Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery Fellowship

UC San Diego

Charles Nager, M.D.
Professor Emeritus, Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences

About: completed his residency in Ob/Gyn at UCSD in 1986; then after a preceptorship in 1987 with Dr. Donald Ostergard became the Director of the UCSD Urogynecology Clinic. He completed a fellowship in urogynecology in 1997 at St. George's Hospital with Professor Stuart Stanton.

Michael Albo, M.D.
Clinical Professor, Urology
Vice Chief, Department of Urology

About: is a UCSD urologist who completed a Female Urology fellowship with Dr. Shlomo Raz at UCLA in 1994. He serves as Vice Chief of the Department of Urology.

Emily Lukacz, M.D., M.A.S.
Professor, Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences
Division and Fellowship Program Director, Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery

About: completed her fellowship at UCSD/Kaiser in June of 2003 and joined Drs. Charles Nager and Michael Albo at UCSD's Women's Pelvic Medicine Center at that time. She has extensive experience in clinical research and completed a Masters in Advanced Studies of Clinical Research at UCSD. Dr. Lukacz took on the role of director for the Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship Program in 2010.

Marianna Alperin, M.D., M.S.
Professor, Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences
Research Program Director, Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery

About: completed her fellowship at University of Pittsburg, Magee-Women's Hospital. She joined the division in July 2017 and accepted the role of Fellowship Research Director in April 2019.

Yahir Santiago-Lastra, M.D.
Associate Clinical Professor, Urology
UC San Diego Urologist

About: is a UCSD urologist who completed a FPMRS fellowship at the University of Michigan. In August 2016, she joined UCSD Women's Pelvic Medical Center.

Linda Brubaker, M.D., FACOG
Professor, Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences
Interim Director, Physician Wellness

About: joined UCSD in 2017. Dr. Brubaker currently chairs the NIDDK Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Research Consortium and serves as the UCSD Interim Director for Physician Wellness. Her research focus is the urobiome and bladder health. She is a Senior Editor for JAMA, the Editor-in-Chief for Urogynecology and the Up to Date Section Editor for Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery.

Lindsey Burnett, M.D., PhD
Assistant Professor, Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences
Reproductive Scientist Development Program Scholar

About: completed PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Arizona State University, postdoctoral fellowship in Physiology and Biophysics at University of Washington, MD at University of Illinois and completed both her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology and fellowship training in Female Pelvic Medicine at UCSD/Kaiser.

Jennifer Anger, M.D., M.P.H.
Professor in Residence, Urology
Vice Chair of Research, Department of Urology

About: is a UCSD reconstructive urologist who completed dual fellowship in urologic reconstruction at Duke University Medical Center and in urological health services research at UCLA. Her residency training is in urology and surgery at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center and medical degree is from USC Keck School of Medicine. Dr. Anger is Vice Chair of Research for Department of Urology. Expertise: Gender Affirming Surgery, Urologic Reconstruction, Female Pelvic Medicine.

Nemi Shah, M.D.
Adjunct Faculty

About: completed joint fellowship at the University of California, San Diego and Kaiser Permanente, San Diego in California. She attended medical school at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington D.C. and completed her residency in Ob/Gyn at University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, TX. Dr. Shah's expertise is in optimizing patient-centered outcomes in urogynecology. 

Kaiser Permanente

• Quinn Kerr Lippmann, M.D. – Urogynecologist, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center.
  
• Shawn Menefee, M.D. – Voluntary Clinical Professor. Director, Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Division, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center.
  
• Gouri Diwadkar, M.D. – Voluntary Assistant Clinical Professor. Urogynecologist, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center.
  
• Jasmine Tan-Kim, M.D. – Voluntary Assistant Clinical Professor. Urogynecologist, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center.
• Kimberly L. Ferrante, M.D. – Voluntary Assistant Clinical Professor. Co-Fellowship Program Director. Urogynecologist, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center.
• Tatiana Catanzarite, M.D., MAS – Voluntary Assistant Clinical Professor, Fellowship Simulation and Skills Director.
• Marco James Tomassi, M.D. - Colon/Rectal Surgeon, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center.
• Daniel David Klaristenfeld, M.D. - Colon/Rectal Surgeon, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center.

UC San Diego Fellows in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery

Tatyanna Henderson, M.D.
2023-2026 Fellow

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Residency: Ob/Gyn at UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Medical School: Duke University
Fellowship: University of California San Diego/Kaiser Permanente San Diego, San Diego, CA
Career Interests: Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery

Julie Suyama, M.D., Ph.D.
2021-2024 Fellow

About: Dr. Suyama earned her MD and PhD in Neuropharmacology from the Virginia Commonwealth University MD-PhD Program.
Residency: Ob/Gyn at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Post-Doctoral Research: Her research focuses on novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for functional bladder disorders, such as bladder pain syndrome and overactive bladder.
Fellowship: University of California San Diego/Kaiser Permanente San Diego, San Diego, CA

Ghansh Yadav, M.D.
2022-2025 Fellow

Hometown: Mumbai, India
Residency: Ob/Gyn at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Medical School: Topiwala National Medical College, Mumbai, India
Post-Doctoral Research Gynecologic Oncology at Yale University where he worked on finding novel chemotherapeutic targets for treatment of chemoresistant gynecologic cancers.
Fellowship: University of California San Diego/Kaiser Permanente San Diego, San Diego, CA
Career Interests: devising novel solutions for improving clinical experience and outcomes

• Laura Aughinbaugh, D.N.P., WHNP, CNM –

There is one fellow in each year of training. Each year is divided into 3 16-week blocks plus one 1 4-week block (elective/colorectal). These rotations are:

• UC San Diego (16 weeks) – a predominantly clinical rotation. On this rotation, there will be 2-½ days spent in the office, two days in the OR, and ½ day of Research/Education. The fellow leads a team of one urology resident, one ob/gyn resident, and medical students. The fellow will be working with Drs. Albo, Alperin, Anger, Burnett, Lukacz, Nager and Santiago-Lastra.
• Kaiser (16 weeks) – a predominantly clinical rotation. On this rotation, there will be 2 days spent in the office, 2-½ days in the OR and ½ day of Education. The fellows will be working with Drs. Ferrante, Diwadkar, Menefee, Catanzarite, Menefee, Lippmann, and Tan-Kim.
• Research and off-service rotations (16 weeks research + 4 weeks service/elective) – The elective rotations will be:
  • Year 1: None
  • Year 2: Colorectal (Drs. Tomassi and Klaristenfeld)
  • Year 3: Global Health Research (elective)

The fellows' schedule is subject to change. It is recognized that the development of a high-quality educational experience requires a continuous quality improvement process that the Program Director (with fellow input) will modify as necessary. The 50/50 UCSD/Kaiser clinical experience and 50/50 ambulatory/OR clinical experience are guiding principles.

Visiting Learners

Because of limited learning space, we regret to inform you that we are unable to accommodate visiting learners to ensure a meaningful experience.

UC San Diego Medical Center is a tertiary medical center at two sites: Hillcrest and Thornton (La Jolla). The Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences (OB/GYN) performs 2000 deliveries each year and approximately 200 pelvic floor surgeries each year. It has a long tradition of affiliation with Kaiser Permanente, San Diego and the OB/GYN residency is an integrated program. The OB/GYN residents spend 25% of their training time at Kaiser. The UCSD Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences also has fellowships in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Gynecologic Oncology, and Complex Family Planning.

Kaiser Permanente, San Diego serves 500,000 members in San Diego. The Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery division manages nearly all female incontinence and this division manages 300 urogynecology referrals each month and performs over 300 pelvic floor surgeries each year.

Both institutions perform the full spectrum of pelvic floor surgeries. Institutional Data for AY 2021-2022 (PDF)

Urodynamic Facilities

At present, the multiple sites offer urodynamic studies with Laborie equipment with and without fluoroscopy.

Imaging

The UC San Diego Department of Radiology and Reproductive Medicine are one of the few centers with expertise in 3-dimensional ultrasound and research opportunities are possible in this area. MR defecography is also available.

In addition to the Clinical Research Enhancement through Supplemental Training (CREST) Program, other educational activities include:

• Research meeting: weekly and/or as needed with primary mentor
  • Additionally, fellows present research ideas and projects the 5^th Wednesday quarterly.
• Urogynecology Chapter Review: 1–2 times, monthly
  • Comprehensive review chapter by chapter of our specialty using the selected textbooks.
• Urogynecology Seminars: 7–8 lectures, yearly
  • Formal lecture for 36 months on 22 topics essential to the specialty.
• Journal Club: 3^rd Thursday evening, monthly
  • Includes UCSD Faculty, Kaiser Permanente faculty, and local FPMRS practitioners.
• Colorectal Conference: semi-annual
  • Semi-annual multidisciplinary conference reviewing defecography, manometry, and ultrasound imaging studies.
• Wednesday afternoons also include department grand rounds, research meetings, and patient case conferences at both institutions.

The fellow will be expected to attend and participate in all educational conferences.

Optional Courses:
FACE (Fellow As Clinician Educator)
The course covers foundational topics and is of high value for anyone embarking on a career as a clinician educator.

The fellow has up to 48 weeks of dedicated research time. Research interests and ongoing projects include:

• Basic science in pelvic floor muscle physiology
• NIH/NIDDK funded - Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (PLUS)
• NICHD funded - Pelvic Floor Disorders Network (PFDN)
• Epidemiology of Pelvic Floor Disorders
• Robotic surgery education and outcomes
• Novel urodynamic technology
• Comparative surgical trials
• Laser therapy

Beginning in July of Year 1, it is expected that the fellow will complete, at minimum, the six core CREST courses outlined below. These will occur every Wednesday evening from 4-6 pm. This Clinical Research Enhancement through Supplemental Training (CREST) Program is a Masters-level comprehensive program that covers the following courses over 24 months:

• Basic Epidemiology
• Advanced Epidemiology
• Patient Oriented Research I
• Patient Oriented Research II
• Basic Biostatistics
• Advanced Biostatistics

A Masters in Advanced Studies in Clinical Research can be obtained with 12 additional courses after completing the full CREST program and is funded 50% through the Ellis Wyer Endowment (valued at $11,400). Additional funds are available to support a 4-week global health elective.

See our UCSD-Kaiser 2023 Graduated Fellows' Publications (PDF)

2023 Candidate Orientation Video

Application Process

Note: We will not participate in first-round interviews for the 2023-2024 application season.

Application Dates

• Application Deadline: March 31, 2024
  
• Interview Date: April 27, 2024. We will offer remote/virtual interviews only.

For additional reading on the virtual process, linked here is a publication on the "Do's and Don'ts of the Virtual Interview: Perspectives From Residency and Fellowship Applicants (Bounpane C, et al, 2020)
Applicants must have graduated from a U.S. or Canadian accredited residency program.
We participate in the National Resident Match Program (NRMP) and all candidates must enroll in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). To register for the fellowship matching process, go to nrmp.org.

Application to the University of California San Diego Medical Center Program, Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery (OB/GYN) – Accreditation 2210522003 may be made through the ERAS. For more information on the ERAS application process, visit aamc.org.

Required Documents

In addition to the ERAS application, upload the following documents to ERAS:

• Photo
• Curriculum Vitae
• Personal Statement
• At least three Letters of Recommendation. One of these must come from the Residency Program Director and/or Department Chairperson.
• USMLE Transcripts, Step 1, 2 and 3
• CREOG Scores (submitted via email)

Mission

The UCSD Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery seeks to be an international leader in care, research, and education. Our mission is continuously improving patient care and the URPS knowledge base through teaching and modeling quality clinical care, research, and professional education. The goals and objectives of our fellowship include compliance with the requirements for Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery approved by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Board of Urology. The program complies with ACGME 80-hour work week restrictions and duty hour requirements.
UCSD House Officer Policy and Procedure Document (PDF) See pages 12 & 13 for detailed information.

Salary

Salary is commensurate with the University of California pay scale for a PGY 5–7. See updated pay scale.

More information available on UC San Diego Office of Graduate Medical Education.

The UCSD’s Office of GME sponsors Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) virtual open house sessions for applicants interested in a UCSD training program. These events are open to medical students and residents interested in and/or applying to any fellowship program at UCSD.  The purpose of these events is to allow applicants to better understand the diverse environment that UCSD has to offer and learn what the different programs are doing in the JEDI arena.  The session will start with a Webinar-based overview of EDI-related efforts and activities across UCSD - provided by a panel of informed UCSD representatives.  This will be followed by breakout Zoom rooms where current UCSD trainees and applicants can meet to share their perspectives about EDI. 

• The focus is on EDI. This will not be an event for applicants to learn general information about your programs.  
• Faculty will not participate in the breakout rooms so applicants can feel comfortable asking candid questions.        

 This year’s three sessions will be held 6:00-7:00 PM PST on:  

1. Open House #1: October 5, 2023
2. Open House #2: November 15, 2023
3. Open House #3: January 30, 2024

Applicants should contact our Program Coordinator at urogyn@health.ucsd.edu if they are interested in participating.