Stephen Thung, MD, is a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and chair of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at Yale New Haven Health’s Bridgeport Hospital.
Growing up, Dr. Thung says he never imagined wanting to become a doctor. “I didn’t want to be in school forever. I wanted to start working and doing things right away,” he says. However, he was always drawn to sciences and by the end of college, realized that he was too much of a people person to be working with cell and tissue cultures in a laboratory.
“Still, I didn’t know what kind of doctor I wanted to be until I did my final rotation in medical school in obstetrics. There is nothing better than being on call when you are helping deliver babies and taking care of families as they go through a momentous time in their lives,” he says. “Everyone remembers their first baby, and it’s amazing to be a participant in that.”
As a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, Dr. Thung says his job is to help mothers with challenging conditions, such as diabetes, lupus, and hypertension in pregnancy and to make their pregnancies as healthy as possible.
“When I meet a patient for the first time, I let them know that I see difficult situations every day and, in most cases, what can be scary to most clinicians can be made into something a little more routine with the right team. We have the tools, experience, and resources to help them,” he says.
Dr. Thung’s particular area of expertise is endocrinological disorders in pregnancy with a specific interest in type 1 diabetes. “Treatment for type 1 diabetes has changed dramatically over the last few years with improving insulin pumps and sensor technology. But not all of this technology is aimed specifically for pregnant women, which can make care challenging,” he says. “I enjoy working with the patients and their families to figure out how we can use evidence-based medicine, and the latest technologies available to get the best euglycemic control and healthy mothers and babies.”
The best part of his job, Dr. Thung says, is working with patients. “I love developing relationships with people from all walks of life. When I am taking care of a patient, it blocks everything else out. My staff knows not to call or email or try to schedule a meeting with me on a patient day because I won’t respond,” he says.
Dr. Thung’s research interests include diabetes in pregnancy and cost utility models in medical practice. He is also vice chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine and an oral board examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal Fetal Medicine.
