Message from the Director
Thank you for taking the time to learn about our Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery Fellowship (URPS). The program, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), is based in Morristown Medical Center and Overlook Medical Center in northern New Jersey. We pride ourselves in being located in a desirable and culturally diverse suburban area, in close proximity to both Newark International Airport and New York City.
Our program is designed to prepare fellows for successful careers in academic medicine, private practice, or anything in between. Fellows develop excellent skills in patient care, research, and education. Our program offers a comprehensive approach to clinical evaluation and management for women with disorders of the pelvic floor, including urinary and fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, defecatory dysfunction, and voiding dysfunction.
A balance of surgical and non-surgical management is stressed. Surgical management emphasizes vaginal and laparoscopic minimally invasive techniques, including vast experience in robotic-assisted surgery. Rotations with other specialties are also offered to fellows in our program. For urology, we offer robust collaborative rotations with FPMRS fellowship-trained urology faculty, as well as access to the full urology department which provides a truly supportive learning environment to our fellows. For colorectal, our fellows do a one-month rotation which offers a great surgical exposure to the specialty. Elective rotations may be tailored to the interests and backgrounds of each individual fellow as appropriate.
Research is an integral part of our practice and our program. As such, our division has a very active clinical research program with a full-time clinical research coordinator, and a biostatistician available through our Atlantic Center for Research (ACR). Fellows are mentored as they develop their own original research ideas, and we have a strong research infrastructure to support these projects.
Finally, our program offers a unique global health opportunity, via an annual funded mission trip to assess and provide care to underserved populations in countries such as Honduras, Guatemala, Ecuador, Angola, Madagascar, and Zambia. Treatments provided include prolapse and incontinence surgeries; anal sphincter disruption repair; and most especially surgical repair of obstetric fistulae.
Our faculty and staff are fully committed to the professional and personal development of each of our fellows. We are pleased to receive a number of qualified applicants each year, and I personally look forward to getting to know each of our applicants during our annual interview season. If there are any questions we can help answer at any time, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Erika Wasenda, MD, MAS
Program Director, URPS Fellowship
