Post-Graduate Fellowship Programs in Ob/Gyn

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology currently offers two fellowship programs. These are in Gynecologic Oncology and Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery.

At this time, there is no information posted on the Female Pelvic Medicine fellowship, but interested applicants may contact Carlos Medina, M.D., who is the program's director. Information will be available on this site soon.

Gynecologic Oncology

Program Overview

The Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine is a four year program dedicated to training obstetricians and gynecologists to become gynecologic oncologists with excellent skills in clinical care, teaching and research and who are committed to a career in academic medicine. The program consists of two clinical years and two years of research. For the 2008-2009 academic year, the program has five fellowship positions.

The fellow will obtain comprehensive knowledge of gynecologic malignancies including carcinogenesis, epidemiology, population statistics, prevention, and genetics of gynecologic malignancies. Clinical competency is expected and will include obtaining patient history and performing a physical examination, knowledge of indications for and interpretation of diagnostic tests, medical, surgical and critical care of the Gynecologic Oncology patient. The fellow will also have a functional knowledge of human physiology, anatomy and pathophysiology and a working knowledge of the treatment modalities, including radiation and chemotherapy.

In this fellowship, physicians will acquire and perfect teaching skills which will allow them to formulate and present ideas and concepts both informally and formally. Additionally, fellows will acquire skills in utilization of presentation aides to promote efficient and effective teaching and they will also be able to critically review and incorporate the literature in their teaching and clinical care. The fellowship will permit trainees to acquire skills in time management and organization to ensure success in an academic career. We will also cultivate an interest and a desire for continued participation in academic medicine in the future.

Our fellows, through two years of laboratory training, will develop a functional knowledge of genetics, molecular biology and immunology as well as acquire skills in modern laboratory techniques. We expect them to hone their skills in experimental procedures, protocol design and statistical analysis. The fellow’s advisory committee cultivates successful grant writing skills, manuscript preparation and publication and will provide confirmation of these skills through ongoing review and evaluation.

The educational aspect of the program will begin with 20 months in the laboratory. The fellow will spend four months on ancillary rotations ((Nutrition, Pathology, Surgical Oncology and SICU) and the last 24 months will be spent on the Gynecologic Oncology services at Jackson Memorial Hospital and UM Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center/Cedars Hospital.

There are two rotations in gynecologic oncology: White and Orange Services, each lasting six months.

White Service

During the White Service, trainees work with private gynecologic oncology patients referred directly to one of the GYO faculty. The patients will be cared for at either Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (SCCC) or Cedars Hospital. The fellow will be involved in all aspects of the patients’ care under the direct supervision of a faculty member. Daily rounds will be held with the faculty, the fellow, the residents and the medical students assigned to the service. The fellow is expected to have full knowledge of every inpatient and is expected to assess each patient daily and provide a plan of management. This will be presented to the faculty on rounds for further discussion.

While on the White Service, teaching will occur through daily rounds, direct supervision in the operating room and clinics and participation in all conferences and formal lectures. The fellow is involved in all aspects of the care of patients with gynecologic malignancies including diagnosis, surgical management, chemotherapy and radiation. Additionally, the fellow will participate in the evaluation and treatment of patients referred for Radiotherapy.  Fellows will spend every Monday with Dr. Aaron Wolfson for two months. They will participate in the evaluation of new patients, treatment planning, simulation for teletherapy and placement of brachytherapy devices. Fellows are encouraged to participate in the Radiation Oncology Conferences.

Fellows will spend one day per week for four months in the Medical Oncology Clinics primarily at SCCC under the direct supervision of one of the Medical Oncology faculty.  The Medical Oncology Clinics are divided based on the site of the disease. Fellows will be exposed primarily to patients with breast and gastrointestinal malignancies, but will also have the opportunity to participate in other Site Disease Clinics. The fellows are encouraged to participate in all the medical oncology conferences, lectures, and journal clubs.

The lower volume of patients on the White Service will allow ample opportunity for the fellow to gain experience in radiation and medical oncology and still have time to continue with research projects. Although it is difficult to designate "research time" in the weekly schedule due to flexibility in the OR schedule, it is estimated that the fellow will have 4 - 12 hours per week in which there will be no clinical responsibilities.

Orange Service

The patients served on the Orange Service are located at Jackson Memorial Hospital (JMH) and are approximately 35% private patients referred directly to Dr. Lucci, Twiggs or Pearson; the remainder are admitted through the JMH emergency room or clinic system due to their limited financial resources. The fellow will be involved in all aspects of the patients’ care under the direct supervision of the faculty members. Daily rounds will be held with the faculty, the fellow, the residents, the medical students and the nurse practioners assigned to the service. The fellow is expected to have full knowledge of every inpatient and is expected to assess each patient daily and provide a plan of management. This will be presented to the faculty on rounds for further discussion. Teaching on the service will occur through daily rounds, direct supervision in the operating room and clinics, participation in all conferences and formal lectures. The fellow is involved in all aspects of the care of patients with gynecologic malignancies including diagnosis, surgical management, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, terminal care and the management of complications due to gynecologic malignancies or their treatment.

Ambulatory Unit and Operating Room

White Service

The ambulatory unit consists of a private clinic setting within the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center that is utilized four days per week by GYO faculty. The fellow, when available, will participate in the private office hours of each of the faculty at SCCC; the fellow’s surgical experience will have precedence over clinic. The operating room will be supervised by faculty, as all of these patients are private patients of the faculty. Approximately two and half days per week are utilized in the operating room at SCCC between all the GYO faculty members.

Orange Service

There are two half-day gynecologic oncology clinics each week for patients that are not specifically assigned to a faculty member. Fellows will be in charge of the gynecologic oncology clinics with consultation readily available from the faculty members who are present in all clinics. The Gynecology service provides faculty and resident coverage for the Dysplasia Clinics. The GYO fellow serves as a consultant to the Dysplasia and Gynecology Clinics as needed. A GYO faculty member will be available to the GYO fellow for consultation.

The GYO service has one dedicated operating room in the main OR all day, Monday through Friday, with a second dedicated OR on Thursday.  There are additional rooms available in the main OR for overflow and emergency cases every day.  Faculty will be present in the OR for all procedures performed on our service and anytime we serve as a consulting service. Fellows will be allowed progressive responsibility in the clinics, on the wards and in the operating room.

Application and Interview Process

The deadline to submit applications is May 1st and the deadline to submitt letters of recommendation is May 15th.  One letter is required from your chair, and one letter is required from your program director. One of the three letters needs to be from a GYO physician.  Once documents are received through ERAS, you will be contacted via e-mail for additional information.  Please do not hesitate to contact Zuzel Matos, 305-243-2233 or zmatos@med.miami.edu,  if you have any questions.

  • Applications will be accepted through ERAS only.
  • There are two scheduled interview days during July and August (10-12 applicants per day).
  • Rank Order List closes in October.
  • Match Day is in November.
  • Start date is July 1st each year.