancing the science of care and developing innovative educational programs in these communities. 

The program aims to provide unique and individualized resident physician education, and to continue a legacy of compassionate, holistic, and state of the art clinical and technical skills. We are firmly committed to helping generalist OB/GYN’s become comfortable practicing in rural and suburban settings.To confirm that we are helping our residents realize their full potential and fulfill the university’s mission, we track the following: 

  1. The number of graduates who practice in smaller suburban or rural communities.
  2. The number of graduates who hold leadership roles in their practicing hospital and communities.
  3. ABOG Qualifying Exam pass rates.
  4. ABOG Certifying Exam pass rates.

Why choose us

The purpose of our four-year training program is to educate our residents in the entire breadth of the discipline of obstetrics and gynecology and to foster a lifelong commitment to the promotion of women’s healthcare.The FSU Sponsored OB/GYN Residency Program at Ascension Sacred Heart has been in existence since 1964, having originated as a community-based residency program and evolving into today’s FSU sponsored program. 

Our four-year, fully accredited program includes six residents at each level, coming from all across the United States and representing numerous medical schools. Our residents are a strong, diverse group who strive to provide distinction in patient care and academic performance.In addition to general obstetrics and gynecology, our program includes rotations through all of the subspecialties, including maternal-fetal medicine (high-risk pregnancy), gynecologic oncology, reprod

uctive endocrinology and infertility, ambulatory medicine, and female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. Our full-service obstetrics/gynecology clinic provides a wide range of experience and pathology. You can learn more about each of these rotations below.Residency training at Ascension Sacred Heart has many advantages over the larger, less personal residency programs available elsewhere. Due to our smaller size, our program affords close interaction among all residents and faculty and provides more opportunity for individual instruction. This allows us to have just the right balance between freedom of action by the residents and supervision by the faculty, while maintaining an emphasis on quality patient care


About the Program

Obstetrics Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola delivers more babies than all other hospitals in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties combined. 

Our Maternity and Women’s Center includes an active and busy antepartum service, supported by the Regional Perinatal Center and staffed by our maternal-fetal medicine faculty. As the only local hospital with an OB/GYN onsite 24/7, Ascension Sacred Heart also offers Northwest Florida’s only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit led by board-certified neonatologists and our partners in the pediatric residency program.OB Hospitalist ProgramAscension Sacred Heart offers Northwest Florida’s only OB Emergency Care Center.This service ensures that women who are in labor or who are experiencing complications are seen right away by an in-house, board-certified OB/GYN, who can provide care until the patient’s own doctor arrives at the hospital. 

The OB/GYN hospitalists don’t take the place of the patient’s personal physician, but they work with OB/GYNs in our community to provide a safety net for situations when the baby can’t wait. By providing a faster and more specialized response through our OB Emergency Care Center, Ascension Sacred Heart enhances the safety and health outcomes for both mother and baby. Maternal-Fetal Medicine Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola is Northwest Florida’s Regional Perinatal Center. Led by our maternal-fetal medicine faculty, the Regional Perinatal Center is one of only 11 such centers in Florida and provides the highest level of medical care to women with high-risk pregnancies and their babies.

Our physicians have a wide range of experience in treating and managing various medical complications of pregnancy, including diabetes, hypertension, preeclampsia, placenta previa, premature rupture of the amniotic membranes, preterm labor and RH disease.As a part of our commitment to providing high-risk pregnancy care to communities across the Gulf Coast, Ascension Sacred Heart offers care in a variety of settings: Satellite outreach clinics across Northwest Florida and South Alabama offer outpatient consultations, as well as genetic and preconception counseling.High-risk mothers are transported quickly and safely using AIRHeart helicopter ambulance, the area’s only helicopter service providing high-risk obstetrical care.

For women requiring an extended hospital stay, our inpatient high-risk pregnancy unit at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola strives to provide a comfortable, soothing experience in the weeks leading up to your delivery, with activities such as a social hour when patients can meet other moms-to-be and share your experiences together.Gynecologic OncologyWith no fellows on this always-busy service, residents will gain first-hand surgical experience alongside Northwest Florida’s only gynecologic oncologists. 

Our gynecologic oncologists practice out of the Ascension Sacred Heart Cancer Center, which is affiliated with MD Anderson Cancer Network®. A program of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, MD Anderson Cancer Network is a research-driven institute that is ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the nation’s top cancer treatment center. Because of the excellent care that Ascension Sacred Heart and its physicians already provide, MD Anderson Cancer Network selected Ascension Sacred Heart as an ally in the fight against cancer.As a result of this affiliation, Ascension Sacred Heart cancer patients are treated according to the latest clinical care guidelines developed by teams of specialists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. 

Ascension Sacred Heart Cancer Center undergoes ongoing and rigorous review of its standards and practices to ensure it meets MD Anderson’s high standards of care.Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive SurgeryStuart Shippey, MD serves as a full-time core faculty member providing residents with the opportunity for training in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery.Reproductive EndocrinologyReproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Barry Ripps serves on the faculty of our OB/GYN residency program, providing physician residents with the opportunity for training and education in fertility management.Women’s Care CenterThe Ascension Sacred Heart Women’s Care Center offers the highest level of obstetric and gynecologic care in a nurturing, friendly environment. The Center is staffed by our resident physicians and board-certified attending OB/GYNs who oversee the coordination of care for all of the Center’s patients.The Women’s Care Center also has a financial counselor on site to assist patients with signing up for insurance and other aid programs. Fees are charged on a sliding-scale basis depending on the patient’s income and family situation. No woman is ever turned away from care.


Contact Us

Kadee Kennedy Roddy

Residency Program Coordinator  
Florida State University College of Medicine
Email: Kadee.Kennedy@ascension.org

5151 N 9th Ave.
Pensacola, FL 32504 

Phone: (850) 416-2418
Fax: (850) 416-2460

Graduate Medical Education Home