Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship

Director: Olga Ramm, MD

Associate Director: Caitlyn Painter, DO

KPSF Site Director: Amy Alagh, MD

UCSF/KPSF Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship

Kaiser Permanente East Bay and University of California-San Francisco Medical Center have partnered in our ACGME-accredited, integrated multi-disciplinary fellowship training program in Urogynecology-Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery.

The primary aim of our program is to train surgeon scientists to provide excellent clinical and surgical care to women with complex pelvic floor disorders, to advance the understanding and further the treatment of pelvic floor disorders through independent research, and to advocate for improved recognition and care of pelvic floor disorders within the healthcare system.

The fellowship is a three-year training program open to applicants after successful completion of residency training in Obstetrics & Gynecology or Urology. Two years are dedicated to clinical and surgical mastery of diagnosis and treatment of pelvic floor disorders, and the equivalent of one year (12 non-consecutive months) is dedicated to research. Our fellowship program balances surgical cases, clinical care, scholarship, and research, as we believe learning to balance these activities during training is crucial to continued success as leaders in medicine.

We accept one fellow per year. Fellows are accepted from Obstetrics & Gynecology and Urology backgrounds based on qualifications, references, and the interview process. Applications for fellowships must be submitted through ERAS.

Curriculum

• Clinical: The goal of our training is to produce highly skilled and knowledgeable clinician-surgeons who are able to care for women with complex pelvic floor disorders. The clinical curriculum reflects a multidisciplinary approach, with FPMRS rotations supplemented by exposure to subspecialty training in pelvic pain, pediatric and adolescent gynecology, colorectal and GI disorders, pelvic floor physical therapy, general urology, and transgender care. The clinical hubs are Kaiser Permanente East Bay and UCSF.
• Transgender Rotation: Kaiser Permanente San Francisco serves as the Northern California hub for multidisciplinary care for transgender patients. While on rotation, you will work in the Gender Pathways Clinic, where transgender and gender-expansive patients receive integrated care in a comfortable, supportive setting. Clinical care includes hormone therapy, metal health services, surgical evaluations, and gender reaffirming and reconstructive surgery.
• Chronic Pelvic Pain and Physical Therapy Rotation: During their training, fellows have the opportunity to work with a fellowship-trained sub-specialists in Female Chronic Pelvic Pain and Vulvovaginal Disorders, thus deepening their management skill set, from differential diagnosis to alternative, pharmacologic, procedural, and surgical treatment modalities. Kaiser Permanente East Bay serves as the clinical hub for this rotation.
• Colorectal Surgery: During this rotation, fellows work directly with colorectal surgeons in the operating room, in the office, and in the UCSF Center for Pelvic Physiology. The emphasis is on conservative and surgical treatment of defecatory dysfunction, constipation, rectal prolapse, as well as anal dysplasia and cancer. UCSF serves as the clinical hub for this rotation.
• Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology: Fellows participate in the surgical and perioperative care of patients with congenital and acquired genital tract anomalies, including resection of complex vaginal septa, buccal grafts, and creation of neovagina. Kaiser Permanente East Bay serves as the clinical hub for this rotation.
• KP Sacramento Urogynecology: Fellows spend two months (one in the second year and one in the third year) on the Urogynecology service at the busiest surgical hub in KP Northern California. During this rotation, the fellow’s time is divided among the operating room and the procedure suite, where they have high volume exposure to a wide variety of pelvic reconstructive surgery cases.

Important Dates

• For our upcoming fellowship interview dates, please visit https://www.augs.org/education/interview-dates/

Recruitment and Selection Process

The Fellowship program selects and appoints trainees in accordance with the University of California and GME policy, and in compliance with all Federal and State laws. We select eligible applicants on the basis of aptitude, preparedness, academic credentials and career goals.

It is the policy of UCSF and its affiliated hospitals that programs do not discriminate against qualified applicants based upon gender, ethnicity, race, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, marital status, or veteran status.

UCSF does not use race, gender, sex or other protected categories or proxies for protected categories in the selection process.

UCSF Fellowship Director
Nicola Sequeira

GME/CME Education Coordinator
Patrick Canio

MIGS & Urogynecology Division Analyst
Nannette Nemenzo