Dr. Robert Atlas adopted a motto about a dozen years ago that often irks his staff but guides his practice.
“It doesn’t matter when you come in, we’re going to see you,” said Atlas, chairman of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.
This directive at times scrambles scheduling and forces patients to wait — but the alternative is not an option, Atlas said.
Twelve years ago while Atlas was working in Pennsylvania, a woman came in late for her appointment. He could have told her she would have to reschedule but he didn’t.
As a result, he discovered the woman’s baby was severely anemic and needed a transfusion in utero at 25 weeks, he said.
“The baby would have died,” said Atlas, who specializes in high-risk women and babies at the hospital’s Center for Advanced Fetal Care.
Many of his patients arrive by cab and bus or even walking. They might be late or get the appointment date wrong, Atlas said, but in his line of work, he can’t afford to tell them to reschedule.
“You don’t ever know when it’s that person you save, that woman or her baby,” he said.
Atlas joined Mercy in 2005 after serving as the medical director of the high-risk prenatal unit at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pa. He took over for his mentor, Dr. Marcos Pupkin, under whom Atlas completed his internship 20 years ago at the University of Maryland Medical System.
When Altlas assumed his post at Mercy, he also began a leadership role to reduce infant mortality rate in Baltimore by ensuring women receive prenatal care. He served as a member of the Baltimore City Baby Leadership in Action Program, a coalition of providers charged with assessing needs for improving perinatal health.
“He has a tremendous amount of desire to see things be different,” said Jessica Karaska, project manager for the Leadership in Action program and strategic planning coordinator at the Family League of Baltimore City.
Atlas brought passion and perspective to the leadership meetings, Karaska said.
“Rob often brought to the room his experience of actual women being pregnant and giving birth,” she said.
“He galvanized the group around [the fact] that these are real folks we are talking about.”
For Atlas, a big part of his job is making sure women know their options and have all the information they need to make informed birthing decisions — whether they are first-time mothers considering a home birth, women wanting a vaginal birth after having a Caesarean section or women thinking about scheduling an induction.
“He is very much aware that he needs to be in tune with women and their birthing needs. It’s not one size fits all,” said Michele Schwarzmann, director of maternal child health at Mercy.
“He is very nonjudgmental.”
At the Center for Advanced Fetal Care, Atlas sees some of his most challenging patients, such as mothers who are diabetic or babies with abnormalities. Atlas said he was drawn to the specialty in his third year of residency because of how varied the work is, requiring him to use a range of diagnostic and surgical skills. The outcomes aren’t always great, but part of the job is ensuring women feel cared for during pregnancy and at times the struggles of the loss, Atlas said. As a physician, Atlas said he has to remove himself a bit from his patients’ conditions, maintaining a wall and keeping his relationship strictly professional. “It’s not just medicine,” he said. “It’s the compassion for patients.” [email protected]
