Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility Fellowship

Introduction

The mission of Cleveland Clinic’s Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) Fellowship is to provide fellows with the very best medical and surgical training in the care of patients. The fellowship program faculty consists of six highly published reproductive endocrinologists/surgeons, as well as medical endocrinologists, pediatric endocrinologists, medical geneticists, and specialists who focus on menopause and male infertility. The Cleveland Clinic’s In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) center is one of a kind with cutting-edge technology for the culture, growth, and assessment of embryos. Our fellows have the opportunity to perform research at the IVF lab along with opportunities at the Lerner Research Institute, a massive research center integrated directly into the Cleveland Clinic main campus.  During their clinical and surgical rotations, our fellows get a wide spectrum of experiences to prepare them to manage their own clinic during their final year of fellowship; this graduated autonomy combined with rich and varied experiences prepare our graduates for a successful career in private and academic REI practice. 

Outcomes

"Our collaborative approach, fostered in interdisciplinary care centers, consistently improves clinical outcomes, increases patient satisfaction and stimulates research. Our Centers of Excellence include gynecologic oncology, female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, reproductive endocrinology and infertility, menstrual and fibroid treatment and maternal-fetal medicine."

Quality counts when referring patients to hospitals and physicians. Cleveland Clinic is recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Designed for a healthcare provider audience, the Outcomes information contain a summary of our surgical and medical trends and approaches, data on patient volume and outcomes, and a review of new technologies and innovations.

• View our Ob/Gyn and Women’s Health Institute Outcomes online

Fellowship Overview

The goal of the fellowship program is not just to prepare the fellows to meet the requirements for ABOG subspecialty certification in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, but to become outstanding academic reproductive endocrinologists using all of the resources available at the Cleveland Clinic. There are eight board certified reproductive endocrinologists on the faculty who all trained at different programs and offer diverse skill sets and practice styles. This provides the fellows with a very large and varied clinical and surgical experience.

The fellows will have extensive hands-on experience with the complete spectrum of reproductive surgery including the correction of congenital malformations, reversal of sterilization, myomectomy, and management of tubal disease and all stages of endometriosis utilizing a minimally invasive approach. The fellows will be proficient with minilaparotomy, microsurgery, operative hysteroscopy and laparoscopy with and without the surgical robot.

We perform approximately 1000 fresh IVF cycles a year with success rates above the national average. The fellows are involved in all aspects of clinical IVF and perform egg retrievals and embryo transfers. The IVF lab offers all permutations of IVF such as donor sperm, donor oocytes, gestational carriers, ICSI, assisted hatching, PGT-A/PGT-M, time-lapse embryo morphokinetics, percutaneous sperm aspiration and testicular sperm extraction, and gamete, embryo and ovarian tissue cryopreservation. The IVF lab is also well equipped for clinical and animal research. 

The large clinical volume provides a broad-based exposure to clinical reproductive endocrinology and infertility with progressive responsibility both in the clinic and operating room.

• The first six months of the PGY 5 year will allow the fellow to become indoctrinated to clinical reproductive endocrinology and infertility, reproductive surgery and IVF, and to prepare for the subsequent 18 month research block. In addition, they will have weekly rotations through medical endocrinology, pediatric endocrinology, medical genetics, menopausal medicine, pediatric and adolescent gynecology, and male infertility.
• The second year (PGY 6) is fully protected for research. The fellows have no clinical responsibilities but can choose to spend time in clinic, the operating room or IVF whenever not actively engaged in research.
• The final year (PGY 7) is devoted entirely to the clinical practice of reproductive endocrinology and infertility. The fellow will have their own clinical practice where they function as the primary physician responsible for the specialty care of the patient with faculty oversight and feed-back.

Our fellowship program has been named as a Surgical Scholars Track through the Society of Reproductive Surgeons (SRS). The SRS Surgical Scholars Track is a specialized pathway within a traditional 3-year REI fellowship. Fellows may elect to pursue this opportunity at approved sites to enhance their reproductive surgical skills. The SRS Surgical Scholars Track provides structured surgical training, core surgical education, and completion of a fellowship thesis related to reproductive surgery. 

Research

During the second half of the first year (PGY 5) and all of PGY 6 the fellows will have 18 consecutive months of protected research time with no clinical responsibilities except pager call on evenings and weekends. We can support the fellow in any area of clinical and basic science reproductive research they wish to pursue to fulfill their thesis requirement. The fellows can choose to conduct their research in the IVF research laboratory, The Center for Reproductive Medicine Research Laboratory or the Lerner Research Institute depending on their particular field of study. The Lerner Research Institute is one of the largest research institutes in the nation, with nearly 1,500 researchers and support personnel in 175 laboratories in 12 departments, and consistently ranks in the top 10 in National Institutes of Health funding. All of the current and prior fellows have had multiple presentations and publications resulting from their participation in clinical studies in addition to their main thesis project.

Education

Teaching Opportunities

The fellow will have the many opportunities to develop their teaching skills. The fellows participate assume teaching responsibilities of the residents and medical students on our service. They also contribute formal didactic lectures on REI topics for the medical school core lecture program and the resident education conferences.

OB/GYN Departmental Grand Rounds - The fellows attend the weekly departmental grand rounds which include the monthly GYN Quality Assurance and Improvement meetings. The fellows are expected to present once or twice during the three years.

REI Fellows Conference – During these weekly sessions, the fellows and faculty present a topic on one of the ABOG learning objectives. All of the objectives are covered during a 3 year cycle. In addition, journal clubs, updates of the fellows’ research and quality assurance reviews are presented.

Women’s Health Institute Fellowship Research Conference - This monthly conference, run by the WHI Chair of Research, is designed for all of the gynecology subspecialty fellows to receive formal training in study design, database use, data analysis, IRB application, and grant writing.

Scientific Meetings

The fellows present their research at the Annual Cleveland Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Research Day. All of the fellows attend the annual meeting of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine each year. The fellows also go to the SREI Fellows’ Retreat during the 1st and 3rd years, the SRS Surgical Boot Camp during the 1st and 2nd years and the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society during the 1st year. In addition, they may attend other national scientific meetings such as ACOG, AAGL and the Midwest Reproductive Symposium if they are presenting.

Education Requirements

Conferences, Seminars and Lectures, Including Topics and Presenters

OB/GYN Departmental Grand Rounds - The fellows will get a chance to perform a grand rounds to Cleveland Clinic’s OB/GYN department. The topic is one in which the fellow shows special interest in.

Fellowship Didactics - Didactic sessions are performed by both staff and fellows. The didactic session are on a rotating schedule so that each year topics are different for the three years the fellow is at Cleveland Clinic.

Women’s Health Institute Fellowship Research Conference - This conference is designed for fellow to receive formal instructions during which there will be presentations covering the ABOG learning objectives. The course provides instruction in study design, database use, IRB application, and grant writing.

ASRM - American Society of Reproductive Medicine allows the fellows each year to present/show a video, poster, or discussion on research that they have worked on during their time of fellowship.

(Other conferences approved by program director)

Staff

Program Leadership

Mindy Christianson, MD, MBA

Chief, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Practice Director; Cleveland Clinic Fertility Center Interim Program Director, REI Fellowship

Elliott Richards, MD

Associate Program Director, REI Fellowship; Director of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Research

Faculty

Marjan Attaran, MD

IVF Medical Director Cleveland Clinic Fertility Center

Tommaso Falcone, MD

Executive Vice President and President of International and Emerging Markets

Jenna Rehmer, MD

Quality and Safety Director, Cleveland Clinic Fertility Center

Julierut Tantibhedhyangkul, MD

Director of ultrasound services, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility; Clinical Assistant Professor

Fellows

Class of 2025

Hanna Kim, MD

Medical School: Saint Louis University
Residency: University of Texas, Southwestern 

Class of 2026

Jenny Amir, MD

Medical School: Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science
Residency: Rush University Medical Center

Class of 2027

Allison Bosch, MD

Medical School: University of Virginia School of Medicine
Residency: Emory University

Apply

The Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility fellowship will not be entering the match for the 2024 recruitment season. Please check our website in spring of 2025 for information on the match for the 2025 recruitment season.

How to apply

The Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Fellowship participates in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Our application requirements are the same as the standard ERAS application.

Please note: Applicant must have completed an ABOG approved residency program.

• Apply Now

International medical graduates

Here are some frequently asked question by graduates of international medical school regarding the application process:

• U.S. clinical experience is preferred but not a requirement.
  • USMLE Step I.
  • USMLE Step 2.
  • 3rd year CREOG score will be requested via ERAS once you have applied (please do not email them).
• Please review the ECFMG requirements for additional information.
• For more information regarding the types of visas that Cleveland Clinic sponsors.

For further questions please contact:

Jenn Hancock
Education Program Manager
Obstetrics and Gynecology Institute
hancocj@ccf.org