Department of Family and Community Medicine celebrates five years of STRETCH-OB
Department of Family and Community Medicine celebrates five years of STRETCH-OB
UICOMR faculty, residents, preceptors and staff gathered at Franchesco’s Ristorante on Friday, June 12, 2026, to celebrate Structured Training for Rural Enhancement of Community Health in Obstetrics (STRETCH-OB’s) five-year anniversary.
The dinner honored the vision, dedication and collaborative spirit that has made STRETCH-OB a model for expanding obstetric care in medically underserved communities.
Developed in 2020 with support from a Health Resources and Services Administration Primary Care Training and Enhancement grant, STRETCH-OB is an advanced, high-risk surgical obstetrics track within the Family Medicine Residency Program. By training Family Medicine residents to provide full-scope obstetric care — including cesarean sections — STRETCH-OB is building a pipeline of providers prepared to serve rural and underserved communities.
Program leaders Joseph Garry, MD, FAAFP, FACSM; Manorama Khare, PhD, MS; Tsai Ling Liao, MD; and Beth Schleicher, MD, FACOG, reflected on the last five years of STRETCH-OB.
Ashton Hurley, MD, and Stephanie Werner, MD, also shared personal reflections on their training as two previous STRETCH-OB graduates.
“STRETCH OB didn’t just teach me how to manage obstetric care — it taught me how to think, how to lead and how to show up for patients and colleagues in meaningful ways,” Werner says in her speech. “It pushed me outside of my comfort zone, challenged me to take ownership of patient care, and gave me the confidence to make decisions in moments that truly matter. The transition from resident to attending is never easy, but because of this program, I felt better prepared.”
Dr. Hurley, who lives in a rural community in Manitoba, Canada, reflected on her training, expressing gratitude for the skills she gained and for the people who invested in her along the way.
STRETCH-OB will continue beyond its original grant funding period, transitioning to departmental support. Program leaders are actively expanding rural training sites and disseminating this training model to family medicine residency programs nationwide.
The appreciation dinner was a fitting tribute to all who have made STRETCH-OB possible, from rural hospital preceptors and leadership to obstetricians and OB hospitalists at UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital, to the residents themselves who answered the call to serve communities that need them most.