Introduction
Ashley Brant, DO, MPH – Program Director
Cleveland Clinic's Fellowship in Complex Family Planning is a two-year ACGME-accredited fellowship. Our mission is to develop Complex Family Planning subspecialists who demonstrate excellence in clinically care, research that advances the field of patient-centered complex family planning and leadership. We understand that each Complex Family Planning fellow has unique career goals, and fellows will graduate empowered to pursue the full range of complex family planning professional opportunities.
- Patient Care: We provide fellows with high-quality clinical training that will enable them to care for the most medically complex patients. To achieve this, we provide fellows with exposure to all patient populations through care in a multitude of settings, from freestanding clinics to quaternary hospitals. Cleveland’s Clinic’s Complex Family Planning offices are Contraceptive Implant Removal Centers of Experience. Fellows will hone their communication skills, work in interdisciplinary teams and learn to serve as expert consultants.
- Scholarly Activity: Fellows receive robust training in research methods and will conduct an original research project during their fellowship. We provide structured, protected research and quality improvement experiences with opportunities for both translational and clinical research to provide trainees with the skills for critical research conduct and interpretation. Our faculty research is funded through the NIH, foundation grants and sponsored research programs at Cleveland Clinic.
- Development as Educators: We are a training site for the Kenneth J. Ryan Residency Training Program. Fellows are involved in resident and student education as well as educational activities targeting other health care professionals, such as attending physicians and allied providers. They will participate as facilitators in didactics and simulations.
- Leadership: We provide fellows with opportunities to develop as leaders in the field of complex family planning.
Fellowship Overview
The Complex Family Planning fellowship uses longitudinal rotations, allowing fellows to increase responsibility and manage more complex patients as they progress through the fellowship. Clinical experiences take place at multiple Cleveland Clinic sites throughout the Greater Cleveland area. The core components of their training include:
Ambulatory Complex Family Planning
- Complex contraception consultation: Fellows will provide contraceptive consultation for patients with medical or anatomic conditions that complicate their contraceptive care. Fellows will also manage contraceptive device complications. Cleveland’s Clinic’s Complex Family Planning offices are Contraceptive Implant Removal Centers of Experience.
- Pregnancy Early Assessment Clinic: Cleveland Clinics early pregnancy assessment clinic provides acute care for patients experiencing the full-range of early pregnancy complications, including miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and molar pregnancy. Fellows will provide point-of-care ultrasound assessment and manage early pregnancy complications, including office manual vacuum aspiration.
- Ambulatory surgical center (ASC): Fellows will perform lower-risk complex family planning procedures in the ASCs, including hysteroscopy, D&C and laparoscopic sterilization.
Hospital-based Complex Family Planning
Fellows will perform higher-risk complex family planning surgeries in our regional hospitals and the highly-specialized inpatient unit at Main Campus, where fellows will provide the region’s most complex care. Fellows will take call for urgent and emergent complex family planning procedures.
Research
Fellows will have dedicated time each week for academic pursuits. Fellows are expected to complete an original research project, culminating in the thesis presentation at the completion of the second year. Fellows are also encouraged to participate in quality improvement and secondary research projects with fellowship faculty. Fellows will have a primary CFP research mentor and have opportunities to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects with CFP faculty, Ob/Gyn faculty and faculty outside the Obstetrics & Gynecology Institute. Fellows will have access to the full breadth of research support and resources available at Cleveland Clinic.
Elective
The fellow will have dedicated elective time. In collaboration with the program director, the fellow will determine their elective goals and objectives and identify clinical, academic and/or research activities to achieve those goals and objectives. The purpose of the elective is to support fellows as they pursue their unique career goals.
Cleveland Clinic is a large academic institution, and fellows serve an integral role in coaching, mentoring and educating medical students and Ob/Gyn residents. There are many opportunities to collaborate with other learners in the areas of research, formal didactics, career development and clinical care. These additional academic experiences are one of the highlights of our fellowship program as they support career development and tools for future educators.
Education Requirements
The Complex Family Planning (CFP) fellows participate in various monthly and weekly educational conferences, including the following:
Complex Family Planning subspecialty conferences
- Weekly CFP Case Conference. CFP attendings, trainees and nurse care coordinators discuss upcoming cases and coordinate care plans. Fellows will present patients and care plans.
- Weekly CFP Fellowship Didactics. Fellows and residents will present topics and the discussion will be facilitated by CFP attendings. A two-year curriculum has been created to address the competencies in CFP fellow education, ABOG and requirements of examinations.
- Monthly CFP Journal Club. This journal club reviews key family planning publications. The focus is on teaching fellows’ best practices on how to evaluate research articles.
- Monthly CFP Section Research Meeting to discuss ongoing research projects within the division and assist fellows with their individual research projects.
- Quarterly Simulation events where fellows work with residents and other specialties. The focus will be on enhancing communication, teamwork, diagnostic, procedural and medical management skills using simulators to work through complex family planning clinical scenarios. This takes places in person at Cleveland Clinic Simulation and Advanced Skills Center or on Labor & Delivery or Ultrasound Units.
Obstetrics and Gynecology specialty conferences
- Weekly OBGYN Grand Rounds, M&M and Journal Club. Fellows are expected to present one Grand Rounds in their second year of fellowship.
- Monthly Ultrasound and Prenatal Diagnosis and monthly Resident Ultrasound conferences. This educational meeting discusses topics around gynecologic and obstetrics ultrasound. Obstetrical topics include genetic counseling, fetal diagnostics, fetal treatment and fetal counseling. Gynecologic topics include atypical ectopic pregnancy, contraceptive device localization and gynecologic anatomy.
- Monthly Fellow Research Seminar with the Vice Chair of Research in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Institute.
- Weekly Cleveland Clinic: Statistical Science in Medical Research. This lecture series is offered to all Cleveland Clinic first-year fellows. These courses are intended for clinicians and researchers who are beginning their research careers, seeking to enhance their understanding of biomedical literature, aiming to deepen their knowledge of evidence-based medicine, or in need of a comprehensive review of statistical principles.
Scientific meetings
Fellows are invited to participate in the Annual Cleveland Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (CLESOG) Research Day. Senior fellows present their thesis at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Institute’s Research Day in the spring.
Additionally, fellows are encouraged to present their scholarly work at the Society of Family Planning Annual Meeting and other academic conferences.
Staff
Erica Bishop, MD
Staff
Ashley Brant, DO
Section Head & Program Director – Complex Family Planning
Miriam Cremer, MD, MPH
Staff
Emily Freeman, DO, MA MS
Staff
How to Apply
The Complex Family Medicine Fellowship accepts one fellow per year. All positions are filled through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) match.
The Complex Family Medicine Fellowship accepts all applications, including international candidates through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The application requirement aligns with those of the standard ERAS Fellowship Application.
Application timeline
Adheres to the standards established by the Society of Family Planning.
Invites
Invitations are sent via ERAS/Thalamus in line with the Society for Family Planning dates.
Interested applicants are invited to consult our GME New Applicant Information Page for further details.
Additional Information
For further information, please contact:
Alexandra Gardlock
Sr. Education Program Manager
Obstetrics and Gynecology Institute
gardloa@ccf.org | 330.603.5325
