Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Urology Fellowship
The Stanford female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery (FPMRS) urology fellowship is a 2 year ACGME ABU/ABOG accredited program, which prepares the fellow for a career in academic medicine by providing training in complex reconstructive urological care, as well as a solid foundation in basic science or clinical research. The first year is a clinical year at the Stanford University Medical Center; the second year is spent in either basic science or clinical health sciences research. The fellowship is a joint endeavor with Stanford Urology and Urogynecology faculty training providing a full experience of pelvic reconstruction. The program is currently accepting a urology trained fellow every even year, and a gynecology trained fellow every odd year.
Faculty
Craig V. Comiter, MD., Associate Professor, Urology (Fellowship Director)
Bertha Chen, MD. Professor, Gyneclology
Eric R. Sokol, MD, Assistant Professor, Gynecology
Lisa Rogo-Gupta, MD, Assistant Professor, Gynecology
Clinical
The fellow is directly supervised by 4 faculty members at Stanford University Medical Center. Fellows graduate with an operative experience of 600+ procedures, including vaginal pelvic organ prolapse repair, vaginal hysterectomy, midurethral slings, bladder neck slings, male incontinence slings, artificial urinary sphincter placement, collagen injections, botulinum toxin injections, laparoscopic/robotic and open sacrocolpopexy, bladder augmentation, creation of catheterizable stomas and repair of vesicovaginal fistula. All aspects of open, endoscopic, laparoscopic, and robotic pelvic and reconstructive urology are taught. One to two days per week are spent in the operating room, with graduated responsibility for resident teaching as the year progresses. The fellow is responsible for supervising the Stanford urology residents on the service for inpatient care and consultations. Two to three days per week is spent in clinic, rotating with each faculty member. Supervising and interpreting videourodynamic studies are emphasized during portions of training.
Research
Dr. Chen has a basic science laboratory focusing on molecular abnormalities in connective tissue metabolism in women affected with pelvic floor disorders, specifically focusing on the role of extracellular matrix proteins. Her work is recognized and funded by the National Institutes of Health. Drs. Comiter, Payne and Sokol focus on clinical research and are part of many clinical trials encompassing the use of mesh in vaginal prolapse repairs, male incontinence devices, fecal incontinence treatments and novel therapeutics for interstitial cystitis and urge incontinence. If a fellow has specific interests, such as health services/policy research, medical informatics, decision analysis, bioengineering, biodesign or other areas, we recommend that these interests and coursework possibilities be explored during the year prior to starting fellowship. Some fellowships and degree programs may require enrollment or program acceptance (for instance, the Master’s in Clinical Epidemiology). Coursework or degree tuition costs may be incurred, and the fellow may be responsible for securing funding, with appropriate faculty assistance for grant writing. Clinical research immersion programs exist, and previous fellows have participated in these full-time week long programs as well. Clinical projects are started during the clinical year, to be completed during the research year.
Past Fellows and Current Location
2010 - present: Christopher S. Elliott, MD, PhD
2011 -present: Monica Richardson L. Richardson, MD, MPH
Recent Publications by Fellows
Elliott CS and Comiter CV. Post Prostatectomy Voiding Dysfunction. Curr Bladder Dysfunct Rep. Accepted for publication.
Elliott CS and Comiter CV (2011). Vesico-Vaginal Fistula and Lower Urinary Tract Surgical Complications. In Wessels H (ed.) Urological Emergencies: A Practical Guide, edition 2. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press. Accepted for Publication.
Elliott CS, Hsieh MH, Sokol ER, Comiter CV, Payne CK and Chen B. Robotic Assisted Versus Open Sacrocolpopexy: A Cost Minimization Analysis. J Urol. Accepted for publication.
Elliott CS and Sokol ER. New Techniques for Treating Stress Urinary Incontinence. Contemporary OB/Gyn; Jan 2011
Elliott CS and Comiter CV. Male Sling for Stress Urinary Incontinence: An Update. Curr Bladder Dysfunct Rep (2010); 5: 183–190.
Application
Candidates must have completed an ACGME-approved US or Canadian urology residency. An application for FPMRS fellowship is available at http://www.sufuorg.com/.
Contact Us
Midhun Joseph
Education Program Manager
Phone (650) 497-8753
midhun@stanford.edu
Craig V. Comiter, MD
Program Director
Phone: (650) 725-6493
ccomiter@stanford.edu