John Wilson Schmitt | Scholars@Duke

John Wilson Schmitt
Consulting Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Current Research Interests

I am interested in all current methods of cervical cancer screening and treament both in developed and developing countries.

I am very experienced at colposcopy as well as in both surgical and ablative therapies for premalignant diseases of the cervix. I have lectured in North Carolina, Virginia, Tanzania, Peru and Saudi Arabia on HPV biology and cervical cancer screening. I previously was the Director of The Cervical Cancer Screening and Prevention Clinic at Duke University where I spend 20 hours per week in direct patient care, resident and student education. In this role I have been able to collaborate with Dr. Nimmi Ramanujam in Biomedical Engineering and her lab to look at innovative way of screening and treatment for precancerous diseases of the uterine cervix.

I was also member of the Duke Global Health Institute and in this role I attended and formally consulted in the Women's Reproductive Health Center at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center in Moshi Tanzania. In this role we saw a tremendous number of patients with a huge range of pathology. Cervical cancer remains the number one cancer killer of women in Subsaharan Africa as well as many developing nations and are working hard to create a sustainable and accurate way to see and treat cancer precursors to change this tragic statistic. To this end I have worked with colleagues in Africa, India, Honduras, and Peru. In addition to global outreach I also want to use this technology to bring reliable screening and treatments to underserved parts of our own country. This includes inner city populations as well as rural areas such as Appalachia where access to health care is extremely limited.

I have also worked in collaboration with Dr. Jennifer Smith at UNC to compare accuracy and patient acceptability of self-testing for HPV as a primary screening technique as well as extended HPV genotype testing.

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Consulting Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women's Community & Population Health, Obstetrics and Gynecology 2021

Contact Information

207 Baker House, DUMC 3084, Durham, NC 27710
DUMC 3084, Durham, NC 27710
john.schmitt@duke.edu (919) 684-1165
Duke Global Health Link
Duke Health Link
Duke Ob-Gyn Link

Background
Education, Training, & Certifications
- M.D., University of Texas, San Antonio 1983
Medical Licensure
- 0101232836. Virginia. 2022
- 28437. North Carolina. 2022
Previous Appointments & Affiliations
- Consulting Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Science Departments 2020 - 2021
- Research Professor of Global Health, Duke Global Health Institute, University Institutes and Centers 2015 - 2020
- Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Science Departments 2012 - 2020
- Instructor, Temporary in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Science Departments 2012
Leadership & Clinical Positions at Duke
- MEDICAL CENTER:
  Physician Champion for EPIC-Maestro Care, Duke (2012-2014)
  Medical Director of Gynecology Clinic, Duke (2012-2017)
  Medical Director of Cervical Screening and Prevention Clinic, Duke (2012-present)
  Duke Health Credentials Committee (2017-present)
  
  DEPARTMENTAL:
  Director of the Division of Benign Gynecology, Duke 2012-2016
  Liaison to Duke-KCMC Women’s Health Collaboration in Moshi, Tanzania, Duke 2012-present
  Medical Director, Gynecology, Durham County Health Department 2013-present
  Secretary, F. Bayard Carter Society 2012-present
  President, F. Bayard Carter Society 2009
  Charles B. Hammond Research Committee 2014-present
  Promotion and Tenure Committee, Obstetrics and Gynecology 2015-present
  Credentials Officer, Obstetrics and Gynecology 2017-present
  Quality Assurance Committee, Obstetrics and Gynecology 2017-present
Academic Positions Outside Duke
- Associate Professor, University of Virginia. 2002 - 2012
Recognition
In the News
- AUG 2, 2017 OB-GYN News
  
  Novel device aims to make cervical cancer screening more accessible
- MAR 16, 2016
  
  New Collaborative Seed Grant Program Gives Eight Awards
Awards & Honors
Expertise
Subject Headings
- Colposcopy
- Gynecology
Global Scholarship
- Research
  - United Republic of Tanzania (Country)
Research
Selected Grants
- Culturally appropriate screening and diagnosis of cervical cancer in East Africa awarded by National Institutes of Health 2015 - 2021
- Preventing Cervical Cancer in the First Mile of the Cancer Care Continuum awarded by National Institutes of Health 2018 - 2020
- Improving testing, triage, and follow-up for cervical cancer screening in medically underserved women awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill 2017 - 2018
- Towards a viable solution for a see and treat paradigm for cervical pre-cancer in East Africa awarded by National Institutes of Health 2015 - 2018
- Speculum-free gynecology with applications to primary and secondary prevention of cervical cancer awarded by North Carolina Biotechnology Center 2017 - 2018
- Vanderbilt-Emory-Cornell-Duke Consortium for Global Health Fellows (VECDor) awarded by Vanderbilt University 2016 - 2017
Publications & Artistic Works
Selected Publications
- Academic Articles
  - Bukowski, Alexandra, Cathrine Hoyo, Michael G. Hudgens, Wendy R. Brewster, Fidel Valea, Rex C. Bentley, Adriana C. Vidal, et al. “Extended Human Papillomavirus Genotyping to Predict Progression to High-Grade Cervical Precancer: A Prospective Cohort Study in the Southeastern United States.” Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 31, no. 8 (August 2, 2022): 1564–71. https://doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-22-0054.
    Full Text Link to Item
  - Rohner, Eliane, Claire Edelman, Busola Sanusi, John W. Schmitt, Anna Baker, Kirsty Chesko, Brian Faherty, et al. “Extended HPV Genotyping to Compare HPV Type Distribution in Self- and Provider-Collected Samples for Cervical Cancer Screening.” Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 29, no. 12 (December 2020): 2651–61. https://doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-20-0674.
    Full Text Link to Item
  - Asiedu, Mercy N., Júlia S. Agudogo, Mary E. Dotson, Erica Skerrett, Marlee S. Krieger, Christopher T. Lam, Doris Agyei, et al. “A novel speculum-free imaging strategy for visualization of the internal female lower reproductive system.” Sci Rep 10, no. 1 (October 6, 2020): 16570. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-72219-9.
    Full Text Link to Item
  - Rohner, Eliane, F Hunter McGuire, Yutong Liu, Quefeng Li, Kate Miele, Samveg A. Desai, John W. Schmitt, et al. “Racial and Ethnic Differences in Acceptability of Urine and Cervico-Vaginal Sample Self-Collection for HPV-Based Cervical Cancer Screening.” J Womens Health (Larchmt) 29, no. 7 (July 2020): 971–79. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2019.8132.
    Full Text Link to Item
  - Rohner, Eliane, Lisa Rahangdale, Busola Sanusi, Andrea K. Knittel, Laurence Vaughan, Kirsty Chesko, Brian Faherty, et al. “Test Accuracy of Human Papillomavirus in Urine for Detection of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia.” J Clin Microbiol 58, no. 3 (February 24, 2020). https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01443-19.
    Full Text Link to Item
  - Asiedu, Mercy Nyamewaa, Anish Simhal, Usamah Chaudhary, Jenna L. Mueller, Christopher T. Lam, John W. Schmitt, Gino Venegas, Guillermo Sapiro, and Nimmi Ramanujam. “Development of Algorithms for Automated Detection of Cervical Pre-Cancers With a Low-Cost, Point-of-Care, Pocket Colposcope.” Ieee Trans Biomed Eng 66, no. 8 (August 2019): 2306–18. https://doi.org/10.1109/TBME.2018.2887208.
    Full Text Link to Item
  - Goodman, David M., Pendo Mlay, Nathan Thielman, Maria J. Small, and John W. Schmitt. “Using fetal scalp stimulation with Doppler ultrasonography to enhance intermittent auscultation in low-resource settings: a diagnostic trial from Tanzania.” Bmc Pregnancy Childbirth 19, no. 1 (February 13, 2019): 71. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-019-2212-z.
    Full Text Open Access Copy Link to Item
  - Mueller, J. L., C. T. Lam, D. Dahl, M. N. Asiedu, M. S. Krieger, Y. Bellido-Fuentes, M. Kellish, et al. “Portable Pocket colposcopy performs comparably to standard-of-care clinical colposcopy using acetic acid and Lugol's iodine as contrast mediators: an investigational study in Peru.” Bjog 125, no. 10 (September 2018): 1321–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.15326.
    Full Text Open Access Copy Link to Item
  - Lam, Christopher T., Jenna Mueller, Betsy Asma, Mercy Asiedu, Marlee S. Krieger, Rhea Chitalia, Denali Dahl, Peyton Taylor, John W. Schmitt, and Nimmi Ramanujam. “An integrated strategy for improving contrast, durability, and portability of a Pocket Colposcope for cervical cancer screening and diagnosis.” Plos One 13, no. 2 (2018): e0192530. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192530.
    Full Text Link to Item
  - Mueller, Jenna L., Elizabeth Asma, Christopher T. Lam, Marlee S. Krieger, Jennifer E. Gallagher, Alaattin Erkanli, Roopa Hariprasad, et al. “International Image Concordance Study to Compare a Point-of-Care Tampon Colposcope With a Standard-of-Care Colposcope.” J Low Genit Tract Dis 21, no. 2 (April 2017): 112–19. https://doi.org/10.1097/LGT.0000000000000306.
    Full Text Open Access Copy Link to Item
  - Asiedu, Mercy Nyamewaa, Júlia Agudogo, Marlee S. Krieger, Robert Miros, Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell, John W. Schmitt, and Nimmi Ramanujam. “Design and preliminary analysis of a vaginal inserter for speculum-free cervical cancer screening.” Plos One 12, no. 5 (2017): e0177782. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0177782.
    Full Text Link to Item
  - Brown, Haywood, Stephen Okeyo, Hillary Mabeya, Jeffrey Wilkinson, and John Schmitt. “The Bakri tamponade balloon as an adjunct treatment for refractory postpartum hemorrhage.” Int J Gynaecol Obstet 135, no. 3 (December 2016): 276–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgo.2016.06.021.
    Full Text Link to Item
  - Lam, Christopher T., Marlee S. Krieger, Jennifer E. Gallagher, Betsy Asma, Lisa C. Muasher, John W. Schmitt, and Nimmi Ramanujam. “Design of a Novel Low Cost Point of Care Tampon (POCkeT) Colposcope for Use in Resource Limited Settings.” Plos One 10, no. 9 (2015): e0135869. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0135869.
    Full Text Open Access Copy Link to Item
  - Livengood, C. H., J. W. Schmitt, W. A. Addison, J. W. Wrenn, and K. Magruder-Habib. “Direct fluorescent antibody testing for endocervical Chlamydia trachomatis: factors affecting accuracy.” Obstet Gynecol 72, no. 5 (November 1988): 803–9.
    Link to Item
  - Schmitt, J. W., and A. D. Elbein. “Inhibition of protein synthesis also inhibits synthesis of lipid-linked oligosaccharides.” J Biol Chem 254, no. 24 (December 25, 1979): 12291–94.
    Link to Item
  - Pan, Y. T., J. W. Schmitt, B. A. Sanford, and A. D. Elbein. “Adherence of bacteria to mammalian cells: inhibition by tunicamycin and streptovirudin.” J Bacteriol 139, no. 2 (August 1979): 507–14. https://doi.org/10.1128/jb.139.2.507-514.1979.
    Full Text Link to Item
- Conference Papers
  - Bukowski, Alexandra, Cathrine Hoyo, Michael G. Hudgens, Wendy R. Brewster, Fidel Valea, Rex C. Bentley, Adriana C. Vidal, et al. “Extended human papillomavirus genotyping to predict progression to high-grade cervical precancer: A prospective cohort study in the southeastern United States.” In Cancer Research, Vol. 82, 2022.
    Link to Item
  - Asiedu, M. N., A. Simhal, C. T. Lam, J. Mueller, U. Chaudhary, J. W. Schmitt, G. Sapiro, and N. Ramanujam. “Image processing and machine learning techniques to automate diagnosis of Lugol's iodine cervigrams for a low-cost point-of-care digital colposcope.” In Progress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging Proceedings of Spie, Vol. 10485, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2282792.
    Full Text
  - Mueller, J. L., C. T. Lam, M. Kellish, J. Peters, M. Asiedu, M. S. Krieger, J. E. Gallagher, et al. “Clinical evaluation of a portable pocket colposcope for cervical cancer screening in the United States, Perú, and Tanzania.” In 2017 Ieee Healthcare Innovations and Point of Care Technologies, Hi Poct 2017, 2017-December:117–20, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1109/HIC.2017.8227598.
    Full Text
- Datasets
  - Asiedu, Mercy, Marlee Kreiger, John W. Schmitt, Nimmi Ramanujam, Robert Miros, and Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell. “Design and preliminary analysis of a vaginal inserter for speculum-free cervical cancer screening,” May 5, 2017. https://doi.org/10.7924/G8X34VDZ.
    Data Access
Teaching & Mentoring
Advising & Mentoring
- Formal Mentoring:
  
  Current:
  
  Claire Edleman, MS-3 2018 Duke University, Medical Student Research Mentor; Project – Improving testing, triage, and follow-up for cervical cancer screening in medically underserved women
  Christopher Lam 2018 Ph.D. Candidate, Duke University Biomedical Engineering - Committee Member
  Mercy Asiedu 2018 Ph.D. Candidate, Duke University Biomedical Engineering - Committee Member
  Robert Morhard 2018 Ph.D. Candidate, Duke University Biomedical Engineering - Committee Member
  Maria Domingo, NP 2018 Duke University, Primary Consulting Physician; Inpatient GYN NP
  Amy Alspaugh, CNM 2018 Durham County Health Department, Primary Consulting Physician; DCHD Family Planning Clinic
  Winona Poulton, CNM 2018 Durham County Department of Health, Primary Consulting Physician; DCHD Family Planning Clinic
  Allison Eddy, NP 2018 Duke University School of Nursing, Primary Consulting Physician; DCHD Family Planning Clinic in charge of 1-2 NP students per semester
  Ola Aloba, NP 2018 Durham County Health Department, Primary Consulting Physician; DCHD GYN Clinic
  
  Former:
  
  Chinwe Mirikwe, NP 2017 Durham County Department of Health, Primary Consulting Physician; DCHD Family Planning Clinic
  Danali Dahl, MS 2017 Duke University, Masters of Global Health Student Mentor; Project - Concordance           between the Generation 3 Point-of-Care Tampon (Pocket) Digital Colposcope and Standard-of-Care Colposcope using Acetic Acid and Lugol’s Iodine Images in Lima, Peru
  Michele Tang MS-3 2017 Duke University, Medical Student Preceptor; Primary Care in Women’s Health at the    Duke Cervical Cancer Prevention and Screening Clinic
  Jana Halfon, MD 2017 Duke University, Global Health Fellow Mentor and Committee Member; Project –            Postpartum Sepsis and Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in Rwanda
  David Goodman, MD 2017 Duke University, Global Health Fellow Mentor; Project – Introducing Fetal Scalp      Stimulation as an Adjunct to Intermittent Auscultation in Low-Resource Settings
  Lauren Sayers MD 2016 Duke University, Medical Student Preceptor; Primary Care in Women’s Health at Durham County Health Department
  Adityavarman Mehta, MS 2016 Duke University, Masters of Global Health Student Mentor; Project – Assessing the Value of Integrating Uterine Balloon Tamponade in the Treatment of Postpartum Hemorrhage in South African and Ghanaian Health System
  Sara Abdullah, MS 2016 Duke University, Masters of Global Health Student Mentor; Project - Experiences of      Internalized and Enacted Stigma among Women with Obstetric Fistula in Tanzania
  Elizabeth Asma, MS 2015 Duke University, Masters of Global Health Committee Member; Thesis Title - Evaluation of Transvaginal Colposcopy as a Screening Device for Cervical Cancer among International           Physicians
  Kelly Beeken, MD 2007 University of Virginia, Medical Student Advisor; Residency Madigan Army Medical Center, currently in practice at Fort Lewis, Washington
  Maria Meussling, MD 2004 University of Virginia, Medical Student Advisior; Residency in Obstetrics and           Gynecology at Medical College of Virginia, currently in Private Practice Cleveland, Ohio
Teaching Activities
- Basic Infertility Evaluation and Treatments – Medical Student lecture
  Cord Blood Gases in the Evaluation of the Neonate – Resident lecture (Duke)
  Gynecologic Emergencies – Resident lecture (Duke)
  An Intro to Medical Liability Insurance – Medical Student lecture
  The Evaluation and Treatment of Painful Intercourse – Medical Student lecture
  Vaginal Birth after Cesarean Section – Resident lecture (KCMC)
  Thyroid Disease in Pregnancy – Resident & Medical Student lecture (KCMC)
  Abnormal Uterine Bleeding – Resident and Medical Student lecture (KCMC)
  Cervical Cancer Screening – Resident lecture (KCMC)
  Pregnancy of Unknown Location - Resident lecture (KCMC)
  HELLP Syndrome - Resident lecture (KCMC)
  Diagnosis and Management of Acute Vaginal Bleeding - Resident lecture (Duke-KCMC)
  Sexual Myths, Nothing but the Truth – High School lecture
  2015 Update on Sexually Transmitted Infections – Medical Student interactive session (Duke)
  Update on Global Health Activities in Women’s Health at Duke – Resident lecture (Duke)
  Simulated Teaching in Colposcopy and LEEP - Resident training given yearly (Duke-KCMC)
  Multidiscipline Colposcopy-Cytology-Pathology Conference - Quarterly for residents and students (Duke)
Scholarly, Clinical, & Service Activities
Presentations & Appearances
- Comparison of Contrast Mediators on the Accuracy of a Pocket Colposcope in U.S., Peru, and Sub-Saharan Africa. ASCCP Annual Meeting 2018. ASCCP. April 2018 2018
- Comparison of a portable “POCkeT” colposcope with state of the art cervical screening in the U.S., Peru, and Tanzania. World Congress. International Federation for Cervical Pathology & Colposcopy (IFCPC) World Congress. 2017 - April 2017 2017
Outreach & Engaged Scholarship
- Advocate. NC Medicaid. NC Medicaid. November 2017 2017
Academic & Administrative Activities
- NATIONAL:
  
  Delegate to the Congressional Leadership Conference for ACOG, Washington, DC 2010-2013
  Reviewer, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New York, New York 2011-2013
  Oral Board Examiner, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dallas, Texas 2007-2017
  External Examiner in Obstetrics and Gynecology, KCMC, Moshi, Tanzania 2013-present
  Member, ACOG – Steering Committee Safety in Outpatient Practice Excellence, Washington, DC 2014-2017
Clinical Activities
- My current clinical interests include General Gynecology, abnormal uterine bleeding, premalignant diseases of the cervix, office infertility, and global women’s health.

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Education, Training, & Certifications

Medical Licensure

Previous Appointments & Affiliations

Leadership & Clinical Positions at Duke

Academic Positions Outside Duke

In the News

Awards & Honors

Subject Headings

Global Scholarship

Research

Selected Grants

Selected Publications

Academic Articles

Conference Papers

Datasets

Advising & Mentoring

Teaching Activities

Presentations & Appearances

Outreach & Engaged Scholarship

Academic & Administrative Activities

Clinical Activities