Diana L. Gray, MD, HS ’90

Diana L. Gray, MD, HS ’90, associate dean for faculty affairs and professor of obstetrics and gynecology, of radiology and of engineering at Washington University, is honored for her outstanding service to Washington University faculty and her nationally recognized expertise in prenatal genetic diagnosis and obstetrical and gynecological imaging.

In 1990, Gray was a founding member of the Academic Women’s Network (AWN) at Washington University, and served on AWN’s board for many years, including as president in 1999-2000. AWN’s mission is to promote professional interactions among women faculty and to assist in career development. As associate dean for faculty affairs, Gray has expanded this mission to improve the quality of life, career advancement and retention of all faculty members. She was instrumental in establishing regular gender equity pay audits, an amendment to the WU tenure document to allow for pauses of the probationary period, an official maternity/paternity leave policy, advocacy for on-site child care and back-up dependent care programs, and professional development and leadership training programs. More recently, she has been a significant force behind the medical school’s Diversity and Inclusion Initiative. Gray’s collaborative and calm demeanor is a huge asset during discussions of such complex issues, her colleagues say. She navigates university politics and the competing agendas of stakeholders with professionalism and high ethical standards.

Nationally, Gray serves as a steering committee member of the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) Group on Faculty Affairs and was a member of AAMC’s inaugural Steering Committee for the Group on Women in Medicine and Science from 2008–2010.

Gray has accomplished this work while maintaining a national reputation for expertise in fetal ultrasound and prenatal genetic diagnostics. She is a highly sought-after clinician who has been listed as a Best Doctor for most of her career.

Gray earned bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1977 and 1981. After an internship at that university’s Weiss Memorial Hospital and at the main teaching hospital at U. of Illinois Chicago, she became a resident in the combined Barnes-Jewish Hospital obstetrics & gynecology program and then administrative chief resident at the Jewish Hospital of St. Louis. Fellowships in ob/gyn ultrasound and medical genetics followed. She joined the Washington University faculty in 1985, and co-directed and then directed the Division of Genetics and Ultrasound from 1991–1997. From 1991–2003, she directed Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. She has been associate dean for faculty affairs at the medical school since 2002.

The Washington University Medical Center Alumni Association is pleased to present its Distinguished Service Award to Dr. Gray.