• Pubmed Publications

Dr. Hartenbach's Research Focus

Research Focus: Dr. Hartenbach has acted as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on over 15 grants from various organizations, including the National Institute of Health (NIH). She is also an avid journal reviewer to ensure quality research is disseminated appropriately to health care providers. She has authored or co-authored over 60 peer reviewed journal articles and has co-authored two book chapters. She is the Director of Gynecology Oncology Clinical Research at the UW Carbone Cancer Center. Her research involves gynecologic cancer clinical trials, as well as the broader reproductive health issues of access to care and disparities in women’s health care.

Montemorano published in Gynecologic Oncology

In “TP53 mutations and the association with platinum resistance in high grade serous ovarian carcinoma,” Montemorano and co-authors evaluated how the genomic profile of high grade serous ovarian carcinoma is affected by the tumor suppressor TP53 gene, which is has some of the most common mutations in high grade serous ovarian carcinoma, and its associations with platinum resistance.

Their research demonstrated that, “the polymorphic nature of TP53 mutations may be too complex to demonstrate effect using simple models, or response to platinum therapy may be independent of initiating TP53 mutation,” since TP53 mutations were not linked to platinum resistance or refractory disease.

Read the whole article here.

**by Ob-Gyn Communications Intern Paige Stevenson

Department engages UW students during AHANA-MAPS outreach event

On November 16, 2023, several members of the Department of Ob-Gyn participated in an outreach event with the University of Wisconsin–Madison AHANA-MAPS Pre-Health Society. The event focused on showcasing obstetrics and gynecology careers and career pathways with students interested in medical and health science careers.  

During the event, department members led hands-on birthing simulations, guided students through case-based learning, and answered questions about their career paths during a panel discussion.  

Special thanks to the Department of Ob-Gyn Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee and DEI leaders for planning this event: 

• Katie Sampene, MD – DEI Committee Co-Chair and associate professor, Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn 
• Beverly Hutcherson – Manager, Diversity and Inclusion, UW School of Medicine and Public Health 
• Cheryl Casey’Grant – Outreach Specialist, Department of Ob-Gyn 
• Jackie Askins – Communications Manager, Department of Ob-Gyn 

Thanks to all the department members who shared their expertise with the students: 

• Katie Sampene, MD (associate professor, Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn) 
• Amy Domeyer-Klenske, MD (Director, Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn) 
• Jennifer Karnowski, MD (assistant professor, Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn) 
• Maggie Williams, MD (ob-gyn resident) 
• Hannah Copp, CNM (Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn) 
• Awa Sanneh, MD (ob-gyn resident) 
• India Anderson-Carter, MD (ob-gyn resident) 
• Laura Huffman, MD (assistant professor, Division of Gynecologic Oncology) 
• Ellen Hartenbach, MD (Department Chair; Division of Gynecologic Oncology) 
• Bala Bhagavath, MD (professor and Director, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility) 
• Laura Jacques, MD (associate professor, Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn/Family Planning) 
• Gabrielle Avery, MD (ob-gyn resident) 

UW Ob-Gyn brings presentations to Association of Managers of Gynecology and Obstetrics conference

The Association of Managers of Gynecology and Obstetrics (AMGO) hosted their 47th Annual Conference in Hilton Head, South Carolina September 24-27, 2023. The UW Department of Ob-Gyn was well represented at the event. A few of our department’s accomplishments:

Kara Mulligan, MHA, MBA, FACHE, UW Ob-Gyn chief administrative officer, is president of AMGO and led the conference.

Dobie Giles, MD, professor in the Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS) gave the presentation “Surviving Hurricane Katrina” on Monday, September 25.

Jon Pennycuff, MD, MSPH, assistant professor in the Division of FPMRS, gave the presentation “Idea to Implementation: How a New Service is Born” on September 25.

Ellen Hartenbach, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Ob-Gyn, gave the presentation “Building a Clinical Trial Program” on September 25.

Heidi Janzen, MBA, research program director; David Kushner, MD, professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology; and Manish Patankar, PhD, professor and director of the Division of Reproductive Sciences; gave the presentation “Building a Research Program” on September 26.

Incredible work, all!

Hartenbach joins editorial board of Gynecologic Oncology

Congratulations to UW Ob-Gyn Department Chair Ellen Hartenbach, MD, who was invited to join the editorial board of the journal Gynecologic Oncology! 

Gynecologic Oncology is an international journal devoted to the publication of clinical and investigative articles that concern tumors of the female reproductive tract. Gynecologic Oncology is an official journal of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO). 

As a member of the editorial board, Hartenbach will review at least 15 manuscripts a year, help facilitate submission of articles to the journal, participate in annual editorial board meetings during the SGO’s annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer, and more. Her three-year term began on August 15, 2023.  

Incredible work, Dr. Hartenbach! 

Chair's Check-In: Acknowledging the one-year anniversary of Dobbs

Over the weekend, we reached a difficult milestone: Saturday, June 24, 2023 marked one year since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the constitutionally protected right to abortion in our country.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released a statement on the anniversary of the decision describing what many of us know to be true: Dobbs puts the health and autonomy of pregnant people in the U.S. at risk and puts unnecessary stress on physicians and health care providers who are restricted from offering the full range of evidence-based care. Ten major ob-gyn and health care leadership organizations co-signed this statement, which also includes a call to action to improve patient autonomy. Please take a few minutes to read the statement from our profession’s leading body.

UW Ob-Gyn Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn Director Amy Domeyer-Klenske, MD, also published an important reflection with ACOG that captures the challenges of the past year: the uncertainty of practicing medicine in a complex legal landscape, and the anxiety of speaking up about these issues. I hope you will read her essay as well.

It's very easy to feel worn down and demoralized about the state of reproductive health in Wisconsin, but I want to look for a moment at the glimmers of light I have encountered in the past year. I look around me with gratitude at everyone who helped our department navigate this difficult year, who stepped up to create patient and provider education materials, build clinical guidance to support colleagues through impossible choices, organize rotations for our trainees, and so much more. I look ahead of us with hope that so many medical students and future ob-gyns are motivated and passionate about building their skills and providing comprehensive care in their careers. I look ahead with hope that leaders in our state will work toward restoring reproductive autonomy.

While this anniversary is not a celebratory moment, it is a time to renew our steadfast commitment to improving the health of women and families in Wisconsin and beyond. We are our state’s leaders in reproductive health education, research, and clinical care, and I hope we will be our state’s leaders in supporting reproductive autonomy in the coming years.

With gratitude,

Ellen

UW Ob-Gyn presentations at 2023 Society of Gynecologic Oncology conference

UW Ob-Gyn faculty, advanced practice providers, fellows, and residents prepared an impressive slate of presentations and posters, and served in key leadership roles, for the 2023 Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer! Here are just some of their exciting contributions to the conference, which took place March 25-28, 2023 in Tampa, FL:

Associate Proefssor Lisa Barroilhet, MD, MS:

Vice Chair of the Patient Education Committee

Professor Ellen Hartenbach, MD:

Poster: “The genomic profile of high-grade serous ovarian cancer and the association with platinum-resistance”

Poster: “Thromboembolic Events in Gynecologic Cancer Patients Treated with Chemotherapy”

Ob-Gyn Resident Rachel Mojdehbakhsh, MD:

Poster: “Radical hysterectomy case volume and cervical cancer treatment in the era of COVID-19: A multi-institutional analysis” 

Gynecologic Oncology Fellow Lauren Montemorano, MD:

Poster: “Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Recruitment in the Virtual Era: An Evaluation of Program Websites and Survey of Applicant Preferences” (Lauren Montemorano MD, Connor C Wang MD, Ankitha Madde MD, J Stuart Ferriss MD, Bunja J Rungruang MD, Ryan Spencer MD, MS)

Poster: “The genomic profile of high-grade serous ovarian cancer and the association with platinum-resistance” (Lauren Montemorano MD, Jessica D Lang PhD, Zoey Shultz BA, Alma Farooque BA, Meredith Hyun MS, Richard Chappell PhD, Ellen Hartenbach MD)

Poster: “A comparison of early-occurring and late-occurring incisional hernias after trans-umbilical versus circumbilical midline laparotomy in gynecologic oncology patients” (Connor C Wang, Alexandra Andes, Aaditi Naik, Lauren Montemorano, Ahmed Al-Niaimi)

Joanne Rash, PA:

Special Interest Session for Allied Health Professionals: Provider Wellbeing: Hope to be Found

Rash finished her board terms as the first elected APP representative on the SGO board!

Professor Stephen Rose, MD:

Poster: “Radical hysterectomy case volume and cervical cancer treatment in the era of COVID-19: A multi-institutional analysis”

Associate Professor Ryan Spencer, MD, MS:

Spencer was selected to serve as the SGO representative on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ political action committee (Ob-GynPAC).

Spencer received the Congressional Ambassador Award, given annually to SGO members who have worked hard to educate our elected and appointed officials in Washington, DC, to promote health care policy changes and annual federal funding increases to positively impact the field of gynecologic oncology and the women who are impacted with gynecologic cancer malignancies.

Chair, SGO Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Committee

Co-Lead, Gynecologic Oncology Standardized Letter of Evaluation (SLOE) Task Force

Poster: “Gynecologic oncology fellowship recruitment in the virtual era: an evaluation of program websites and survey of applicant preferences.” (Senior author on this multi-institutional project with Johns Hopkins, Duke, and Medical College of Georgia.)

Presentations during SGO Program Directors Network meeting:

Gynecologic Oncology SLOEs

Updates from the ABOG Reproductive Health Summit

Associate Professor Sumer Wallace, MD, MS:

Serves on Policy, Quality, & Outcomes task force for the Health Policy and Socioeconomic committee

Ob-Gyn Resident Connor Wang, MD:

Poster: “A Comparison of Early-Occuring and Late-Occuring Incisional Hernias After Trans-Umbilical Versus Circumbilical Midline Laparotomy in Gynecologic Oncology Patients”

Gynecologic Oncology Fellow Catherine Zhang, MD, MPH:

Featured Oral Poster Session: “A Quality Improvement Project to Implement Oral Anticoagulant Thromboprophylaxis in Ambulatory Gynecologic Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy”

Congratulations to all on this incredible showing!

Hartenbach elected to CUCOG Executive Board

Congratulations to UW Ob-Gyn Department Chair Ellen Hartenbach, MD, who was elected to serve as Member-At-Large on the Council of University Chairs of Obstetrics and Gynecology (CUCOG) Executive Board. Hartenbach’s term begins during the 2023 CUCOG Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD on May 18, 2023 and ends during the annual meeting in 2025.

CUCOG is dedicated to supporting OB-GYN Chairs’ leadership and professional development through networking and sharing of best practices to ensure departments’ clinical and academic success. We are so glad Dr. Hartenbach will be helping shape academic ob-gyn in this role. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor!

Hartenbach interviewed on NPR

UW Ob-Gyn Department Chair Ellen Hartenbach, MD, is included in a National Public Radio story that aired on Weekend Edition on March 18, 2023!

In “How the overturn of Roe v. Wade is impacting medical students entering gynecology”, Hartenbach adds some context to residency candidates’ concerns about training environments post-Dobbs, discusses the impact of traveling for training on current residents, and more.

Listen to the whole story here!

Hartenbach nominated to Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society

Our sincere congratulations to UW Ob-Gyn Department Chair and Professor Ellen Hartenbach, MD, who was nominated to join the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society as a Class of 2023 faculty inductee!

Alpha Omega Alpha is a medical honor society that recognizes individuals for their excellence in scholarship, professionalism, leadership, and teaching. Each year, faculty members are selected for AOA membership. The criteria for induction are based on the AOA’s founding principles of recognizing educational achievement, honoring gifted teaching, encouraging leadership development, supporting the ideals of humanism, and promoting service to others.

Hartenbach will be inducted during a ceremony on April 4, 2023. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor!

Hartenbach talks about hereditary cancer risk in article from Carbone Cancer Center

A recent article published by the UW Carbone Cancer Center shares one patient’s experience with ovarian and breast cancer related to BRCA genetic mutations. In the article, UW Ob-Gyn Department Chair and Professor of Gynecologic Oncology Ellen Hartenbach, MD, discusses hereditary cancer risk:

“Hartenbach said it’s important for people to know their family history with cancer, and those with many close relatives should seek genetic evaluation and testing for hereditary risk factors. Patients with BRCA mutations can work closely with their care team for increased cancer screenings, and they can also choose preventive surgical options to lower cancer risks.

“The bottom line is that women have to gather the information and make a personal decision,” Hartenbach said.”

Read the whole article here!

Hartenbach named new Chair of UW Department of Ob-Gyn

Ellen Hartenbach, MD, has accepted the offer from the UW–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health to become the next Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology! Hartenbach’s appointment will be effective September 1, 2022.

Hartenbach earned her medical degree at the University of Missouri, followed by an obstetrics and gynecology residency at the same institution. She completed a fellowship in gynecologic oncology at the University of Minnesota, after which she was recruited to join the UW Ob-Gyn faculty in 1995.

During her time in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn, Hartenbach has served in several critical educational, research, and clinical leadership roles, including director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, vice chair of education and faculty development, and residency program director. She has been a prolific researcher, publishing more than 100 peer reviewed articles and abstracts and giving more than 100 national, regional and local invited presentations.

Hartenbach is a committed champion for mentorship and professional development. Countless faculty, fellows, residents and medical students have directly benefitted from her mentorship and guidance, and she led the development of a mentoring and promotions handbook to help department faculty streamline their career development experience.  

Read more about Dr. Hartenbach’s background, as well as her vision for the UW Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology moving forward in this press release from the UW SMPH. Please help us welcome Dr. Hartenbach to this new role!

UW Ob-Gyn presentations at 2022 Society of Gynecologic Oncology conference

Members of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology, fellows and residents prepared an impressive slate of posters and presentations for the 2022 Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer! Take a look at just some of the research brought to the hybrid conference, as well as the variety of service and leadership roles held by members of our department:

Ahmed Al-Niaimi, MD:

Master Class: Optimize and Operate: Enhancing Perioperative Quality, Safety, Experience, and Outcomes

Master Class: Debulk and Deliver: A Virtual Live-Streamed Master Class with Optional Hands-On Cytoreductive Surgery Lab 

Oral Plenary Presentation: Mechanical bowel preparation and post-operative renal dysfunction in patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer

Lisa Barroilhet, MD, MS:

Distillation: On-Demand Oral Featured Posters: Novel Therapies, PROs, and Disparities in Care

Special Interest Session: Curriculum for Emerging Clinical Trialists (Dr. Barroilhet is course director for this session)

Vice-Chair of the Patient Education Committee

Katherine Dryer, MD:

Poster: Outpatient palliative care utilization and aggressiveness of end-of-life care in women with gynecologic cancers (authors Kathryn Dryer MD, Janelle Sobecki MD, Michael Lasarev MS, Lena Law BA, Anna Stecher MD, Ellen Hartenbach MD)

Maya Gross, MD, MPH:

Poster: Risk factors associated with distress among postoperative patients in an academic gynecologic oncology practice

Ellen Hartenbach, MD:

Symposium: Wake to Wellness: Beating Burnout Through Better Patient Communication (Hartenbach presented “Mitigating Burnout Through Effective Communication Techniques”)

Palliative Medicine Committee 

Clinical Practice Committee

David Kushner, MD:

Finance Committee

Wellness Committee (Chair)

Developed two “Wake to Wellness” Sessions based on SGO Wellness Curriculum that was just published:

Managing Priorities 

Moving from Surviving to Thriving (Kushner will present as part of this session)

Senior author on Surgical Innovation presentation “Beneath the Surface: Fluorescein mapping in vulvar Paget’s Disease” given by Gyn Onc fellow Catherine Zhang, MD

Joanne Rash, PA:

Attending the SGO Board meeting (virtually), and will start her board term as the first-ever APP representative on the SGO board

Stephen Rose, MD:

Co-Chair of the Fellowship Program Directors Network and will be leading the annual meeting Thursday night. 

Hosting the UW Fellow Alumni Reception Sunday night

Senior author on Connor Wang’s study: Adaptive and maladaptive humor styles are closely associated with burnout and professional fulfillment in members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology

Shannon Rush, MD:

Poster: Hormone replacement therapy counseling at prophylactic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in high risk patients

Janelle Sobecki, MD:

Poster: Risk factors associated with distress among postoperative patients in an academic gynecologic oncology practice (Maya Gross, Sumer Wallace - Senior)

Poster: Outpatient Palliative Care Utilization and Aggressiveness of End-of-Life Care in Women with Gynecologic Cancers (Kathryn Dryer, Ellen Hartenbach – Senior)

Sumer Wallace, MD:

Serves on Policy, Quality, & Outcomes task force for the Health Policy and Socioeconomic committee

Connor Wang, MD:

Poster: Adaptive and maladaptive humor styles are closely associated with burnout and professional fulfillment in members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology

Catherine Zhang, MD:

Poster: Thromboembolic events in gynecologic cancer patients treated with chemotherapy (authors R. Zhang, MD; T. Stewart, BS; K. Tetreault, MS; R. Alexandridis, PhD; J. Bergsbaken, PharmD;  S. Wallace, MD; D. Kushner, MD;E. Hartenbach, MD)

Farr Nezhat Session Surgical Innovation Session: How Surgical Futurists are Revolutionizing Cancer Care (Zhang presented “Beneath the Surface: Fluorescein mapping in vulvar Paget’s Disease”)

Congratulations to all for these incredible achievements!

Sobecki published in International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer

Janelle Sobecki, MD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology, is lead author on a new study published in the International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer!

In “Opportunistic osteoporosis screening using routine computed tomography images to identify bone loss in gynecologic cancer survivors”, Sobecki and co-authors (including gynecologic oncology faculty Lisa Barroilhet, MD, MS, Ellen Hartenbach, MD, and resident India Anderson-Carter, MD, PGY-2) examined bone loss in a retrospective cohort of people who underwent oophorectomy for gynecologic cancer. The total sample of 185 patients showed significant changes in bone mineral density over time:

“Women with gynecologic cancers may experience accelerated cancer treatment-induced bone loss. Routine CT imaging is a convenient screening modality to identify those at highest risk for osteoporosis who warrant further evaluation with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Routine bone mineral density assessments 1 year following oophorectomy for cancer treatment may be warranted in this population.”

Read the whole study here.

Hartenbach talks clinical trials in Sparkle of Hope grateful patient story

Every year in the lead-up to Sparkle of Hope, Channel 3000 films and airs an inspiring story about a patient who has worked with the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology as part of their gynecologic cancer journey. 

This year, in “Sparkle of Hope: Fighting cancer during the pandemic”, Cindy Mikula shared her story of endometrial cancer recurrence and enrollment on a clinical trial. Ellen Hartenbach, MD connected Cindy to the clinical trial, and discussed Cindy’s experience with Channel 3.

Watch the whole video now!

Women’s Healthcast: Hartenbach discusses second opinions

Seeking a second opinion is fairly common, especially when facing a challenging diagnosis or intense treatment. On this episode of the Women’s Healthcast, Ellen Hartenbach, MD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology, discusses why people ask for second opinions, what happens after a second opinion is given, and how to approach the conversation with your own health care team.

Listen to “When to Seek a Second Opinion” now.

Did you know the Women’s Healthcast is available on all your favorite podcast platforms? Whether you like to listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean, or anywhere else, you can find us! (Just search Women’s Healthcast, and while you’re at it, may as well subscribe!)

Rural Residency earns DHS rural health care grant

Incredible news out of the UW Ob-Gyn Rural Residency track! The program was awarded a Wisconsin Department of Health Services Grant for Rural GME Training. Residency Program Director Ryan Spencer, MD, will serve as PI on the grant.

The DHS grants are intended to “increase access and enhance quality care in rural Wisconsin” by supporting education and training to help rural health care organizations fill important positions. This award is critical for ensuring the financial sustainability of the UW Ob-Gyn Rural Residency track for years to come.

Launched in 2017, the UW Ob-Gyn Rural Residency track is the first rural training program for ob-gyn residents in the country. Many thanks to former residency program director Ellen Hartenbach, MD, for starting the program, and residency program manager Jody Silva for working to secure this grant for the UW Ob-Gyn Rural Residency.