Catherine Witkop MD, MPH

Education

Yale University
B.S. in Biology, 1993

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
MD, 1997

David Grant Medical Center, Travis AFB, CA
Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2001

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
MPH, Certificate in Health Finance and Management, 2007
Residency in General Preventive Medicine, 2008

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
PhD, Health Professions Education, 2022

Biography

Dr. Catherine Takacs Witkop is the Associate Dean for Medical Education in the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) in Bethesda, MD. She is a Professor in the Departments of Preventive Medicine & Biostatistics (PMB) and Gynecologic Surgery & Obstetrics (GSO). Dr. Witkop recently retired from Active Duty as a Colonel in the United States Air Force.

Dr. Witkop graduated from Yale University with a BS in Biology before entering the Air Force under the Health Professions Scholarship Program and earning her MD at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She completed a residency in Ob/Gyn at Travis AFB, CA, and served as an Attending Physician at Malcolm Grow Medical Center, Andrews AFB, MD, from 2001-2006. She then completed her MPH and Residency in Preventive Medicine at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
As Chief of Trainee Health at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs from 2008-12, Dr. Witkop provided oversight for monitoring the health of over four thousand cadets annually and led the implementation of preventive medicine programs and mitigation of population-based medical conditions. From 2012-15, she served as Chief of Preventive Medicine at the Air Force Medical Support Agency (AFMSA). In that capacity, she advised the Air Force Surgeon General on preventive medicine issues and oversaw the development of preventive medicine policy for execution at all Military Treatment Facilities supporting Active Duty, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard personnel. While at AFMSA, Dr. Witkop was one of the Air Force leads for the Quality Team for the SECDEF-directed 2014 Military Health System Review of Quality, Safety, and Access. Immediately prior to assuming the role of Associate Dean, Dr. Witkop served as the Vice Chair for Medical Education in PMB and the Program Director of the General Preventive Medicine Residency. In 2022, she completed her PhD in Health Professions Education at Uniformed Services University.

Dr. Witkop is board certified and remains clinically active in Preventive Medicine and Ob/Gyn. She has served on several committees for the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG), editorial boards including the journal, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and is currently Chair of the Multidisciplinary Steering Committee for the Women’s Preventive Services Initiative (WPSI). She has also served on the Board of Regents for the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM).

Career Highlights: Positions, Projects, Deployements, Awards and Additional Publications

Interim Chair, Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, 2016-17

Active Research: Educational interventions to facilitate agency in shared decision making

Research Advisor for MPH Project (Dr. Aliye Sanou): Preterm birth rated and postpartum complications among women serving in the United States Armed Forces

Research Advisor for MPH Project (Dr. Jessica Reeves): Association of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs) with Military Treatment Facility (MTF) Characteristics from 2014 to 2017

Representative Bibliography

Witkop CT. Women's Clinical Preventive Services: Closing the Gaps and Implementing in Practice. Med Clin North Am. 2023;107(6):1011-1023. doi:10.1016/j.mcna.2023.06.004

Chelmow D, Gregory KD, Witkop C, et al; Women's Preventive Services Initiative. Preventing Obesity in Midlife Women: A Recommendation From the Women's Preventive Services Initiative. Ann Intern Med. 2022 Sep;175(9):1305-1309. doi: 10.7326/M22-0252. Epub 2022 Aug 2. PMID: 35914264.

Witkop C, Maggio L, Harvey E and Torre D. Complexity in Shared Decision Making: A Qualitative Analysis of Clinical Encounters and Patient/Physician Interviews. MedEdPublish. 2022;14Mar2022; 12:1

Witkop CT, Maggio LA, Harvey EJ, Torre DM. Seeing Complexity: Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as a Lens for Shared Decision Making. Acad Med. 2021 May 11. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000004157. PMID: 33983138

Neubauer BE, Witkop CT, Varpio L. How phenomenology can help us learn from the experiences of others. Perspect Med Educ. 2019;8(2):90-97. doi:10.1007/s40037-019-0509-2

Witkop CT, Webber BJ, Chu K, Clark LL. Contraceptive prescriptions for US servicewomen, 2008-2013. Contraception. 2017 Jul;96(1): 47-53. PMID 28578145

Duncan JR, Witkop CT, Webber BJ, Costello AA. Varicella seroepidemiology in United States Air Force recruits: a retrospective cohort study comparing immunogenicity of varicella vaccination and natural infection. Vaccine. 2017 Apr 25; 35(18):2351-2357. PMID 28359621

Witkop C, Duffy M, Fishbein D, Selent M. Assessment of ESSENCE performance for influenza-like illness surveillance after an influenza outbreak --- U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado, 2009. MMWR April 8, 2011; 60(13); 406-409.

Witkop CT, Duffy MR, Macias EA, Gibbons TF, Escobar JD, Knight KK. Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Outbreak at the U.S. Air Force Academy: Epidemiology and Viral Shedding Duration. Am J Prev Med 2010;38(2): 121-126.

Witkop CT, Neale D, Wilson LM, Bass EB, Nicholson WK. Active compared with expectant delivery management in women with gestational diabetes: a systematic review. Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Jan;113(1): 206-17.