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Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellowship

Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellowship

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The Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellowship at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is a three-year, non-ACGME-accredited, AAGL-approved program that admits one fellow per year.

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Program Details


The Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center established an AAGL-approved fellowship in 2010. The program has developed a three-year curriculum with career development integrated throughout the training process to maximize clinical/surgical exposure and research/education time. Protected time will include time for research, required coursework and formal training in teaching. Fellows will have approximately 30% career development time in the first year, 80% in the second year, and 40% in the third year.

The Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery logo from the AAGL includes that text in a red circle with the medical caduceus logo in gray in the center.The Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Service offers a high-volume surgical practice utilizing both conventional and robot-assisted laparoscopic platforms. The program has fellowship-trained MIGS faculty as well as associated OBGYN faculty from all other ACGME subspecialties. The surgical service focuses on the management of complex benign gynecologic diseases. The division has a particular interest in pelvic pain with a dedicated multidisciplinary Center for Endometriosis and Chronic Pelvic Pain. Fellows will have experience with a full complement of gynecologic procedures. Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is a 550-plus-bed academic medical center located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The hospital is equipped with 35 operating rooms, including eight laparoscopic suites. Each fellow has historically averaged more than 350 surgical cases per year.

The fellowship has integrated a master’s degree into the Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery curriculum. Upon matching with the program, fellows will choose from a pathway in either public health or clinical research. Current Master of Public Health pathways include: Community and Behavioral Health, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Health Systems Organization and Policy, and Global Health. The clinical research pathway is focused on the development of clinician scientists and will provide fundamentals to ensure the successful incorporation of research into your medical career. The programs have been individualized to minimize impact on clinical experiences.

Fellows can also receive formal training as medical educators through the Woodward Center for Excellence in Health Sciences Education. Fellows will have the opportunity to complete multiple Educator Development Workshops to develop tools for use as future leaders in medical education. The fellows will educate residents in the OBGYN Department through didactic lectures, multidisciplinary conferences, inpatient rounding and participation in other resident/student education sessions.

Dedicated research time will be an important part of protected career development time. Fellows will have a multidisciplinary research/mentorship team, statistical support and funding for proposed research. Fellows will be encouraged to develop research that will not only meet thesis and manuscript requirements, but allow them to have preliminary data that will facilitate applications for external research funding beyond the fellowship if that is their career path of choice.

The fellowship is dedicated to developing not only outstanding surgeons, but well-rounded specialists in benign gynecologic conditions poised to have an impact in the field.

For additional information, please feel free to contact us or visit the department’s clinical website.

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The Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellowship participates in the AAGL fellowship application and match program. The fellowship will not be participating in the 2022-2024 Fellowship cycle. The fellowship anticipates participating in the 2023-2025 Fellowship cycle.

For additional information on future cycles, visit the AAGL website.

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Penn State Health

Penn State Health is a multi-hospital health system serving patients and communities across 29 counties of Pennsylvania. Its mission is to improve health through patient care, research, education and community outreach.

In December 2017, the system partnered with Highmark Health to facilitate creation of a value-based, community care network in the region. The shared goal of Highmark and Penn State Health is to ensure patients in the community are within:

  • 10 minutes of a Penn State Health primary care provider
  • 20 minutes of Penn State Health specialty care
  • 30 minutes of a Penn State Health acute care facility

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Penn State Health Children’s Hospital (left), Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (center) and Penn State Cancer Institute (right)

Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

500 University Dr., Hershey, Pa., 17033 (Derry Township, Dauphin County)

  • The health system’s 647-bed flagship teaching and research hospital
  • The only medical facility in Pennsylvania accredited as both an adult and a pediatric Level I (highest-level) trauma center
  • Dedicated surgical, neuroscience, cardiovascular, trauma and medical intensive care units
  • Accredited Life Lion critical-care transport providing more than 1,100 helicopter and approximately 750 ground ambulance transports per year
  • More than 1,300 faculty members and more than 650 residents and fellows
  • Approximately 29,000 admissions, 73,000 emergency department visits, 1.1 million outpatient visits and 33,000 surgical procedures annually
  • Designated as a Magnet hospital since 2007

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Penn State Health Children’s Hospital

600 University Dr., Hershey, Pa. 17033 (Derry Township, Dauphin County)

  • An eight-story, 263,000-square-foot-facility built in 2013 and expanded in 2020
  • 146 licensed pediatric beds, 18 acute care beds and a 56-bed neonatal intensive care unit
  • Level IV (highest-level) neonatal intensive care unit
  • Level I quaternary (highest-level) pediatric intensive care unit
  • Level I (highest-level) pediatric trauma center designation
  • Intermediate care unit
  • Dedicated pediatric operating rooms
  • More than 150,000 pediatric outpatient visits and approximately 5,000 pediatric patient discharges annually

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Fellow wellness, including emotional, spiritual, social and physical health, is a crucial component to training and to becoming a professional, compassionate and resilient physician. Self-care is a skill which must be continually practiced and reinforced. Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Health are committed to addressing wellness, with multiple resources readily available.

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Institutional Resources

Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine celebrate, embrace and support the diversity of all patients, faculty, staff, students and trainees.

Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

In keeping with this, Penn State Health has an active Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with various programs, networks and resource groups, including:

  • Talks and lectures on diversity, equity and inclusion through the Inclusion Academy
  • Regular events on topics such as eradicating racism and creating a culture of inclusiveness
  • Many Business Employee Resource Groups (BERGs), including:
    • Disability Business Employee Resource Group
    • Interfaith Business Employee Resource Group
    • LGBTQ+ Business Employee Resource Group
    • Military and Veterans Business Employee Resource Group
    • Multicultural Business Employee Resource Group
    • NextGen Business Employee Resource Group

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Office for Culturally Responsive Health Care Education

The vision at Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Health is to equip learners with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they will need to provide culturally excellent health care and research for an increasingly diverse U.S. population. The Office for Culturally Responsive Health Care Education was formed to help meet that goal.

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In addition, the institution does not tolerate discrimination, biases, microaggression, harassment or learner mistreatment of any kind, and any concerns are immediately addressed by the Office for a Respectful Learning Environment.

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Network of Under-represented Residents and Fellows
The Network of Under-represented Residents and Fellows (NURF) is a group of diverse residents and fellows representing all specialties. NURF’s goal is to promote cultural diversity in the residency programs through community involvement, mentorship with diverse faculty, professional networking and support for the recruitment of diverse medical students into the residency programs.

NURF is sponsored by the Penn State College of Medicine Graduate Medical Education Office and the Penn State Health Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

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General Contact Information

Phone: 717-531-0003, ext. 283519

Fax: 717-531-0066

Email: koconnell1@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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