Endowed chair in obstetrics and gynecology honors Dr. James N. Martin Jr. and Dr. Gloria Howard Martin

Published on Monday, May 5, 2025

By: Rachel Vanderford, rvanderford@umc.edu

Photos By: Jay Ferchaud/ UMMC Communications

A $1 million endowed chair honoring the late Dr. James N. Martin, Jr. and his wife, Dr. Gloria Howard Martin seeks to attract an exceptional physician, researcher or faculty member to address maternal-fetal health in Mississippi. 

"Jim strongly believed in the power of an endowed chair to attract talented clinicians and researchers to Mississippi,” said Dr. Gloria Martin. “He thought that if they could see the quality of the work here and experience the warmth of a Mississippi welcome, they would be happy to be at home here, as we were.” 

The couple founded the endowment in 2020, and it quickly grew thanks to contributions from friends, former colleagues and residents, and current UMMC faculty. The result is The James Nello Martin, Jr. MD and Gloria Howard Martin, PHD Chair in Maternal-Fetal Medicine—a lasting tribute to the field and the community he served. 

For Gloria, the establishment of the endowed chair means that “in some small way, we are able to contribute to the advancement of health care in Mississippi, and perhaps, through the continued research, to make a lasting impact on the health of women everywhere.” 

As Mississippi’s first fellowship-trained, board-certified maternal-fetal medicine specialist, Martin made a profound impact during his nearly four-decade tenure at UMMC, directing the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine from 1991 to 2014. 

A Maryland native, Martin earned his undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University—where he met his future wife, Gloria—before attending medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed an obstetrics and gynecology residency at the North Carolina Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill and pursued two postgraduate fellowships: one in reproductive physiology for the World Health Organization in Stockholm, Sweden and another in maternal-fetal medicine at Parkland Hospital in Dallas.  

Before joining UMMC, Martin spent two years at the University of Michigan from 1979 to 1981.  

In 1981, the Martins moved to Jackson, where he joined UMMC as an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine. The next year, Gloria continued her career as a clinical social worker and marriage & family therapist, joining the Shepherd’s Staff Counseling Center in Flowood. 

"We were transplants to Mississippi,” Gloria said. “Neither of us grew up here, and we weren’t sure how we were going to like it. We thought we would probably stay about five to ten years and then move back to North Carolina, but we fell in love with the place and the people.” 

“How did a young man, born in Maryland, who graduated high school in Rhode Island, come to Mississippi, by way of North Carolina, Texas and Michigan?" said Dr. James M. Tucker, Winfred L. Wiser Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology. “Without a doubt, Mississippi got lucky when Dr. Jim Martin and Dr. Gloria Martin came here and decided to stay here.” 

Over the course of his career, Martin changed the way obstetricians around the country manage crisis pregnancies, including those complicated by preeclampsia, a leading cause of premature birth and maternal death. Under his leadership, the UMMC team created the world’s largest database of patients with HELLP (Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, and Low Platelet count) syndrome, a severe form of preeclampsia. 

“Dr. Martin dedicated his career to research and academic advancement,” said Dr. Rachael Morris, associate professor of maternal-fetal medicine. “His work advanced our understanding of maternal fetal medicine. His publications continue to influence clinical practice. But what made his scholarship truly special was its purpose: it always came back to the patient. His research wasn’t about prestige—it was about progress. How can we do better? How can we serve better?” 

In 2005, he reported information in Obstetrics & Gynecology that reshaped the clinical standard for treating severe systolic hypertension in pregnant and postpartum patients—a breakthrough that continues to impact obstetric practice and maternal safety guidelines worldwide. 

“Dr. Martin was a giant in obstetrics,” Tucker said. “He touched the lives of hundreds of medical students in our state, scores of residents and dozens of fellows. Most importantly, the tens of thousands of pregnant patients’ lives he has improved—both directly and indirectly.” 

Martin led many professional organizations, serving as president of the North American Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy from 1997 to 2000, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine from 2001-2002, and the American College of OBGYN, or ACOG, from 2011-2012. He also authored and contributed to approximately 800 scientific publications, including several books. 

Throughout his life, Martin received numerous honors. He was awarded Excellence in Mentoring Awards from UMMC’s graduating senior OB-GYN residents in 2006 and 2009, a recognition he also received from ACOG in 2016.

“He was a teacher at heart,” said Morris. “Dr. Martin believed that every clinical encounter was also a teaching moment—not just for students and residents, but for himself, too. He welcomed medical trainees into his rounds and operating rooms with the same warmth and enthusiasm he showed his patients. His lectures were legendary—not just for the depth of knowledge, but for the passion with which he delivered them. And when he spoke, we listened—not because we had to, but because we wanted to.” 

In 2009, The Preeclampsia Foundation presented Martin with its Hope Award for lifetime achievement in preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome research. He was named a Distinguished Medical Alumnus by the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in 2012, received the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 and was inducted into the UMMC Alumni Hall of Fame in 2016. 

He enjoyed the freedom retirement offered, his wife said, but never lost his passion for education and research. He stayed active in the field, consulting, researching, writing, teaching, and working with several organizations, including ACOG, SMFM, the International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians, the March of Dimes, the Preeclampsia Foundation, the Mississippi State Department of Health’s Perinatal Quality Collaborative, UMMC, and BlueCross BlueShield of Mississippi, long after retiring from UMMC. 

“Jim really loved his work, and he experienced it as both fascinating and fulfilling,” Martin said. “He was a bit of a detective in trying to unravel the mysteries of hypertension in pregnancy. I know that he felt fortunate to have found work that called to him and called for his gifts, and he delighted in working with wonderful colleagues on the entire health care team.

“The birth of a baby is such a tender and vulnerable time for families,” she said. “I think he really felt the impact of that reality and wanted to do everything he could do to advance the medical care of women and infants, ensuring the best possible experiences and outcomes for this generation and those to come.”