The UAB Department of OB/GYN celebrates women every day. We focus on providing the best care to our women patients through research and education, while training our residents and fellows to do the same. Our goal is to continue to advance women’s health, and our female physicians play a key role in that.

During Women’s History Month, not only do we celebrate the women who came before us and helped shape the importance of women’s health, but we also celebrate the women who continue to make an impact.

We spoke with two of our female faculty members, Dr. Audra Williams and Dr. Deidre Downs Gunn, and asked them to discuss their proudest accomplishments, women who influenced them, the importance of women’s health, and the future of women physicians.

Audra Williams, M.D.

Assistant Professor
Division of Women’s Reproductive Health

What is special to you about providing care to women patients, specifically?

I was drawn to the field of OB/GYN as a medical student primarily because of the opportunity to have longitudinal relationships with patients. I love being able to care for women through all stages of their lives and empowering them to make informed decisions as they build their families. It is truly a privilege to be there for both the best and worst days of a woman’s life and something I never take for granted.

Compared to its history, what do you hope to see for the future of women’s health care?

I hope that women’s health care gets the attention and funding it deserves in order to improve the health of women around the world. We must continue to advocate for continued support of women’s health research. It is important to invest in advancing and innovating women’s health in order to benefit everyone. I also hope that women’s reproductive rights do not continue to come under attack.

What do you hope to see for the future of women physicians?

I hope that we will gain parity at all levels of medicine. Women now make up the majority of medical school students, so I hope we will start to see that same equality in leadership positions.

Deidre Downs Gunn, M.D.

Assistant Professor
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility

What woman (or women) have influenced you the most in your career?

I did my residency at UAB, and I chose UAB in large part because I admired the upper-level residents, fellows, and faculty in the department. They were knowledgeable, compassionate, and confident women, and I knew I wanted to model myself after them.

What is your proudest accomplishment thus far?

As part of my platform for Miss Alabama and Miss America (I was Miss America 2005), I was an advocate for childhood cancer research and served as the spokesperson for CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation. I also created the "Curing Childhood Cancer" statewide Alabama specialty license plate that, to date, has raised several million dollars for pediatric cancer research at The Children's Hospital of Alabama. I'm proud that I helped put in place a permanent funding mechanism for research in that field.

What do you hope to see for the future of women physicians?

I would love to see more women in leadership positions, particularly in academic medicine. And as a fertility specialist, I would love to see more flexibility and support for physicians to pursue pregnancy and family-building at any point in their training.