Diane F. Merritt, MD

Diane Merritt, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, is an internationally recognized expert in pediatric and adolescent gynecology and women’s health. Merritt founded and has directed the Program in Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology for over three decades, which has evolved into a major clinical referral center in the Midwest while being a site for training students, residents and fellows.

Consistently ranked nationally among the Best Doctors in America and America’s Top Doctors, Merritt is a highly respected and sought after clinician and consultant. She is active in many professional organizations and is a founding member and past president of the North American Society of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. She has served on multiple committees and boards, including chairing the Committee for Adolescent Health for the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She has been invited to serve as a consultant by the Food and Drug Administration, The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Merritt lectures and publishes on pediatric gynecology, adolescent sexuality, teen pregnancy prevention, puberty, disorders of sexual development, sexual abuse in children, the repair of injuries and congenital anomalies of the urogenital system, women’s health and female sexual health and cancer. She has also served as principal investigator on research projects involving contraception, hormone therapy in menopause and alternatives to estrogen therapy, vulvar dermatoses, ovarian torsion, precocious puberty, endometriosis, and bleeding disorders in women.

Merritt has enhanced academic and community awareness of the reproductive health issues for children and adolescents. She is a patient advocate and a role model for her patients and students. She has trained generations of medical students, residents and fellows, as well as international physicians in pediatric and adolescent gynecology. She has held key leadership positions at Washington University, including election to the Executive Committee of Faculty Senate Council and serving as president of the Academic Women’s Network. She is a recipient of a Distinguished Service Teaching Award, Humanism in Medicine Award, and a Distinguished Clinician Faculty Award.

After graduating from Miami University with a BA in biology in 1971, Merritt received her medical degree from New York University in 1975. She completed her residency at Barnes Hospital and was recruited to join Washington University’s faculty in 1981.

The Washington University Medical Center Alumni Association is pleased to present its Resident/Fellow Alumni Achievement Award to Dr. Merritt.