The first baby born through a uterine transplant at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) debuted on July 24. He is the first baby in the world born after a uterine transplant outside of a clinical trial.

AL.com caught up with two of the doctors that were part of this groundbreaking procedure: Dr. Trey Leath, a gynecological oncologist who participated in the uterine transplant surgery and birth, and Dr. Deidre Gunn, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist who worked with new mom Mallory on her embryo implantation. You may recognize Dr. Gunn as Miss America 2005. These interviews were edited for length and clarity.

AL.com: You’re the director of the gynecological oncology department but also had a role in this particular program. How did you get involved, and what is your expertise?

Leath: So, I am a board-certified and fellowship-trained gynecologic oncologist. As part of (gynecological and obstetrics) training, we’re taught really advanced pelvic surgery. The surgical skills that are necessary that may allow uterine transplantation to be performed are skills that we possess.

AL.com: Looking back at your career, is this the kind of thing you imagined doing as a doctor?

Leath: In a word, no. I really didn’t imagine it. I remember seeing the first reports years ago. And I was like, “That’s really interesting.” Although this is something that I didn’t necessarily envision (the procedure) can be value added to not only the patient as an individual or a patient as part of a family but also to perhaps society at large.

AL.com: What was going through your mind as this surgery was about to happen?

Leath: In the operating room, it’s “Don’t mess this up.” There may have been more colorful language. Two of the more unique and interesting and awe-inspiring events in medicine for me, especially outside of the oncologic realm, were when we hooked up the blood vessels from the donor uterus to Mallory’s blood vessels and we took the clamps off. And you saw the uterus (restore blood flow to) itself. It was incredible. It is hard to put it into words. The second amazing thing was when we delivered her baby by Caesarean.

AL.com: What have you learned from this experience that will help you do a more efficient job the next time?

Leath: So I think that what has been most beneficial is learning new surgical techniques. In many ways, I compare the procedures that we perform to an ultra-radical cancer operation. I think it has given me a new appreciation for some things that I wouldn’t necessarily think I would do or that I could do. It has given me additional information that I can utilize.

AL.com: Is there anything that you want to add?

Leath: Innovation in medicine, just like in many things or everything in life, is rarely (from just) an individual. It’s a team, and the way that we achieve the best outcomes and the best innovations are as part of a team. And really, all the kudos need to go to Mallory.

AL.com: Do you feel like this is your next evolution as a fertility doctor?

Gunn: I definitely feel privileged to have the opportunity to do this because not very many centers in the world or in the US are doing uterine transplants. It’s definitely a groundbreaking procedure.

AL.com: What do you feel like was the biggest challenge?

Gunn: As a clinician, I was really going to the data and looking at these case reports and what other centers have done. It’s not something that my partners have had decades of experience with, or I can just call up my friend and (ask), “Hey, what are you doing at your clinic?” It’s exciting and really intellectually challenging. I’ve enjoyed being part of something that’s so cutting-edge. But I think from the perspective of the patient; there are a lot of ups and downs. It’s really a roller coaster to get through this. But for the carefully selected patient who’s been very thoroughly counseled, I think it’s a very good option.

AL.com: Mallory got really emotional when she was talking about you at the press conference. What were you experiencing as she was talking about what you contributed to the whole process?

Gunn: It was just really incredible to have been a part of it and to have been a part of this team because it’s not one or two people. It is really this team of amazing people who all have their niche and their particular skill set that contributes to this. That’s one of those things that can only happen at a place like UAB. That’s why I love UAB so much. That was the first time I had seen Mallory’s baby as well. So just being able to see the baby and (have) the rewarding sense of (Mallory going) through this entire process, and now she’s at the end of it with her dream come true.

AL.com: What has been the public’s response after all this has happened?

Gunn: I think people are amazed at the science and have lots of questions. And there (are) lots of unknowns among the general public about infertility in general and this subset of infertility diagnoses. There’s just a lot of factors that people have never thought of. We have the technology to be able to put a donor uterus into someone, and it may carry a pregnancy, and it’s just really phenomenal. So I think people recognize the science of it, but also the human element of being able to help someone have their family in this way is really cool.

AL.com: Is this something you pictured going through the Miss America pageant circuit (she won in 2005)?

Gunn: No, I thought I was going to be a pediatrician. Then I went through med school, and (thought) “I love kids, but I really don’t want to be their doctor.” I really liked women’s health, and I liked surgery and the continuity of care and the patient. I didn’t even see myself doing infertility until I was well into residency and then decided to do a fellowship. I can remember vividly sitting at the national meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine back in 2014 when the surgeon who pioneered this procedure gave a plenary lecture on this and presented videos of the surgery, and walked us through it. I just sat there and (thought), “This is crazy. This is amazing. That’s just unreal,” I never imagined that I would get to be part of something like that. So as a physician, it’s just a really special thing.