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Urogynecology Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery and Neurourology Fellowship

The accredited ACGME fellowship offers a single two-year position annually.

Eligibility

The Urogynecology Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery (URPS) and Neurourology Fellowship in UT Southwestern's Department of Urology is offered to any resident who will be eligible to sit for the American Board of Urology Exam in URPS and seeks additional specialized training in both the clinical and research aspects in the field.

Areas of Clinical Focus

  • Female pelvic disorders
  • Incontinence
  • Pelvic organ prolapse
  • Voiding dysfunction

In addition, this fellowship features clinical and research experience with a variety of genitourinary disorders in neurologic disease, focusing on patients with spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis.

How to Apply

To apply, contact Tisha Franklin via tisha.franklin@utsouthwestern.edu.

Message from Our Fellowship Director

Maude Carmel, M.D.
Maude Carmel, M.D., Fellowship Director

In 2007, the Felecia Cain Fellowship program was instituted at UTSW from an endowment from The Cain Foundation to allow Dr. Philippe Zimmern to train URPS fellows.

The program selects a urology resident at the end of their training for a two-year ACGME-accredited fellowship. Each August, a new fellow selected through a national matching program starts his/her training.

During their two years, our trainees interact with all URPS faculty, learn to manage patients in clinics, assist in the operating room, and work on academic projects, including a thesis. Some opt for an academic career, others for private practices.

We are proud they can serve their community wherever they choose to go, and by doing so, fulfill the dream of Felecia Cain when this program was initiated.

Program Goals

Our fellowship seeks to accomplish three key goals for our fellows — each focused on building essential skills:

  • Proficiency – Prepare both cognitively and technically to practice your new discipline.
  • Capability – Build analytical skills and critical thinking that enable you to successfully confront new conditions or situations.
  • Curiosity – Stimulate a strong desire to advance knowledge through research and teaching.

Curriculum

Year One

The fellow works with Drs. Lemack, Carmel, Goueli, and Zimmern in the clinic and operating room.

During this first year, the fellow gains vast experience:

  • Performing and interpreting urodynamics
  • Learning indications and techniques for the use of neuromodulation and botulinum treatments
  • Performing surgical repair for other more common pelvic floor disorders (midurethral slings, vaginal, and abdominal approaches to pelvic prolapse).

The fellow also spends one month on the urogynecology service.

There is ample protected time to initiate a required independent research project. To aid with this, the first-year fellow audits a course on clinical trial design taught at UT Southwestern. By the conclusion of year one, it is anticipated that the research project will be well underway.

Year Two

The second year is devoted to more advanced female pelvic medicine disorders, with emphasis on:

  • Treatment of complex female incontinence cases
  • Advanced pelvic prolapse conditions (including open and robotic-assisted laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy)
  • Other unusual disorders, such as vesicovaginal fistula and urethral diverticulum

During this year, there are additional core rotations in colorectal surgery and pelvic floor physical therapy with UTSW physiatrists.

Research Program

Research is carried out during both the first and second years. The direction of the research is largely dictated by the fellow's interest. Past research projects have been of both basic science and clinical research types. For example, past bench research projects have focused on detrusor smooth muscle responses to bladder outlet obstruction in spinal cord injury.

Clinical research projects have examined the Department’s extensive urodynamics, prolapse/incontinence, and neurourology databases to answer research questions regarding a variety of clinical disorders, from neurogenic bladder to voiding dysfunction and pelvic organ prolapse.

Conferences

The fellow participates in weekly URPS conference/lecture series/research updates, as well as journal clubs monthly.

In addition, there are quarterly journal clubs with the colorectal service and urogynecology, as well as quarterly multidisciplinary meetings of the Comprehensive Pelvic Floor Team, including urogynecology, urology, colorectal, radiology, and physical medicine services.

The fellow is tasked with identifying a research question in their area of interest during the first year, developing an IRB-approved study, carrying out the study, and ultimately presenting their findings to the group and research mentor prior to graduating.

Clinician scientists, statisticians, and research mentors round out the research team and provide ongoing support for all research activities.

Current Fellows

  • Paige Kuhlmann, M.D.
  • Chrissy Herforth, M.D.

Faculty

Our multidisciplinary faculty includes experts in urology, urogynecology, colorectal surgery, and physical medicine and rehabilitation.

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