The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Cincinnati has a section of Family Planning and is designated as an official Kenneth J. Ryan Residency Training Program in Abortion and Family Planning. This prestigious program is part of a national network of residency programs that enhance comprehensive resident training in abortion, surgical management of abnormal/medically complicated pregnancies, complex contraception, LARC, advocacy and grieving/bereavement counseling. Our program has been designed to be in full compliance with ACGME requirements and maintains a partial participation option for our residents.
Background
The Kenneth J. Ryan Residency Training Program in Abortion and Family Planning is a national program coordinated from the Bixby Center at the University of California, San Francisco. The program was founded in 1999 with the goal of formally integrating and enhancing family planning training for residents in obstetrics and gynecology. It strives to create academic settings for didactic education, clinical training, and research.
Mission
The mission of the Ryan Program is to increase and strengthen training opportunities in abortion and contraception for residents in obstetrics and gynecology and to encourage and support residents’ exposure to evidence-based clinical care and research in the field of family planning.
Objectives
The program has three major objectives:To establish training opportunities for residents through outpatient pregnancy termination services in teaching hospitals or through collaborative community partners;To establish formally integrated opt-out rotations for residents; andTo promote the sustainability of the program at each site beyond the initial funding period.
Activities
The program provides funding and technical expertise to help ob-gyn residency programs establish or expand hospital-based abortion services. In cases where an in-house service is not feasible, the program also facilitates collaboration with a free-standing abortion provider, such as Planned Parenthood. Ryan Program grantees have access to the Ryan Didactic Curriculum, an online curriculum for residents, containing six modules on family planning topics. We offer workshops for interested and new departments of obstetrics and gynecology on how to build a Ryan Program, and we hold annual Ryan Program meetings for key program staff to discuss program development and sustainability.