Profiles

Alfred Abuhamad, MD

On Aug. 4, 2021, the EVMS Board of Visitors appointed Alfred Abuhamad, MD, Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a 29-year veteran of the school, to serve as interim President, Provost and Dean of the School of Medicine effective immediately. He follows Richard Homan, MD, who retired.

On June 20, 2022, Dr. Abuhamad officially became President, Provost and Dean of the School of Medicine.

Dr. Abuhamad is a physician-scientist-educator who is recognized internationally for his expertise and leadership in maternal-fetal medicine, ultrasound, prenatal diagnosis, global outreach and patient safety.

Dr. Abuhamad came to EVMS in 1992. Currently, he is the Mason C. Andrews Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Professor and Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Dr. Abuhamad is a pioneer in ultrasound development and education. His innovations in ultrasound have enhanced fetal diagnosis, and one of his books, a free-access e-book, "Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology: A Practical Approach," has been downloaded more than 70,000 times and translated into nine languages.

As President of the American Institute for Ultrasound in Medicine, he oversaw a year-long initiative to encourage widespread use of ultrasound to minimize radiation exposure with other imaging modalities. He established the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology’s outreach program and has led several ultrasound training missions to the developing world to include Haiti, Ghana and Somaliland. He also is a past President of the Society for Ultrasound in Medical Education and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

Trained in maternal-fetal medicine, Dr. Abuhamad is part of a national team of researchers studying the human placenta during early pregnancy. That project is supported by a $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

He is the author of several books and book chapters and more than 180 peer-reviewed journal articles. One of his books, “Practical Guide to Fetal Echocardiography,” won the Book of the Year Award in 2019 from the British Medical Association.

He is founder and past Chair of the Council for Patient Safety in Women’s Health Care and is founder of the Ob Right Program, a nationally recognized program in patient safety and quality.

Dr. Abuhamad received his medical degree at the American University of Beirut. He continued his postgraduate training at the University of Miami where he completed his residency training in obstetrics and gynecology and his fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine. He also pursued a second fellowship at Yale Medical School in ultrasound and prenatal diagnosis.

Dr. Abuhamad has received numerous national and international awards. In 2019, he received the Outstanding Faculty Award, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s premier honor for education.

Dr. Abuhamad receives Pioneer Award