Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellowship

The Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery  is an AAGL accredited, two-year, post-residency program offered by the Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery. The Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellowship Program at Washington University in St. Louis prepares trainees to achieve excellence in academic medicine.

Under close mentorship, fellows receive hands-on training in patient care and clinical research, develop clinical and teaching skills, and connect to a national network. Our fellows develop outstanding clinical skills and exceptional teaching abilities while making meaningful contributions to clinical research.

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Program Overview

The Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at the Washington University in St. Louis is a two-year program training gynecologic surgeons in the management of complex gynecologic diseases. The most common conditions treated by the core faculty are severe endometriosis and large leiomyoma. Fellowship training includes laparoscopic, robotic, and vaginal surgery addressing a wide range of pathology. Not only will fellows graduate with expertise in complex surgical pathology, they will also be able to manage patients with complicated medical conditions, extensive surgical histories, and very high BMIs.

Learn more about the Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery.

Clinical Training

The fellowship is structured so that trainees operate three days a week. The outpatient experience includes time in faculty clinics and in a fellow-run MIGS clinics. Fellows primarily rotate between the core faculty which consists of four high-volume gynecologic surgeons. Fellows split time equally between two clinical sites: Barnes Jewish Hospital and Missouri Baptist Medical Center. Both locations are affiliated with Washington University in St. Louis. Fellows rotate with faculty in the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Washington University in St. Louis every other month throughout the fellowship in order to gain experience in complex operative hysteroscopy. Fellows will also complete a rotation with the faculty in the Division of Colon & Rectal Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis during the second year of fellowship.

Teaching Responsibilities

As fellows develop, they will learn how to be effective surgical teachers. The fellows are gradually given teaching responsibilities which culminates into the fellow acting as the primary teaching assistant for residents during complex pelvic surgeries. The fellowship provides specific guidance and teaching skills on how to provide substantive feedback and how to set appropriate goals for learners. Fellows present Grand Rounds to the OBGYN Department and participate in various multi-disciplinary educational conferences including a GYN Radiology conference, a benign gynecology pathology conference, and an endometriosis conference. Fellows participate in the surgical skills curriculum including training courses at the Wise Lab and Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) teaching.

Research Training

Fellows collaborate with a faculty member mentor and receive protected research time. Their mentor helps define research objectives and ensures the fellow is meeting their research goals. Fellows average one protected research day weekly and meet with their research mentor monthly. Our fellows are expected to produce a surgical video, a review article, and an original research project by the end of the second year of the program to submit for publication. These endeavors are supported by the Division of Clinical Research within the Department of OBGYN. The Division of Clinical Research provides support ranging from IRB submission, statistical analysis, and manuscript editing. In addition to contributing to the body of medical literature, fellows also develop their ability to evaluate and interpret studies. Fellows will complete a statistics course and participate in the MIGS journal club every 6 weeks.

Progressive Responsibility

Our goal is to train physicians who are capable of functioning as independent minimally invasive gynecologic surgeons. In order to achieve this goal, fellows are given progressive clinical responsibilities during the two years of clinical training. We recognized that this progression in responsibility cannot be set by a fixed schedule as fellows may possess different backgrounds, knowledge, skills, and learning abilities. Each fellow is evaluated on initiative, knowledge, competency, and on skills in the operating room, at bedside, and in ambulatory care clinics through daily contact, close interactions, and direct supervision by faculty members. Appropriate responsibilities are then given to the fellow and then increased in proportion to the fellow’s individual progress. The amount of clinical material and total commitment of faculty members assure the maturity of our fellows in their clinical years.

Current Fellows

Program Contacts

Fellowship Program Director:
Elise Bardawil, MD e.bardawil@wustl.edu

Associate Fellowship Program Director:
Katie de Souza, MD desouzak@wustl.edu

Fellowship Administrator:
Ken Zimmerman Jr kennethz@wustl.edu

About the Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery »

2-Year Fellowship Appointment: 2025-2027.
Positions Available: 1

Application Deadline
May 1, 2024

Virtual Interview Dates
8/21 and 9/4

Now accepting applications for 2025-2027.