Mission

The mission of the National Capital Consortium Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery Fellowship Program is to educate and train world-class, military and civilian faculty who are surgical specialist in female pelvic health. Our program fosters a scholarly, supportive environment and promotes excellence in education, research, healthcare delivery, personal well-being, and leadership development.

Vision

To develop and train military and civilian fellows, who possess the full spectrum of female pelvic medical knowledge, and also possess the skills to perform complex, multi-faceted surgical approaches to all varieties of pelvic floor disorders; and who possess skills and knowledge to pursue research and academic pursuits. Specifically for military trainees, fellows will maintain the utmost military professionalism and maintain all knowledge, skills and attributes to facilitate medical readiness.

Aims

Education

We aim to provide top-quality medical education of our fellow trainees. Our academic curriculum is meticulously designed to incorporate all of the Educational and Procedural Learning Objectives. Every Wednesday afternoon is dedicated to carrying out didactic lectures, M&M conferences, Journal Clubs, Grand rounds, guest speakers and simulation training. Rotating medical students, residents and fellows have assigned weekly reading and supplement their education through on-line and other resource modules. They also have immediate access to online study material for self-studying and learning.

Health Care Delivery

We aim to advance women's pelvic disorders healthcare through reliable strategies, behaviors and techniques to deliver top-quality patient care. We communicate evidence-based medicine recommendations to our patients while engaging them through open communication and patient-centered decision making. We strive to maximize patient satisfaction and minimize potential errors, harms, and inefficiencies. Our fellows train under progressive levels of supervision, expertly balancing autonomy and fostering professional patient commitment with faculty oversight. Thereby, we ensure all aspects of patient care and safety are appropriately addressed while promoting the progressive educational experience of each fellow. All personnel (faculty, residents, fellows, nurses and other members of the healthcare team) undergo training in effective communication and teamwork. All providers incorporate TeamSTEPPS and IPASS and other tools in their health care delivery to maximize accurate, timely, effective communication within and across team.

Leadership Development

We aim to ensure all fellows advance in their leadership skills at progressive levels of responsibility. At the institutional level, our fellows are afforded opportunities to attend a monthly, GME-sponsored leadership didactic and open-forum educations series. These discussions include military relevant and physician relevant discussions and reading material. At the program level, we include periodic leadership educational sessions during Wednesday afternoon Academics. At least quarterly, fellows meet with service-specific faculty mentors to address key military and civilian leadership development and guidance unique to each service. Fellows are also offered opportunities to meet individually with mentors of their same (of different) service for exploration of continued leadership development. At least bi-annually, the program director and/or associate program director will meet with each individual fellows for goal-setting and promotion of personal career paths. Societal leadership and involvement is strongly supported. All fellows are encouraged to apply as an Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. There, they report meaningful experiences serving as teachers, OSCE-examiners, didactic leaders and mentors to medical students.

Scholarship

All of our fellows complete a minimum of one thesis-level research projects over the course of their three years. They also lead a cohort study, an epidemiology study, a systematic review, an individual quality improvement project, or randomized trial(s). All research is submitted for presentation at regional and/or national societal meetings. During their fellowship they are expected to present at least one project at with ACOG, AUGS, SGS, or IUGA annual meetings. Each year, fellows precept and guide residents in presentations at the ACOG Armed Forces District meeting. Fellows graduate with an extensive research portfolio, preparing them well for additional future GME opportunities. Additionally, all fellows actively engage in quality improvement (QI) projects. They all present a thesis to the faculty and fellows at the end of their fellowship, additionally they submit a manuscript in the ABOG specified format to the program. They are expected to submit this for publication as well.

Well-being

Over the course of three years, we aim for our fellows to build lasting friendships and mentorships and to have a warm sense of pride, confidence and contentment in their lives and as military leaders and competent physicians. We foster a sense of well-being in their professional development through scheduled reflective practices with our Women’s Heath Psychologist and quarterly morale days to enhance camaraderie. A wealth of local behavioral health (BH) resources are also made readily available if ever needed. These include peer-to-peer support groups, off-site counseling or medical care, hospital physician advocacy programs, and even legal counsel. The local military community also provides a variety of monthly wellness activities through the Moral, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) centers that contribute to resiliency, retention, readiness, and quality of life.

Every Wednesday afternoon is dedicated to carrying out didactic lectures, M&M conferences, Journal Clubs, Grand rounds, guest speakers and simulation training. Rotating medical students, residents and fellows have assigned weekly reading and supplement their education through on-line and other resource modules. They also have immediate access to online study material for self-studying and learning. Additionally, we participate in a quarterly Journal Club with the MedStar Urogynecology fellowship program, and host a regional cadaver lab at USUHS for MedStar and Johns Hopkins fellows and faculty.

• Urology (program required elective)
• Colorectal Surgery (program required elective)
• Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
• Plastic Surgery
• Sexual Medicine
• Pain Medicine
• Vulvar Dermatology
• Transgender Medicine

In-house Ob/Gyn call for military fellows occurs 1-2 times per month during rotations at Walter Reed and during Research.

The fellows attend military specific meetings to include the Armed Forces District meeting of ACOG, which provides lectures and breakout sessions that focus solely on military professional development. At least quarterly, fellows meet with service-specific faculty mentors to address key military leadership development and guidance unique to each service. Fellows are also offered opportunities to meet individually with mentors of their same (of different) service for exploration of continued leadership development.

Each fellow will complete postgraduate university-level biostatics and epidemiology courses at the USUHS.

Simulation Boot Camp (full day) occurs at the beginning of the first year for incoming fellows.

We aim to ensure all fellows advance in their leadership skills at progressive levels of responsibility. At the institutional level, our fellows are afforded opportunities to attend a monthly, GME-sponsored leadership didactic and open-forum educations series. These discussions include military relevant and physician relevant discussions and reading material. At the program level, we include periodic leadership educational sessions during Wednesday afternoon academics. At least bi-annually, the program director and/or associate program director will meet with each individual fellows for goal-setting and promotion of personal career paths. All fellows are Clinical Assistant Professors at the Uniformed Services University, in which they experience meaningful teaching opportunities as OSCE-examiners, didactic leaders and mentors to medical students.

• Fellows are required to submit a research protocol that is thesis-worthy and completed within the three years of fellowship.
• Research opportunities include both clinical, translational and basic science, with a research mentor selected. There are ongoing projects at WRNMMC, USUHS, Inova Fairfax, and in collaboration with outside facilities.
• Research expectations culminate in a thesis presentation in the Spring of the graduating year, with the expectation of publication. Multiple opportunities are available to present research locally, regionally, nationally and internationally each year.

Throughout the academic year, lectures are provided during weekly academic sessions as an introduction to the QI process outlining methods and available resources. Each of the fellows are authors a QI project. All faculty practice hospital wide patient safety initiatives to include TeamSTEPPS and I-PASS to improve patient safety and quality of patient handoffs, and a robust DEI curriculum that includes small group discussion, readings and webinars.

Societal leadership is strongly encouraged at the regional and national level. Military professional development opportunities are also encouraged, such as the Female Leadership Conference or completion of service-specific military educational requirements needed for rank promotion.

• Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (primary site)
• Inova Fairfax

We do not offer resident rotation opportunities during the fellowship interview season from outside hospitals to be fair to inclusivity and equity as other applicants may not have the funds or opportunities to rotate with us and this may confer an unfair advantage to that candidate.

With that said, for interested medical students, we offer a 1-week rotation on Urogynecology as part of the 3rd year USUHS Obstetrics and Gynecology core clinical rotation block. For interested 4th year medical students we offer a 2-week rotation through the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for USUHS and HPSP students interviewing for a military Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency.

Interested applicants should apply through the appropriate military (if active duty) or civilian matches. Applications will be reviewed and qualified applicants will be offered an interview as part of the match process. The fellowship conducts only virtual interviews in either the Fall (military applicants) or Spring (civilian applicants). During the virtual interview, the applicants will have the opportunity to meet with faculty members, current fellows, and other vital members of the fellowship. Our team evaluates the entire applicant package with emphasis during the interview on emotional intelligence and maturity.

Program graduates take the Urogynecology & Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery examinations (written and oral). The written and oral exam are offered annually. To become fully board certified, applicants are eligible to take the oral board certification exam >12 months following graduation, after 12 months of case collection. To be eligible to take specialty written board exams, graduates must complete all pre-requisites required by the ABOG by September of their graduating year. Written board exams occur at the end of July of the graduating year. Oral board exams occur in the Spring, following at least 12 months of post-fellowship surgical case collection.

Fellows are expected to teach the on-service Ob/Gyn resident(s) and rotating medical students in the clinic and operating room.

Fellows experience meaningful teaching opportunities as OSCE-examiners, instructors for the cadaveric portions of genitourinary system, instructors for small group didactic sessions, and research mentors to Ob/Gyn residents and medical students.

All faculty are subspecialists, mostly urogynecologists. Other faculty subspecialties include reconstructive urology, colorectal surgery and pelvic floor physical therapy.

Research mentorship is established after the annual Research Retreat in which all faculty present their prior research and current research interests. Fellows then self-select their research mentor based on their individual interests.

Over the course of three years, we aim for our fellows to build lasting friendships and mentorships and to have a warm sense of pride, confidence and contentment in their lives and as military leaders and competent physicians. We foster a sense of well-being in their professional development through scheduled reflective practices with our Women’s Heath Psychologist and quarterly morale days to enhance camaraderie. A wealth of local behavioral health (BH) resources are also made readily available if ever needed. These include peer-to-peer support groups, off-site counseling or medical care, hospital physician advocacy programs, and even legal counsel. The local military community also provides a variety of monthly wellness activities through the Moral, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) centers that contribute to resiliency, retention, readiness, and quality of life.