Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery Fellowship

• High surgical volume in both departments. Both IU urology and urogynecology departments carry high case volume, which creates an unusual opportunity to build skills outside the ones you brought from residency.

• The first of its kind. Established in 1988, this is the country’s first accredited fellowship in urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery.

• Genuinely integrated. A fully integrated ACGME accredited fellowship between the IU School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Urology, with fellows from both backgrounds training together and board certification upon graduation through ABOG and ABU.

• Reconstruction you cannot get everywhere. IU fellows enjoy a very high volume of foundational urogynecoloic procedures including vaginal prolapse repair, traditional laparoscopy, robotic surgery, and incontinence procedures. Fellows also receive training in urinary diversion, and ileal ureter cases, plus autologous fascia lata and rectus fascia slings and both mesh augmented and fascia lata sacrocolpopexy. Additional exposure, if desired, to male urethroplasty is available as IU has one of the higher volume male and female stricture practices in the country. The experience is flexible, and can include transitional care from our large children’s hospital experience with over 8 pediatric urology faculty.

• International reconstructive surgery. An annual surgical trip to Kenya through IU’s 30-year AMPATH partnership, open to fellows every year

• Six training sites. Five clinical sites within IU Health plus Sidney & Lois Eskenazi County Hospital, spanning quaternary referral, community, and safety-net practice.

• Active clinical trials. Ongoing trials in neuromodulation, pelvic organ prolapse, and urinary incontinence, with multiple collaborations at outside institutions.

• Strong record of yearly publication. Research mentorship by faculty is the key to getting your work published, and our faculty publish. Being published is the key to succeeding in academic medicine.

We accept fellows from both urology and obstetrics & gynecology residencies. Both groups train in the same program, in the same operating rooms, with the same faculty. We take one urology background fellow every other year and one gynecology background fellow every year.

The figures below reflect fellow case volume in our program for the fellows graduating in 2025. 

Also part of routine fellow training:

• Female urethroplasty for urethral stricture disease and optional male urethroplasty
• Ureteral re-implant
• Ileal ureter and complex upper and lower tract reconstruction
• Augmentation cystoplasty and continent catheterizable channels
• Mesh complications, including complex mesh excision and urethrolysis
• Complex video urodynamics
• Implantible Tibial Nerve Stimulators
• Intradetrusor onabotulinumtoxinA injection and percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation
• Urethral bulking agents
• Vaginal hysterectomy
• Urethral diverticulum excision

High case volume in both urologic and gynecologic sides of the program creates an opportunity that most fellowships cannot replicate. Motivated fellows train in areas they might not have been exposed to during residency. Our integrated design allows flexibility for fellows to pick up cases they desire even if not rotating with that surgeon at the time

• Urology-background fellows learn to perform vaginal hysterectomy, native tissue anterior compartment repairs, posterior compartment repairs and native tissue apical repairs.

• Obstetrics and gynecology-background fellows learn fascia lata slings and sacral colpopexy, ureteral stent placement and lower urinary tract reconstruction.