SMA honors JSUMC obstetrician with Robert D. and Alma W. Moreton Original Research Award

Jersey Shore University Medical Center is pleased to announce that Mark G. Martens, M.D. chairman of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was honored in November by the Southern Medical Association (SMA) with the Robert D. and Alma W. Moreton Original Research Award. The award was established during the 1961 SMA Annual Scientific Assembly and is presented to a physician in recognition of the original research in clinical medicine or basic sciences as applied to medicine. Dr. Martens received this award for the significant contributions he has made during 27 years of participation in, or development of, clinical research trials which now affect almost all aspects of the diagnosis and treatment of infections in women today. He has been involved with more than 60 trials investigating sexually transmitted infections and their detection.

The Dr. Robert D. & Alma W. Moreton Original Research Award was established during the 1961 SMA Annual Scientific Assembly. This award is presented to a physician in recognition of original research in clinical medicine or the basic sciences as applied to medicine. Founded in 1906, the SMA is a multi-specialty and interdisciplinary medical association that promotes the health of patients through advocacy, leadership, education, and service.

Dr. Mark Martens has a long history of successful scientific inquiry and innovation and is one of the few obstetricians and gynecologists specifically trained in infectious diseases. Dr. Martens' Ob-Gyn Infectious Disease Laboratory has been linked to the development of almost every DNA-probe based test for the detection of gonorrhea, chlamydia, HPV and trichomonas. His laboratory team and his earlier work with Dr. Sebastian Faro at Baylor University helped define female pelvic bacteriology. This subsequently led to more than 50 research trials into the eradication of these pathogens. Most, if not all, antimicrobials used today for treatment of female genital tract infections were studied by Dr. Martens prior to receiving FDA approval.

Dr. Martens and his team have recently been awarded a fifth patent by the U.S. patent office for such diverse inventions as a test to identify women at risk for breast cancer, early detection of miscarriage, and an intra-vaginal monitoring device to alert patients and their physicians of pre-term labor.