Stephen L. Rose, MD
Director, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Professor (CHS)
Gynecologic Oncology
| B.S. | Butler University, Indianapolis, IN |
| M.D. | Indiana University School of Medicine , Indianapolis, IN |
| Residency | St. Vincent Hospital and Health Services, Indianapolis, IN |
| Fellowship | The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA |
American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Director, Division of Gynecologic Oncology
Director, Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology
Society of Gynecologic Oncology Full Member
Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology
American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society Fellow
Gynecologic Oncology Group/NRG
Research Focus: Quality of life issues for gynecologic cancer patients, gynecologic cancer survivorship, and basic and translational science research of gynecologic cancers.
On May 9, 2023, UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology Director Stephen Rose, MD, gave the David and Lenore Brundige Katz Memorial Lecture to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine's Department of Ob-Gyn. Rose gave the presentation “Laughing in the face of Cancer: How humor may benefit patients.”
The Katz Memorial Lecture is an annual event hosted for the UPMC Department of Ob-Gyn, supported by the family of a retired gynecologic oncologist who spent much of his career at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital.
Rose was invited by UW alumni, including recent gynecologic oncology fellowship graduate Shannon Rush, MD. Incredible work, Dr. Rose!
Stephen Rose, MD, professor and director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, received the 2023 UW Health Regional Services Physician Excellence Award at a ceremony on May 3! The award recognizes physicians who exemplify UW Health’s strategic priority in providing extraordinary regional services care for patients at neighboring health care facilities in Wisconsin and beyond.
Rose was nominated by colleagues for the award, who describe him as friendly and insightful in his role as medical director of regional oncology services:
“Natalie Wilson, director of Northern Illinois oncology services, describes Dr. Rose as “an essential partner in fostering growth and executing strategy of the NIL oncology program.” She credits Dr. Rose for helping recruit a gynecologic oncologist to Rockford, connecting the Northern Illinois medical oncologists with the appropriate Madison-based tumor boards, and overall strong support and insightful collaboration.”
Read more about the UW Health Physician Excellence Awards and Rose’s amazing work. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Dr. Rose!
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists held the Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting in San Diego May 6-8, 2022. Faculty, fellows and residents in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn brought many exciting presentations and projects to the conference. Read more about some of their awesome accomplishments:
Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn Director Makeba Williams, MD gave the Morton and Diane Stenchever Lecture “The Women’s Health Initiative: Controversy, Confusion, Consensus” at the opening of the day on May 8:
“In 2022, is hormone therapy safe? Have we reached a point of consensus? The Women’s Health Initiative hormone therapy trial preliminary results were released summer 2002, completely altering the practice of prescribing hormone therapy to midlife and menopausal women. Controversy and confusion immediately ensued. Attend this thought-provoking session to better understand current recommendations, management strategies and treatment options for menopausal patients.”
Division of Gynecologic Oncology Director Stephen Rose, MD, presented “A Revised Markov Model Evaluating Oophorectomy at the Time of Hysterectomy for Benign Indication”, co-authored by Gynecologic Oncology Fellow Shannon Rush, MD, during a late-breaking abstracts session on May 8.
More posters and presentations:
Black Women With Low Numeracy Fare Worse in Diabetic Pregnancies - Jennifer Jacobson, MD; Amy Godecker, PhD; Jennifer Janik, MD; April Eddy, MS; Jacquelyn Adams, MD
Assessment of In-Hospital Pain Control After Childbirth and Its Correlation With Anxiety in the Postpartum Period – Clara Olson, BS; John Poehlmann, MD; Zachary Stowe, MD; Kathleen Antony, MD
Clinical Application of a Previously Validated Pregnancy-Specific Screening Tool for Sleep Apnea – Kathleen Antony, MD
Operationalizing Aspirin to Reduce Preeclampsia Risk and Related Morbidity and Mortality – Maya Gross, MD; Katherine Sampene, MD
Leveraging Quality Improvement to Promote Health Equity: Prenatal Aspirin Recommendations by Race - Maya Gross, MD; Katherine Sampene, MD
In the Eye of the Beholder: Perspectives of Fellowship Applicants on Virtual Interviews - Christine Heisler, MD
Cost-Effectiveness of Opportunistic Salpingectomy Following Vaginal Delivery for Ovarian Cancer Prevention – Matthew Wagar, MD; Makeba Williams, MD
Incredible work, all!
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!
Our sincere congratulations to UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology Director Stephen Rose, MD, who will receive the 2023 UW Health Regional Services Physician Excellence Award at a ceremony on May 3, 2023!
Rose was nominated by colleagues to receive the Regional Services Physician Excellence award, which recognizes physicians who exemplify UW Health’s strategic priority in providing extraordinary regional services care for patients at neighboring health care facilities in Wisconsin and beyond.
Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Dr. Rose!
Steve Rose, MD, professor and Director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, presented Grand Rounds to the Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology on Monday, January 30! The Weill Cornell Ob-Gyn residents were allowed to select a Grand Rounds speaker for the first time, and Rose was their first choice!
Rose presented the lecture “A Revised Markov Model Evaluating Oophorectomy at the Time of Hysterectomy for Benign Indication: Age 65 Years Revisited.” Rose co-authored a study of the same title that was featured on the May 2022 cover of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and presented the findings from the study at the 2022 ACOG Annual Meeting.
Incredible work, Dr. Rose!
Ten years ago, avid Wisconsin Badgers football fan Shirley Pokorski received a gynecologic cancer diagnosis that put her tailgating traditions in peril. After working with UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology Director Steve Rose, MD, and an incredible care team at the UW Carbone Cancer Center, Shirley has been cancer-free and back at the field for years.
On WISC-TV News, Rose discussed Shirley’s treatment journey, and Shirley shared gratitude for her support system, including Rose and the Carbone team. Watch Shirley’s whole story here, and join us at Sparkle of Hope on September 16, 2022 to celebrate survivors like Shirley and the whole gynecologic cancer community! Learn more about how to join us at sparkleofhope.org.
In a new profile published by UW Health and the UW Carbone Cancer Center, a grateful patient who worked with Professor Stephen Rose, MD, director of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology, shared her cervical cancer treatment story.
In “A Remarkable Outcome”, Rose and patient Phyllis Stokes share her clinical experiences with cervical cancer and multiple treatment modalities. After less-than-ideal results with chemotherapy, Rose recommended Phyllis start immunotherapy treatment. What happened next was remarkable:
“Rose said her response was even better than he expected. Prior to the advent of immunotherapy, the average lifespan of someone diagnosed with stage IV cervical cancer was about a year. And even though immunotherapy has been a significant advancement in treatment, it’s still not a guarantee.
“Even being PD-L1 positive, many patients still don’t have a response to pembrolizumab,” he said. “For her to have those treatments for two years and then have no evidence of cancer anywhere is just remarkable.””
You can read the whole story here. Join the Department of Ob-Gyn and Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the 2022 Sparkle of Hope Gala on September 16 to celebrate the entire gynecologic cancer community, including remarkable patients like Phyllis!
UW Ob-Gyn resident Connor Wang, MD is lead author on a new article published in Gynecologic Oncology Reports! Wang’s mentor on this project (and senior author on the publication) is UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gyencologic Oncology Director Steve Rose, MD.
“Adaptive and maladaptive humor styles are closely associated with burnout and professional fulfillment in members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology” used a survey of members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology to assess individual humor styles and their connection to burnout. Humor styles (including adaptive styles and maladaptive styles) were assessed using the validated Humor Styles Questionnaire, and professional fulfillment (PF) and burnout (BO) were assessed using the Professional Fulfillment Index. The study examined responses from faculty, advanced practice providers, fellows, and residents:
“Clinically, our findings suggest the possibility of humor-based interventions to address BO and improve PF in SGO members. Humor-based interventions could be humor-based positive psychology interventions (PPIs) or workshops. Humor-based PPIs can enhance psychological and emotional wellbeing, life satisfaction, mood, and lower depressive feelings. (Wellenzohn et al., 2018) They can also increase participants’ sense of humor. (Wellenzohn et al., 2018)…Our results further indicated that trainees were more likely than faculty and APP to employ aggressive and self-defeating humors, and trainees experienced significantly lower PF than did faculty. Therefore, trainees may benefit most from humor-based interventions.”
Read the whole study here.
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!
Exciting news for UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology Director Stephen Rose, MD and gynecologic oncology fellow Shannon Rush, MD! Rose and Rush’s article “A Revised Markov Model Evaluating Oophorectomy at the Time of Benign Hysterectomy: Age 65 Years Revisited” was selected for the Obstetrics and Gynecology late-breaking research session at ACOG’s 2022 Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting in San Diego, CA this May!
The editors of the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology selected four upcoming articles for presentation during this session based on their importance, innovation, and newsworthiness. Congratulations on this incredible honor!
On a recent episode of Specialty Stories, a podcast aimed at helping premed and medical students choose a future career, UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology Director Steve Rose, MD discussed what brought him to gynecologic oncology and what the subspecialty is like today.
During the conversation, Rose talked about key interests and traits that can lead to success in gynecologic oncology, the types of patients who work with gyn onc teams, what clinical and surgical schedules can look like, and other important information for medical students and ob-gyn residents considering a future career in gynecologic oncology.
Listen to the whole episode here!
In a recent installment of OncLiveTV, UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology Director Steve Rose, MD discussed the importance of genetic testing in ovarian cancer.
In the video, Rose mentioned the importance of genetic testing in setting a treatment path for some ovarian cancers:
“The importance of the testing, for sure, has to do with the use of PARP inhibitors, specifically now that PARP inhibitors up front have been shown to be helpful in certain patients. And so making sure that you can get that ball rolling quickly and start talking to patients about whether or not they’re going to be eligible, dependent upon their BRCA either somatic or genetic status, and homologous recombination proficient or deficient status as well,” Rose says.
Rose also discusses current barriers to genetic testing in ovarian cancer patients. Watch the whole video here!
Congratulations to UW Ob-Gyn Gynecologic Oncology Division Director Steve Rose, MD! Rose was recently appointed to the role of Medical Director for Regional Oncology Services at UW Health.
In that role, Rose will be the physician leader for UW Health’s regional cancer program. Responsibilities include providing clinical and professional direction for the program; building relationships with regional leadership teams and referring providers; extending research opportunities to regional partners; and more. This role will also partner with the Regional Relations Medical Director for UW Health to ensure alignment across oncology specialties.
Rose will work closely with all of UW Health’s cancer care regional affiliates to ensure that patients at these sites receive high-quality, cost-effective, remarkable care. This job is not specific to gynecologic oncology: Rose will provide leadership and direction for surgical cancer services, adult medical cancer services, radiation oncology cancer services, cancer imaging, and pediatrics cancer services.
Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Dr Rose!
A quality improvement study by lead author Rachel Mojdehbakhsh, MD, PGY-2, was published in Gynecologic Oncology Reports. Co-authors include Stephen Rose, MD, Megan Peterson, DNP, Laurel Rice, MD, and Ryan Spencer, MD, all of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic that began in early 2020, industry organizations like the National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommended transitioning some appointments to telemedicine. Mojdehbakhsh’s study, “A quality improvement pathway to rapidly increase telemedicine services in a Gynecologic Oncology clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic with patient satisfaction scores and environmental impact”, outlines efforts at the UW Carbone Cancer Center’s gynecologic oncology clinic to move appointments to telehealth platforms over a short period of time. The study also assessed patient satisfaction with telemedicine visits, and environmental impact of moving visits online.
“With multidisciplinary team planning and standardized note templates, transitioning 50% of encounters to telemedicine and achieving high rates of consent documentation were accomplished in four weeks. This increase in telemedicine represented a measurable decrease in the amount of CO 2 emissions. Additionally, patients were overwhelmingly satisfied.”
Read the whole study here – incredible work, Dr. Mojdehbakhsh and Gyn Onc division team!
On September 10-11, the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology hosted the first-ever Heartland Association of Gynecologic Oncology (HAGO) meeting. More than 70 gynecologic oncology professionals tuned in for the virtual conference, which included two keynote presentations and 21 research abstract presentations.
HAGO was founded in 2020 by UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gyn Onc Director Stephen Rose, MD, and the program committee included Ryan Spencer, MD and UW Ob-Gyn Gyn Onc fellowship graduates Andrea O’Shea, MD and Shitanshu Uppal, MD.
Of the 21 abstracts selected for presentation, five were from our department (Matthew Wagar, MD with mentor Sumer Wallace, MD; Wagar with mentor Makeba Williams, MD; Shannon Rush, MD with mentor Steve Rose, MD; Rachel Mojdehbakhsh, MD with mentor Ryan Spencer, MD; and Connor Wang, MD with mentor Spencer).
UW Ob-Gyn Gyn Onc fellow Shannon Rush, MD earned the first Award for Clinical Research for her abstract “65 Revisited: A Revised Markov Model for Evaluating Oophorectomy at the Time of Hysterectomy for Benign Disease”!
Lisa Barroilhet, MD was also an invited distillation presenter and UW Ob-Gyn Department Chair Laurel Rice, MD gave a keynote address and received the inaugural HAGO Award for Service and Leadership.
Our congratulations to everyone involved in planning and preparing the HAGO Conference – incredible work!
