James Peter VanDorsten, M.D.

Panel and Conference Chairperson

Dr. VanDorsten is the Lawrence L. Hester, Jr. Professor and immediate past Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical University of South Carolina. He received his M.D. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1971 and completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Medical University of South Carolina in 1976. Following a 3-year stint in the U.S. Army in Berlin, Germany, and a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Southern California, he returned to the Medical University of South Carolina in 1981.

Dr. VanDorsten has a number of special appointments, including the chairmanship of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network steering committee for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He is also past president of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the South Carolina Obstetric and Gynecologic Society, and the American Gynecological Club. Recently, the governor of South Carolina presented him with the highest civilian honor, the Order of the Palmetto, for his contributions to women and children’s health.