Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery Fellowship

UC San Diego–Kaiser Permanente, San Diego Joint Program

2026 Fellowship Interview Dates:

January 26 Application deadline for consideration of first round of interview offer
February 17 1st round of interview offers
February 19 Applicants will accept or decline first-round interview offers by 9 pm Eastern.
February 20 2nd round of interview offers
May 8 Afternoon interview session (PM)
May 9 Morning interview session (AM)

Program Director: Cecile Ferrando, MD, MPH

Associate Director: Kimberly Ferrante, MD

About the Fellowship

The Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery Fellowship Program at UCSD - Kaiser Permanente, San Diego is a joint training program developed by Dr. Charles Nager at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and Dr. Karl Luber at Kaiser Permanente, San Diego in 2000. The educational objective is to train the next generation of leaders in urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery. While there is a very strong clinical component to the fellowship, the focus is to prepare graduates for careers in academic medicine and teaching. The fellow is welcome to participate in ongoing research, but he/she/they will be also be encouraged to develop his/her/their own ideas and to plan, execute, analyze, and report on these subjects. Presentations are expected at the American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS) meeting. The fellowship is accredited by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) and the American Board of Urology. As such, the fellowship program length is three years for both ob/gyn and urology residency graduates.

The fellowship is jointly (50/50) shared and funded by UCSD and Kaiser Permanente, San Diego. This combined program takes advantage of the strengths of each institution and diversifies the educational experience and training of the fellow with broad exposure to several faculty members. It is expected that the fellow will spend approximately 50% of their clinical time at UCSD and 50% of their clinical time at Kaiser. The clinical experience will be approximately 50% ambulatory and 50% operative. The diverse faculty provide training in the full spectrum of incontinence and prolapse surgical procedures including open, vaginal, laparoscopic, and robotic approach.

Faculty

UC San Diego

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.

Cecile Ferrando, MD, MPH
Professor, Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences
Fellowship & Research Director, Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery
Co-Director, Women's Pelvic Medicine Center

About: Dr. Cecile Ferrando is a board-certified Urogynecologist. She completed her OBGYN residency at the combined Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital in 2012 and a Urogynecology fellowship at Cleveland Clinic in 2015. She joined the UC San Diego team in Spring 2024. Her research interests include clinical outcomes of pelvic reconstructive surgery as well as gender affirmation surgery. Her expertise includes surgery for pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence as well as vaginal and genital reconstruction for cis and transgender women.

Emily Lukacz, M.D., M.A.S.
Professor, Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences
Division Director, Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UC San Diego Health Sciences

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
Vice Chair of Translational Research, Department of Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences

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 Professor and Vice Chair of Education, Urology
Residency Program Director
Department of Urology
Co-Director, Women's Pelvic Medicine Center

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.

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.

Kaiser Permanente

Shawn Menefee, MD
Voluntary Clinical Professor, Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences
Director, Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Division, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center

About: After completing residency/fellowship training and service in the US Navy, Dr. Menefee joined Kaiser Permanente San Diego in 2001. He has served as Co-Director of the UCSD/KP Fellowship, Regional Physician-In-Charge of Pelvic Floor Disorder Group for KP Southern California and Pelvic Floor Robotics, and Past-President and Elected Board Member of AUGS. He is currently Division Head for Urogynecology, Area Research Chair for KP San Diego and Co-Primary Investigator for the San Diego Consortium for the NICHD Pelvic Floor Disorder Network. He is an active clinical researcher with interest in surgical efficiency and ergonomics, Big Data in Urogynecology, surgical outcomes, and virtual screening and treatment for Urinary Incontinence.

Kimberly L. Ferrante, MD

Voluntary Assistant Clinical Professor, Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences, UC San Diego
Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery
Assistant Chief of Service- Subspecialties, OBGYN
Surgeon Lead, ERAS/NSQIP Collaborative San Diego
URPS Fellowship Co-Director
Southern California Permanente Medical Group

About: She completed her residency at New York University followed by fellowship at UCSD/Kaiser Permanente. She is the Co-Director of the combined fellowship program and is the Assistant Chief of Services over Subspecialties for the OBGYN Department. She also serves as the Surgeon Lead for the ERAS/NSQIP Collaborative for KP San Diego and her interests include surgical outcomes and genitourinary syndrome of menopause.

Dr. Marco Tomassi Marco James Tomassi, MD

Colon/Rectal Surgeon, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center

About: Dr. Marco Tomassi is a general and colorectal surgeon who trained at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston and LA County Hospital. He serves as the Regional Chief of Colorectal Surgery for Southern California Kaiser Permanente.

Gouri Diwadkar, MD
Voluntary Assistant Clinical Professor, Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences
Urogynecologist, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center

About: She completed her OB/GYN residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston followed by fellowship at Cleveland Clinic. She joined the Kaiser Permanente San Diego team in 2010. She is faculty at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine and serves as a quality improvement officer in the department of OB/GYN. Her special interests include quality improvement and global health.

Jasmine Tan-Kim, MD, MAS
Voluntary Associate Clinical Professor, Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences
Urogynecologist, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center

About: She completed her residency and fellowship at UCSD/Kaiser San Diego and joined Kaiser Permanente San Diego in 2011. She has a special interest in minimally invasive urogynecologic procedures, surgical ergonomics, and outcomes-based research. She earned a Master Degree in Advanced Studies of Clinical Research at UCSD. She currently serves as the SCAL Regional Robotic Lead for Urogynecology.

Heidi Brown, MD, MAS

Clinician Researcher, Department of Urogynecology and Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center

About: Dr. Brown is a urogynecologist and dissemination and implementation scientist whose research focuses on improving access to effective solutions for pelvic floor disorders such as bladder and bowel incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. She is funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Institutes of Health and serves on the Board of Directors for the American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS). She completed education and clinical training at Brown University, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center – Magee-Womens Hospital, University of California – San Diego, and Kaiser Permanente.

Quinn Kerr Lippmann, MD, MPH
Urogynecologist, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center

About: She completed her medical school, Masters in Public Health and residency at UNC Chapel Hill. She completed her fellowship at UCSD/Kaiser San Diego. After 7 years in private practice in Virginia, she joined the Kaiser Permanente San Diego faculty in 2023. Her special interests include robotic surgery, health policy and global surgical access and health policy.

Tatiana Catanzarite, MD, MAS
Voluntary Assistant Clinical Professor, Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences
Fellowship Simulation and Skills Director

About: After finishing OB/GYN residency at Northwestern University/McGaw, Dr. Catanzarite stayed at Northwestern for a 1-year fellowship in advanced gynecologic surgery. She then came to UCSD/Kaiser San Diego, where she completed Urogynecology fellowship training and a Masters degree in clinical research. She joined Kaiser Permanente San Diego in 2020. She is Co-Director of Simulation for the URPS Fellowship and has special interests in surgical education and patient safety/quality improvement.

Daniel David Klaristenfeld, MD

Colon/Rectal Surgeon, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center

About: Dr. Daniel Klaristenfeld is a general and colorectal surgeon who trained at Rhode Island Hospital and LA County Hospital. He has been an attending surgeon at Kaiser Permanente since 2008 where he specializes in colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, benign anorectal disease, and pelvic floor dysfunction.

Fellows

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

Alexandra Nutaitis, D.O.
2024-2027 Fellow

Hometown: Surf City, New Jersey
Residency: Cleveland Clinic Akron General
Medical School: Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Fellowship: University of California San Diego/Kaiser Permanente San Diego, San Diego, CA
Career Interests: childbirth-related pelvic floor injury, obstetric anal sphincter injury, patient education and resource development, protocol development and implementation

Janice Wong, M.D.
2025-2028 Fellow

Residency: Duke University School of Medicine
Medical School: Duke University Medical Center
Fellowship: University of California San Diego/Kaiser Permanente San Diego, San Diego, CA

Structure and Rotations

Starting in 2026, there will be 4 fellows total: 2 (1st year), 1 (2nd year), and 1 (3rd year). Each year is divided into 8-week block rotations plus one 1 4-week block (elective/colorectal). These rotations are:

UC San Diego (16 weeks) – This is a predominantly clinical rotation consisting of approximately 1½ days per week in the office, 2–3 days in the operating room, and ½–1 day dedicated to research or education. The fellow leads a team that includes one urology resident, one OB/GYN resident, and medical students. Faculty mentors: Drs. Albo, Alperin, Anger, Burnett, Ferrando, Lukacz, and Santiago-Lastra.
Kaiser (16 weeks) – Also a primarily clinical rotation, this experience includes approximately 1½ days in the office, 3 days in the operating room, and ½ day devoted to education. Faculty mentors: Drs. Brown, Catanzarite, Diwadkar, Ferrante, Lippmann, Menefee, and Tan-Kim.
Research and Off-Service Rotations (16 weeks research + 4 weeks service/elective) Elective rotations by year:
- Year 1: None
- Year 2: Colorectal Surgery (Drs. Tomassi and Klaristenfeld)
- Year 3: Elective (e.g., Global Health, Sexual Health, or Research)

The fellows’ schedule is subject to change. Maintaining a high-quality educational experience requires continuous quality improvement; therefore, adjustments may be made by the Program Director with input from the fellows.

The program emphasizes a balanced 50/50 UCSD–Kaiser clinical experience and 50/50 ambulatory–operating room clinical exposure as guiding principles.

Clinical Experience

UC San Diego Medical Center is a tertiary care institution with three sites: Thornton (La Jolla), Hillcrest, and East Campus. The Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences (OB/GYN) performs more than 2,000 deliveries annually. Within the department, the Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery (URPS) performs approximately 200 pelvic floor surgeries each year.

Kaiser Permanente San Diego Kaiser Permanente, San Diego serves >600,000 members in San Diego and has three inpatient hospitals: San Diego Medical Center, San Marcos, and Zion. The Urogynecology division sees around 300 urogynecology referrals each month and performs about 1,000 pelvic floor surgeries each year.

The UCSD Department of OB/GYN and Reproductive Sciences maintains a long-standing affiliation with Kaiser Permanente San Diego, and the URPS Fellowship is an integrated training program shared between the two institutions. Both centers provide comprehensive exposure to the full spectrum of pelvic floor surgery.

Urodynamic Facilities
Urodynamic studies are available across multiple sites, utilizing Laborie equipment with and without fluoroscopic capability.

Imaging
The UC San Diego Department of Radiology and Reproductive Medicine is among the few centers with expertise in three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound, offering research opportunities in this field. Magnetic resonance (MR) defecography is also available.

Research, Education, and Didactics

All fellows complete at least six core courses through the 24-month Clinical Research Enhancement through Supplemental Training (CREST) Program, with classes held every Wednesday.

Additional Educational Activities:

Regular research meetings with primary mentor
Foundations of Urogynecology (monthly) – Review of key foundational papers using selected textbooks
Urogynecology Lectures (monthly) – Formal 36-month lecture series covering 22 essential specialty topics
Journal Club (monthly) – Joint session with UCSD faculty, Kaiser Permanente faculty, and local URPS practitioners
UCSD URPS M&M (monthly)
Kaiser URPS M&M / Preoperative Conference – Alternating monthly sessions
NeuroUrology Conference (twice monthly)
Fellow Research Presentations (quarterly) – Research progress updates
Colorectal Conference (semi-annual) – Multidisciplinary review of defecography, manometry, and ultrasound studies
Wednesday afternoons – Protected didactic time including departmental Grand Rounds, research meetings, and patient case conferences
Annual Southern California Regional Simulation Conference

Fellows are expected to attend and actively participate in all educational conferences.

Optional Opportunities:

Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) Degree
FACE (Fellow as Clinician Educator) – A course focused on core skills and concepts for those pursuing a career as a clinician educator

Application Process

2026 fellowship interview dates:

May 8, 2026, Afternoon interview session (PM)
May 9, 2026, Morning interview session (AM)

How to Apply: Applications must be submitted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). All candidates are required to enroll in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP Match). Applicants must have completed a U.S. or Canadian accredited residency program.

Required Documents:

Letters of Recommendation: Two of the letters must be templated Standardized Letters of Evaluation (SLOE): 1) From a Urogynecologist and 2) From the current Residency Program Director; if an applicant completed residency 2 or more years ago, this SLOE should be completed by their current Chair or Division Head. The third letter may be a traditional letter of support and has no requirements. Please refer to the following AUGS website for more details about the letters of recommendation: Updates for 2026 URPS Fellowship Interview Season - AUGS.

CREOG Scores: PGY1-2 submitted via email to urogyn@health.ucsd.edu)

Mission Statement

The Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) aligns with the mission and goals of the UCSD School of Medicine and Medical Center. In addition, the department is driven by three core missions: to provide comprehensive, high-quality, evidence-based patient care that addresses the needs of the community, region, and nation; to advance medical knowledge in Women's Health through basic, translational, and clinical research; and to offer exceptional education and training for medical students, residents, and fellows at UCSD.

The UCSD Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery (URPS) aspires to be a global leader in URPS care, research, and education. Our mission is to enhance URPS patient care and deepen the knowledge base in the field through exemplary clinical practice, research, and professional education. The fellowship’s goals and objectives are designed to meet the standards set by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Virtual Open House

Thursday, October 9, 5:30-6:30pm (PCT)

Please Click below to register! https://uchealth.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Q1uZVdDaTP6f_lPj9V80Sg

Subsequent events are planned for:

Thursday, November 6, 5:30-6:30 pm (PCT)

Thursday, January 29, 5:30-6:30 pm (PCT)

More Information

Terms and Conditions of Appointment: Download Terms and Conditions
Appointment Letter and Resident Physician Position Description: Download Description
House Officers Salary Scale: Download Salary Scale
UCSD Office of Graduate Medical Education: GME Home

Contact Information

Danahe Medina Hernandez
Program Coordinator

T: 858-657-1238
F: 858-657-7212
dmedinahernandez@health.ucsd.edu

Questions

For further inquiries, contact urogyn@ucsd.edu