Lisa Hickman, MD
- Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery
The Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery (URPS) Fellowship at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s mission is to provide trainees with advanced training in the care of patients with female pelvic floor disorders, and to provide an in-depth experience in clinical and investigative work sufficient to allow pursuit of an academic career in the field of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery after completion of the program.
The Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery fellows receive outstanding clinical and research exposure during the 3 years within the program. Fellows will be actively involved in teaching when it comes to medical students and residents that rotate on the benign gynecologic service. They will be assessed regularly by the program director and other faculty, with a focus on allowing each fellow to reach their own personal goals during their training, while meeting all the requirements set forth by the ACGME. The Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery fellowship became ACGME certified as of 2014 with the enactment of the milestones and case log system which enables the fellows to monitor their progress towards meeting educational goals.
The curriculum for the Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery Fellowship includes 18 months of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery, 5 months of Female Urology, 1 month of Colorectal Surgery, and 12 months of Research (Protected). The URPS Division at the OSWMC consists of 3 fellowship-trained physicians and a dedicated nurse practitioner. It has a full compliment of 3 fellows and is integrated with the departments of Urology, Colorectal Surgery, Gastroenterology and Physical Therapy.
The curriculum for the Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery Fellowship includes 18 months of female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, 5 months of female urology, 1 month of colorectal surgery and 12 months of research (protected).
Fellows are asked to target didactic learning in Biostatistics and Epidemiology as part of the fellowship. These can take any number of forms including online modules or graduate level courses offered through The Ohio State University College of Public Health or Department of Epidemiology. In addition, fellows have the opportunity to pursue a more comprehensive Master of Science, which would incorporate these didactic requirements.
The Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery Fellowship offers a single position on an annual basis. All positions are filled through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) match. International applicants are invited to apply through the NRMP as well.
This rotation involves 2 month-long blocks on the inpatient and outpatient Female Urology service at University Hospital and the new Ohio State Eye and Ear Institute, which houses the outpatient site for Female Urology, with state of the art exam and procedure rooms as well as our outpatient surgical suites. Fellows will be integrated with the Urology team although their clinical activities will be restricted to female patients and they will be exclusively supervised by our 2 Board-Certified Female Urologists. There will be a focus on NeuroUrology and the performance of more complex reconstructive procedures involving the urinary tract. They will also spend 3 months rotating with community-based Board-Certified Female Urologists
This rotation provides a broad-based exposure to clinical Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery marked by progressive responsibility both in the clinic and hospital. All outpatients are seen in Division’s outpatient clinics (Upper Arlington Specialty Clinic, Outpatient Care New Albany) located < 5 miles from the main campus and the University Hospital. These new multi-specialty ambulatory sites are state of the art, ambulatory centers shared with components of General Gynecology, MFM, and Women’s Health. It is during these times that initial examinations and urodynamic assessments, including management decisions and plans for surgery, are reviewed and implemented.
During these rotations, fellows work directly with our 4 Board-certified URPS specialists. One fellow will be on service at all times and clinical responsibilities will include management of the inpatient UROGYN unit, and associated surgical recovery floors, operating rooms, and consult coverage for emergency and hospitalized patients. The fellow will also see patients in the outpatient setting in clinic and gain exposure to management of typical office-based issues. The fellow will perform multi-channel urodynamics in this setting as well as at the Main Campus resident-driven Urogyn outpatient clinic. In addition to the 18 months spent on service at OSWMC, the fellows will rotate for 5 months with one of two board-certified FPMRS Urologists, again serving as a primary surgeon while managing the in-patient service and seeing patients in an outpatient setting.
This is a dedicated 4 week block providing experience in outpatient and inpatient colorectal surgery. While on this rotation the fellow will operate with one of 3 colorectal surgeons as well as spend time in the anal physiology laboratory observing and performing anal manometry, electrophysiology, and endoanal ultrasound. They will also get a chance to spend time in the outpatient colorectal clinic and inpatient/ambulatory colorectal surgical service.
The Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery fellows participate in various regular educational conferences and seminars including three mandatory weekly conferences: URPS Conference, OB/GYN Grand Rounds and scientific meetings.
The URPS fellows participate in weekly departmental Grand Rounds. Included in these conferences are monthly GYN morbidity and mortality meetings. The fellows actively participate in these conferences and present all pertinent patient materials. The fellows are expected to serve as the Grand Rounds presenter at least once during both their second and third years of fellowship.
The Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery Conferences are attended by URPS and female urology faculty, along with involvement by colorectal surgery, GI and geriatrics faculty and fellows when applicable. Other participants may include interested members of the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Quantitative Health Sciences and Physical Therapy. These conferences include weekly lectures, journal club, case conferences and research meetings. Topics include a diverse range of subjects with a goal of meeting all ACGME Learning Milestone requirements in the areas of anatomy, neurophysiology, advanced urodynamic testing, pathophysiology and surgical management of stress urinary incontinence, pathophysiology, physical assessment and surgical management of pelvic organ prolapse, detrusor overactivity, repair of surgical injuries to the lower urinary tract, voiding disorders, suburethral diverticula/fistula and other topics.
In addition, the fellows participate in a monthly research seminar led by the director of reproductive epidemiology, Dr. Courtney Lynch, PhD, MPH. In addition to discussions on research design, statistics, grantsmanship and research management, regular research meetings will include review and analysis of current research ideas and projects.
Fellows will also have an opportunity to enroll in and complete a course of study to obtain a Master of Science through The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Department of Surgery. The fellow’s research blocks are scheduled to facilitate completion of any coursework required for this degree.
The Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery Fellowship participates in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) for all positions. Our application requirements are the same as the standard ERAS application, which includes:
For more information, contact:
Andrew Hundley, MD
URPS Fellowship Director
Andrew.Hundley@osumc.edu
Erica Johnson, MS
Program Manager
614-293-4532
Erica.Johnson@osumc.edu