Biography: Steven L. Bloom, M.D.
Born in Laguna Beach, California, Steven Louis Bloom attended the University of Texas at Austin where he majored in psychology and pre-med. Graduating with a Bachelor of arts degree in 1985, he entered Southwestern Medical School in the class of 1990. Attracted to obstetrics and gynecology while a med student, he completed his internship and residency in the specialty at Parkland Memorial Hospital (1990–1994).
Coincidently, his first month as an intern was on service with Emeritus Chair, Jack Pritchard, M.D., who was completing his last month of service at Parkland/UT Southwestern. The second chair of obstetrics and gynecology was the attending on service with the intern who would become the Department’s sixth chair.
After completing his residency, Dr. Bloom pursued a fellowship in maternal–fetal medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In 1995, he was awarded the Jack and Signe Pritchard Fellowship in Maternal–Fetal Medicine. This fellowship provided funding for an academically oriented maternal–fetal medicine fellow and was patterned after the Oglebay Fellowship which allowed Dr. Pritchard to continue his post-residency academic research at Case Western Reserve University.
Following the path of mentors like Drs. Paul MacDonald, Norman Gant, F. Gary Cunningham, and Kenneth Leveno, Dr. Bloom joined the faculty at UT Southwestern after his fellowship. He credits these faculty members, as well as Dr. Pritchard, with influencing his decision to specialize in maternal–fetal medicine.
As an assistant professor, Dr. Bloom became a member of the team of physicians who covered Parkland Memorial Hospital’s high-risk pregnancy ward and clinics. Board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal–Fetal Medicine, he was fully committed to the practice of “evidence-based medicine” first introduced to the Department by Jack A. Pritchard, M.D., in 1955. Regarding his decision to go into obstetrics, he later remarked, “The underlying philosophy is that we’re going to measure what we practice. It just rang true to me.” He was thoroughly committed to providing women with the best care possible, regardless of their socio-economic background, and to teaching future doctors how to accomplish evidence-based medical care in the process.
Dr. Bloom’s success in patient care, research, and teaching resulted in noteworthy recognition. In 2005, he received the Distinguished Physician Award from the Parkland Health and Hospital System; and in 2006, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine recognized his achievements with the Research Excellence Award. The Medical School Classes of 2008 and 2009 each selected him as the UT Southwestern Outstanding Core Clerkship Teacher.
He was also the holder of two UT Southwestern Medical Center endowed chairs: the Mary Dees McDermott Hicks Chair in Medical Sciences (2006–2013) and the Jack A. Pritchard, M.D. Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology (2013–present). He’d struck a chord as a physician, scientist, and teacher.
Dr. Bloom had published 22 peer-reviewed articles prior to being named interim chair — three in the New England Journal of Medicine. After becoming chair, he participated in a number of clinical trials for the Maternal–Fetal Medicine Units Network (MFMU) of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He was a principal investigator and protocol subcommittee chair for the MFMU’s Randomized Clinical Trial of Fetal Oximetry.
He also continued to publish, including four articles in the New England Journal of Medicine and one in JAMA. In addition, he authored chapters on pregnancy complications for Williams Manual of Obstetrics and the textbook Williams Obstetrics — serving as an author/editor on the latter for the 22nd through the 25th editions.
The responsibilities of a clinical chair extend beyond the Department to the greater UT Southwestern community as well. Beginning in 2005 and continuing throughout his chairmanship, Dr. Bloom served on the Dean’s Advisory Committee, the Faculty Council, the Six-Year Strategic Planning Committee, and the Professional Liability Advisory Committee, and was a member of UT Southwestern Health System Board to name but a few. He also served on five chair search committees and was the chair for the pediatric and neurology searches. As if his plate weren’t full enough, in 2018, he was named Associate Dean for Clinical Sciences at UT Southwestern.
While his academic focus remained obstetrics, Dr. Bloom was a champion for the gynecologists on his faculty. Faculty responded to his enthusiasm and leadership and embraced new challenges. One manifestation of this revitalization was the textbook, Williams Gynecology. Conceived by emeritus chair, F. Gary Cunningham, M.D., as a companion to Williams Obstetrics, the first edition was published in 2008 and dedicated to Dr. Cunningham. Significantly, in 2012, the second edition’s dedication highlighted the impact of Steven Bloom’s leadership on the textbook’s creation.
“As chairman, his vision and leadership have created an environment in which critical evidence-based academic projects can flourish. We have benefited from his effective use of resources, commitment to excellence, and dedication to the advancement of medical education.”
That statement as much as any other, explains the environment and culture during Dr. Bloom’s tenure. He was focused on the Department’s mission, and supported every aspect of that mission. But he was also focused on the identity of the Department and creating recognition for the Department.
As a clinical specialty, obstetrics and gynecology does not attract a lot of attention. After all, what is academic about childbirth? On 20 May 2008, Dr. Bloom set out to answer that question, accepting an invitation to deliver the last President’s Lecture for the academic year.
“Parkland is the obstetric conscience of America. ... The hospital has a reputation of being reluctant to embrace a new therapy without strong evidence to support it.”
In that lecture, he traced the origins of academic obstetrics in America and in Dallas where one of the largest public health systems in the nation has consistently demonstrated that evidence-based medicine improves outcomes for both mother and child. For those connected to the campus intra-network, the video of that talk can be found in the 2008 archive here.
Four years later, Dr. Bloom followed this lecture with a marketing concept designed to highlight all aspects of the Department and describe what makes the Department stand out from others in the nation. Quality of care and clinical volume were clearly major outstanding features. But another was the people and their passion for what they did. Produced in conjunction with UT Southwestern’s Marketing Department, the result was the publication, Numbers Distinguish Us – People Set Us Apart.
There are multiple aspects to being a department chair. Times change and leadership challenges evolve. Over the years, business knowledge has become more and more important as health care has transformed into health-system care. Dr. Bloom understood there would be more to his role than patient care, teaching, and research. Early on, before officially becoming interim chair, he enrolled himself in what he called “chair school.”
“Late one afternoon toward the end of 2004, he walked into my office with notebook in hand, and said, ‘Tell me about one accounts.’ And, so began our afternoon exchanges in the basics of the Department’s finances and business affairs. He was a quick study.”
His thirst for information didn’t end with chair school. As chair, he received regular briefings from the administrative support staff on the department’s business and financial affairs. Two years into his chairmanship, he attended the Physician Executive Leadership Program (2008-2009), co-sponsored by the University of Texas at Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center. Still, there are things not taught in leadership courses. These are learned on the job — in the “school of hard knocks.”
There is no doubt that Dr. Bloom’s predecessors were distinguished with leadership attributes that were well matched to their times. But times change. Leadership challenges evolve. And Dr. Bloom needed a broader set of “business tools” than his predecessors. It was Dr. Bloom’s business acumen that made him a formidable and respected negotiator when it came to establishing contracts for services or discussing billing practices and collections. He had the data at hand and understood the ramifications of the positions presented by those on the other side of the table.
Being the chair of a large department requires simultaneously wearing multiple hats — and adding new ones as circumstances dictate. There was no book for operating under COVID–19 restrictions, for instance. Together, Dr. Bloom and the faculty developed operating procedures to ensure quality patient care while protecting the health of patients, care providers, and trainees. His ability to rally the faculty, make them part of the decision process, and enlist their help in the solutions resulted in buy-in from the stakeholders. He was not just their chair, he was their friend — in the trenches right beside them and he had their backs.
August 31, 2021 was Steven Bloom’s last day as chair. At that time, UT Southwestern was observing the protocol for the Delta variant of COVID–19. There could be no reception honoring Dr. Bloom for his service. No speeches thanking him or telling him what being on his team meant to a member of the faculty. Yet, the faculty wanted to let Dr. Bloom know their appreciation. On Steven Bloom’s last day as chair, he was presented with a certificate of appreciation from the faculty and a memory book of pictures and comments from faculty members.
“Thank you for over 16 years of being THE face, THE voice, THE spear catcher, THE problem solver, THE decision maker, THE personal advisor, THE Chairman of the Department … and doing it all with great aplomb.”
What stands out as faculty wrote about their experiences during Dr. Bloom’s tenure, is how deeply personal his relationship with the faculty was. He didn’t “preside” over them, but rather led them as a member of the team, encouraged them when they lost confidence, was a friend to them when others were opposed, backed them during challenging times, and stood beside them when the world turned chaotic during the COVID-19. He met with each faculty member at least once a year, and they all knew his door was open anytime.
The memory book he received is filled with comments of what Steven Bloom’s leadership meant to them. Leader, mentor, friend — Steven Bloom checked all the boxes.