Education

The UW Department of Ob-Gyn's Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility fellowship was featured in media around the state in late April 2025. The fellowship, which was launched in 2024, is one of only about 52 in the country. It was created, in part, to help address a shortage of fertility care physicians in the United States.Wisconsin media shared updates about the program... more

On April 24, 2025, UW Department of Ob-Gyn residents hosted a diversity, equity, and inclusion session with UW School of Medicine and Public Health students. Around 20 students joined the session to learn more about DEI in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn residency and get some hands-on skills training from ob-gyn residents.Residents led breakout groups on vaginal delivery, pelvi... more

The Society for Reproductive Investigation hosted the 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina March 25-29, 2025. Researchers from the UW Department of Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive Sciences led sessions, gave presentations, and brought posters to the conference. Jessica Vazquez, PhD, moderated the session Immune Cell Programming and Consequences. Sathi... more

Congratulations to Julia Gelissen, MD, fellow in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, who was selected as an editorial fellow for the International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer! As an editorial fellow, Gelissen will learn about journal operations, work on projects with international colleagues, and learn and share the latest findings in gynecologic oncology through the IJG... more

Congratulations to Manish Patankar, PhD, director of the Division of Reproductive Sciences! He was elected to the UW–Madison Graduate School’s Graduate Faculty Executive Committee (GFEC) for a four-year term beginning July 1, 2025. The GFEC exercises the powers of the graduate faculty with respect to establishing, reviewing and modifying graduate degree programs, named optio... more

Janine Rhoades, MD, director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and Scott Infusino, MD, a Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellow, co-authored a new article published in BMC Medical Education. Co-authors include Adam Lewkowitz, Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, Stephanie Ros, and Patrick Ramsey.In “Maternal-fetal medicine fellow experience in the first year of training compared to i... more

The Society of Gynecologic Surgeons (SGS) hosted their 51st Annual Scientific Meeting March 30-April 2, 2025. Several members of the Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery attended the conference and shared their work. Caroline Cox, MD, assistant professor in the Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery, was selected in early 2024 to ... more

On April 3, 2025, Ben Pickus, MD, PGY-4 resident in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn, presented the Grand Rounds lecture “Climate Change — How to Think Global and Act Local as an OBGYN.”In the lecture, Pickus examined the current stage of climate change and how it affects the patient population in regards to obstetrics and gynecology, explained current mitigation plans, current a... more

On April 10, 2025, Ankitha Madde, MD, PGY-4 resident in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn, presented the Grand Rounds lecture “The Obstetrician and the Intensivist: A Systems-Based Framework for Maternal Critical Care.”In the lecture, Madde demonstrated the clinical utility in bedside screening and imaging to determine various maternal conditions regarding maternal safety, identif... more

Abigail Cutler, MD, MPH, assistant professor in the Division of Academic Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology, co-authored a new article published in Obstetrics and Gynecology Open. Co-authors include Emily Claymore, Jema Turk, and Jody Steinauer.In “Residents Navigating Moral Distress After the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Decision,” Cutler and co-author... more

Matthew Wagar, MD, a gynecologic oncology fellow in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn’s Division of Gynecologic Oncology, spoke with OncLive for a recent story about treatment for endometrial cancer.In “Immunotherapy Continues to Redefine Treatment Considerations in Advanced/Recurrent Endometrial Cancer,” Wagar talked about how recent advancements in treatment options like immunot... more

UW Department of Ob-Gyn resident Rusha Bajpai, MD, PGY-3, and Stephen Rose, MD, professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, co-authored a new study in Gynecologic Oncology Reports. Co-authors include Tammy Mundale, Natalia Gontarczyk Uczkowski, and Amy Godecker, PhD, MS.In “Adnexal mass referral patterns in Gynecologic Oncology,” Bajpai, Rose, and co-authors sought to... more

Awa Sanneh, MD, assistant professor in the Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn, and UW Department of Ob-Gyn resident Carrie Sibbald, MD, PGY-4, recently visited the Gambia as part of Sibbald’s global health elective. Sibbald is the residency class of 2025 global health resident.During the rotation, Sibbald worked with the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital’s Depar... more

We are thrilled to introduce the incoming UW Department of Ob-Gyn Resident Class of 2029, who matched into our residency on March 21, 2025. Please help us welcome these future ob-gyns to our department!Hannah Ahrendt – Case Western Reserve University School of MedicineMatida Bojang – Medical College of WisconsinMichelle Breuer (Rural Track) – Liberty University College of Os... more

The Society of Gynecologic Oncology hosted the 2025 Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer in Seattle March 14-17, 2025. Faculty, fellows, and residents from the UW Department of Ob-Gyn attended the conference, helped shape the agenda, and shared their latest research. Just some of their exciting accomplishments: Focused Forum presentation:Ultrasonography based measurements of end... more

On March 6, 2025, UW Department of Ob-Gyn resident Saule Tamkus, MD, PGY-4, presented the Grand Rounds lecture “Artificial Intelligence in Medicine: Friend or Foe?”In the lecture, Tamkus reviewed the history of AI and how it is applied to the field of medicine and more specifically ob-gyn, as well as examined the pitfalls and legal considerations behind AI in medicine, and w... more

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists hosted the 2025 Congressional Leadership Conference in Washington, DC, March 9-11. This year’s conference theme was Ob-Gyns in Action: Turning Purpose into Policy, highlighting the ways ob-gyn experts can have a role in shaping health policy.Many members of the UW Department of Ob-Gyn attended the conference to strength... more

Matthew Wagar, MD, fellow in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, spoke with OncLive for a recent story about the phase 3 LEAP-001 trial and what it means for treating patients with advanced endometrial cancer.In “Dr. Wagar on Lenvatinib Plus Pembrolizumab vs. Chemo in First-Line Advanced Endometrial Cancer,” Wagar explained how a mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) population... more

An impressive group of Department of Ob-Gyn faculty, fellows, and residents shared their educational research at the 2025 Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG) and Association of Professors in Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) Annual Meeting, held February 26-March 1, 2025 in Philadelphia. Breakout Sessions: OBGYN Standardized Letter of Evaluation... more

The UW Department of Ob-Gyn education team is excited to announce that Nicolette Cosdispoti, MD, MS, MPH, PGY-2, will be the Quality Chief Resident for the 2025-26 academic year.As the Quality Chief, Codispoti will actively participate in all aspects of the department's Quality Program, including Quality Improvement Review Committee and the Quality Committee. Codispoti will ... more

Congratulations to UW Department of Ob-Gyn resident Rusha Bajpai, MD, PGY-3, who was selected to receive the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association (WMAA) 2025 Outstanding Resident Teaching Award! The WMAA Distinguished Faculty and Resident Clinical Science Teaching Awards are given to the most exceptional teachers from across the statewide campus. Bajpai was voted best resid... more

River Cornelius, MD (they/them), will join the UW Rural Family Medicine OB Fellowship in August, marking a key milestone in three years of planning with a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. This collaboration between the UW School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and UW Department of Obstetrics and Gynecolo... more

UW Department of Ob-Gyn resident Jeannette Larson, MD, PGY-3, Laura Jacques, MD, associate professor in the Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn, and Laura Hanks, MD, clinical assistant professor in the Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn, co-authored a new article published in the Wisconsin Medical Journal. Co-authors included Camille Phillips and Amy Godecker,... more

Congratulations to UW Department of Ob-Gyn residents Rusha Bajpai, MD, Christina Dudley, MD, and Nettie Larson, MD, who will step into chief resident roles on May 1, 2025!Bajpai and Larson will be the Administrative Chief Residents, transitioning into the role with support from current administrative chiefs John Gravelle, MD, and Carrie Sibbald, MD. Dudley will be the Educat... more

Ryan Spencer, MD, MS, associate professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, is the featured speaker for an upcoming University Roundtable event! Spencer will present Investing in the Future: the Potential of Rural Training for OB-GYNs on February 26, 2025 at Varsity Hall in Union South.University Roundtable events share interesting programs and scholarship with member... more

Dobie Giles, MD, MS, MBA, professor in the Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery, has been selected for an exciting leadership role in medical student education! Giles is the new director of the Phase 1 Preceptor Program in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, effective January 1, 2025.As part of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health ForWa... more

Trainees and faculty in the UW Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology brought an impressive array of presentations to the 2025 Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) Faculty Development Seminar, held in Honolulu January 12-14, 2025. The APGO Faculty Development Seminar provides practical and timely ideas for medical education and curricula that can be... more

On December 19, 2024, UW Department of Ob-Gyn resident Carrie Sibbald, MD, presented the Grand Rounds lecture “The Test of Endurance: Exploring Global Perspectives of Pregnancy and Childbirth.”In the lecture, Sibbald outlined different cultural influences for pregnancy, examined global childbirth practices, explained how birth attendants are used in a variety of birthing set... more

Congratulations to Mayra Betancourt Ponce, UW School of Medicine and Public Health MD/PhD student and trainee in the labs of Lisa Barroilhet, MD, MS, and Manish Patankar, PhD, who brought her research to an international event in October! Betancourt Ponce attended the European Association for Cancer Research Cancer Metabolism Conference in Bilbao, Spain, where she brought th... more