SUNY Downstate Appoints Dr. Camille A. Clare as Its New Chair of The Obstetrics and Gynecology Department

By Office of Communications & Marketing | Oct 26, 2020

MEDIA CONTACT: Dawn S. Walker  | Dawn.walker@downstate.edu | (347) 533-2071

BROOKLYN, NY — SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University announced Camille Angela Clare, M.D., MPH, as the new Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Professor at the College of Medicine and the School of Public Health. 

Dr. Clare is currently Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion at the New York Medical College School of Medicine. She has served as associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) and held leadership positions addressing inequities and healthcare disparities in underserved communities for nearly two decades.

“We are proud to have Dr. Clare join SUNY Downstate. Her expertise as an OB-GYN specialist will add greatly to a community that has struggled to improve the healthcare quality and outcomes especially for pregnant and child-bearing women,” said SUNY Downstate president Wayne J. Riley, M.D. “As SUNY Downstate continues to lead the charge for improved access to key services for women and underserved populations in Brooklyn, Dr. Clare’s experience will help further our mission and bring care to those seeking quality maternal, obstetric, and gynecologic care.”

Dr. Clare is a graduate of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and completed her residency at The State University of New York at Buffalo. She is currently an attending physician in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York City Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. She serves as Director of Resident Research for her department at New York Medical College, and is Chair-Elect of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Section of the NMA, the largest and oldest organization of African American physicians in the United States. She is also the National Medical Association (NMA) Region 1 Trustee, and Secretary of the NMA Board of Trustees.

In addition to her leadership on the local, regional, and national levels of NMA, Dr. Clare has been active in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), including her recent ascent to the role of ACOG District 2 Chair this year. Leadership in these organizations illustrates Dr. Clare’s commitment as a medical educator, academic specialist in general obstetrics and gynecology, a clinician, clinical researcher, and community advocate for patients throughout New York City.

An accomplished researcher, Dr. Clare has received grants as a principal investigator for several projects, including those addressing barriers to contraception in adolescents from the NYC-NYU Clinical and Translational Science Institute on female genital-cutting, and from the Society of Family Planning Research Fund. She is well-published in several peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Disparities, American Journal of Perinatology, and Obstetrics and Gynecology, among others. Dr. Clare is a sought-after speaker for her expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially in obstetrics and gynecology.

“We are excited that Dr. Clare will be joining our faculty and our practice,” said Senior Vice President and Dean of the College of Medicine F. Charles Brunicardi, M.D. “Her broad wealth of expertise as an instructor and her equally significant role as a practitioner will elevate our efforts at better understanding and serving pregnant women in our community. She is a welcome addition to the Downstate family, and we look forward to great success under her leadership.”

“I look forward to joining the team at SUNY Downstate,” said OB-GYN Chair-designate Camille A. Clare, M.D., MPH. “At a time when the national conversation remains focused on maternal healthcare and morbidity, I am committed to redefining the necessary care for pregnant and birthing persons and particularly pregnant persons of color in the communities that we serve."

Dr. Clare has been recognized for her teaching as a medical educator and earned the Award for Teaching from the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics in 2012, and the Medical Student Teaching Award from New York Medical College in 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2017-2019, consecutively. She has received multiple awards from New York Medical College for mentoring medical students and residents in their career goals. In 2017, she received the ACOG Mentor of the Year Award, and the Mavis and Ephraim Hawthorne Golden Krust Foundation Award as a Champion of Education. In 2018, Dr. Clare was inducted into the Iota chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society as a faculty member at New York Medical College.

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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is the borough’s only academic medical center for health education, research, and patient care, and is a 342-bed facility serving the healthcare needs of New York City, and Brooklyn’s 2.6 million residents. University Hospital of Brooklyn (UHB) is Downstate’s teaching hospital, backed by the expertise of an outstanding medical school and the research facilities of a world-class academic center. More than 800 physicians, representing 53 specialties and subspecialties—many of them ranked as tops in their fields—comprise Downstate's staff.

A regional center for cardiac care, neonatal and high-risk infant services, pediatric dialysis, and transplantation, Downstate also houses a major learning center for children with physical ailments or neurological disorders. In addition to UHB, Downstate comprises a College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, a School of Graduate Studies, a School of Public Health, and a multifaceted biotechnology initiative, including the Downstate Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT for early-stage and more mature companies, respectively. For more information, visit www.downstate.edu or follow us on Twitter at @sunydownstate.

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