Sharon T. Phelan   MD, FACOG

Professor Emeritus, University of New Mexico

Adjunct Professor, University of Alabama, Birmingham

In her 50 year medical career, Dr. Phelan has been very involved in clinical care, medical education and advocacy.  

Clinically - Although initially a generalist, the last 30 years of her career focused on obstetrics and ambulatory care.  As medical director of Title V/X clinics in the barrios of Albuquerque and rural public health departments in Alabama, she provided obstetric care and reproductive health care to disadvantaged Hispanic and Black populations while working collaboratively with CNMs and APN. Although no longer clinically active she participates in the UAB Simulation Program doing simulations of obstetric emergencies in rural emergency rooms and labor and deliveries. She also serves on clinical panels and simulation activities for the UAB College of Nursing and School of Medicine. 

Education-  She has been a clerkship director, residency director and Dean of Students. She has won numerous teaching awards.  She served on the APGO Board of Directors, NBME as a USMLE Part 3 exam writer, AGME on Ob-GYN Residency Review Committee, and 20 years as an ABOG Board Examiner.  She has published articles on pregnancy during residency, various primary care topics such as alopecia and obesity, outpatient prenatal care and work force issues.  Over the years she has served as the program chair for numerous regional and national meetings with APGO and ACOG directed towards practicing clinicians.  Dr. Phelan was appointed to the Editorial Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology for a 6 year term.

Health Care Advocacy - Realizing that advocacy activities are often best done within a regional or national level,  she has been very active in ACOG serving on numerous committees and task forces including the Ob Practice Committee, Obstetric Precis editorial board, Grievance Committee, Scientific Program Committee and as a national officer (Secretary).  At a regional level she expanded on her local work in New Mexico  where she was the founding chair of Maternal Mortality Review Committee and established collaboration with the CDC, by  being the founding chair of the ACOG District 8 MMRC.  In acknowledgement of her work in supporting the creation of MMRC in all 12 states, she was awarded the District VIII Service Award.  Upon retiring from clinical activities, she moved to Alabama to be closer to grandchildren.  There she repeated her MMRC activities both at a state and District VII level.  At the 2025 ACOG Annual Meeting, she received the District VII Service Award. She is the only person to receive this award from two districts.  She continues to be active with the Alabama Perinatal Collaborative to improve access to quality obstetric care in rural areas.

Personally she has been married 51 years to Charles Evans PhD,  She currently lives in Helena Alabama (outside Birmingham). They have 2 children and 4 grandchildren.  She is now spending her time with family, quilting, reading and canning.