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Rita Wesley Driggers, M.D.

Rita Wesley Driggers, M.D.

Headshot of Rita Wesley Driggers
  • Medical Director, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Sibley Memorial Hospital
  • Associate Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics
Female

Expertise

Gynecology, Gynecology and Obstetrics, High Risk OB, Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Women's Reproductive Health ...read more

Research Interests

Preterm birth; Pregnancy and diabetes

Locations

Sibley Memorial Hospital

5255 Loughboro Road NW
Washington, DC 20016 map
Phone: 202-537-4000

Background

Dr. Rita Driggers attended medical school at the University of Tennessee followed by residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Uniformed Services Residency at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD.

She then completed fellowship training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD, which was followed by 14 years of service in the U.S. Navy. During the majority of her time in the Navy she was stationed at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where she served as Chief of Obstetrics and Director of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division as well as Associate Residency Program Director.

Upon leaving the Navy, Dr. Driggers joined the faculty at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC, serving as the Program Director of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship and Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Georgetown University School of Medicine.

Dr. Driggers is currently Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Medical Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Johns Hopkins Sibley Memorial Hospital. In her spare time, Dr. Driggers serves as an American Board of Obstetrician and Gynecologists (ABOG) General Oral Board Examiner and as a member of several committees of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

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Titles

  • Medical Director, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Sibley Memorial Hospital
  • Associate Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Departments / Divisions

Education

Degrees

  • MD; University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine (1995)

Residencies

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology; National Capital Consortium (1999)

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN-Maternal Fetal Medicine) (2006)
  • American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Obstetrics And Gynecology) (2004)

Research & Publications

Selected Publications

View all on PubMed

Wolfe H, Timofeev J, Tefera E, Desale S, Driggers RW.  Risk of cesarean delivery in obese nulliparous women with unfavorable cervix undergoing elective induction of labor or expectant management at termAmerican Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2014 Jul;211(1):53-5.

Parikh L, Timofeev J, Singh J, Sullivan S, Huang CC, Landy HJ, Driggers RW. Racial disparities in maternal and neonatal outcomes in HIV-1 positive mothers. Am J Perinatol. 2014 Jun;31(6):513-20.

Parikh LI, Nolan J 3rd, Tefera E, Driggers R. Fetal biometry: does ethnicity matter? J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2014 Mar;27(5):500-4.

Timofeev J, Singh J, Istwan N, Rhea D, Driggers RW. Spontaneous preterm birth in African-American and Caucasian women receiving 17a-hydroxyprogesterone caproate. American Journal of Perinatology. 2014 Jan;31(1):55-60.

Drassinower D, Timofeev J, Huang C, Benson J, Driggers RW. Accuracy of clinically estimated fetal weight in pregnancies complicated by diabetes mellitus and obesity. American Journal of Perinatology. 2014 Jan;31(1):31-8.

Timofeev J, Reddy U, CC H, Driggers RW, Landy H, Laughon SK. Obstetric complications, neonatal morbidity, and indications for cesarean delivery by maternal age. Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2013 Dec;122(6):1184-95.

Timofeev J, Ruiz G, Fries MH, Driggers RW. Intravenous epoprostenol for management of pulmonary hypertension during pregnancy. American Journal of Perinatology Reports. 2013 Oct;3(2):71-4.

Parikh L, Singh J, Timofeev J, Zahn CM, Istwan NB, Rhea DJ, Driggers RW. Timing and consequences of early term and late term deliveries. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2014 Jul;27(11):1158-62

Timofeev J, Ruiz G, Fries MH, Driggers RW. Intravenous epoprostenol for management of pulmonary hypertension during pregnancy. AJP Reports. 2013 Oct;3(2):71-4.

 

Book Chapters

Hearne A, Driggers RW. Normal labor and delivery, operative delivery, and malpresentations. In Bankowski BJ, Hearne AE, Lambrou NC, Fox HE, Wallach EE (eds). The Johns Hopkins Manual of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 2nd Edition. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2002.

Maisa N. Feghali, Rita W. Driggers, Menachem Miodovnik, and Jason G. Umans. Diabetes in Pregnancy. In Mattison DR (ed). Clinical Pharmacology During Pregnancy, Chennai, India: Elsevier, 2012.

 

Activities & Honors

Honors

  • Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, 2007
  • Navy Commendation Medal, 2005
  • Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, 2004
  • Navy Achievement Medal, 2003
  • Navy Overseas Service Ribbon, 2003
  • Army Achievement Medal, 1999
  • National Defense Service Medal, 1995
  • Washington Hospital Center Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Outstanding Resident Teaching Award, 2011
  • MedStar Health Teaching Scholars Program, 2011
  • National Faculty Award for Excellence in Resident Education, Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology , 2010
  • Outstanding Poster Presentation Award, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Armed Forces District Meeting, 2008
  • Outstanding Case Report Award, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Armed Forces District Meeting, 2007
  • Founder’s Award , 2007
  • Chairman’s Award, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Armed Forces District Meeting, 2006
  • Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology National Faculty Award for Excellence in Resident Education, 2006
  • Outstanding Case Report Award, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Armed Forces District Meeting, 2005
  • Founder’s Award, 2005
  • Outstanding Case Report Award, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Armed Forces District Meeting, 2004

Videos & Media

Recent News Articles and Media Coverage

  • Treating Pregnant Women In The Age Of Zika, SELF (08/2016)
  • Can Zika Virus Damage An Infected Infant's Brain After Birth? STAT (08/2016)
  • Brain Scans of Brazilian Babies Show Array of Zika Effects, The New York Times (08/2016)
  • Zika Infections Last Much Longer During Pregnancy, Monkey Study Shows, The Washington Post (06/2016)
  • Zika Fears in the U.S. as Summer Arrives, BBC News (05/2016)
  • Ultrasounds Missed Her Zika Infection - Until One Showed Serious Harm to Her Fetus, The Washington Post (03/2016)
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