Mary Jane Minkin, MD

Clinical Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
Yale School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Brown University (1971)
Medical School: Yale School of Medicine (1975)
Residency (OB/GYN): Yale New Haven Hospital (1979)

What attracted you to Yale?

First of all, my bridge partner, who was one of my buddies from Brown and my chem lab partner, was already here. Second was the Yale system, which is basically about learning because you want to learn. Originally, however, I was not aiming for OB/GYN. I did a year of internal medicine, then switched to OB/GYN, and Yale had far and away the best program in the U.S. at that point.

You've been at Yale for 40 years, but do you stay in touch with colleagues who have left?

If you look at the chairmen of OB/GYN departments throughout the U.S., there are more people from Yale than from any other school. We formed YOGS — the Yale OB/GYN Society — and have annual festivities in New Haven. A lot of former med students, residents and faculty come back every year. We arrange talks and honor famous alumni.

There's continuous collegiality. One of my old medical students is a pediatric cardiologist in Florida. Whenever his wife, who's an endocrinologist, gets pregnant, he always e-mails me to make sure the doctors are doing the right thing. I've gotten him through three children so far.