Joaquin Santolaya-Forgas Named Director of Prenatal Genetics
Joaquin Santolaya-Forgas, MD, PhD, in June joined BWH as director of Prenatal Genetics in the Center for Fetal Medicine.
As director, he collaborates with genetic counselors to ensure patients are aware of their options for screening and diagnosis during pregnancy. Santolaya-Forgas is promoting the “First Look” program, which allows women to receive a non-invasive test to estimate the risk for genetic disease or congenital disorders very early in pregnancy.
Santolaya-Forgas has extensive experience in Obstetrics and Gynecology. He was director of Prenatal Genetics, Fetal Medicine and Ultrasound at the Texas Tech University. Prior to that, he served as director of Reproductive Genetics and Fetal Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Most recently, he has worked at the Perinatology Research Branch of the National Institute of Health.
Santolaya-Forgas graduated from the Autonoma University of Madrid in 1980. He then completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Fundación Jimenez Diaz Hospital-Autonoma University of Madrid in 1985, and earned his PhD in Fetal Physiology and Medicine at University of London in 1989. He completed a fellowship in the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicne at Eastern Virginia Medical School and his training in Medical Genetics at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Yale University.
The Center for Fetal Medicine and Prenatal genetics provides personalized, high quality and state of the art care for women and their families. Through genetic screening, prenatal imaging and ultrasound-guided procedures, the center provides care for women who are at risk for genetic disease or congenital disorders.