Overview
Our fellowship program is a 2-year program and was founded and AAGL accredited in 2013. We match two fellows per year to a have a complement of four clinical fellows.
A strength of our fellowship program is the robust surgical experience we provide. Fellows who complete our program graduate with over 200 complex hysterectomies, this includes conventional laparoscopy as well as robotics. Generally, we perform 900 complex minimally invasive surgeries per year at our institution.
The fellowship is led by program director Katrin Arnolds, MD as well as associate program directors Pamela Frazzini Padilla, MD and Eric Hurtado, MD. The most common procedures performed by the MIGS faculty include laparoscopic and robotic hysterectomy, laparoscopic and hysteroscopic myomectomy, excision of endometriosis, and surgical treatment of pelvic adhesive disease. Clinical and surgical experience is offered to the fellows through our section of Urogynecology, where the fellow is exposed to advanced vaginal and laparoscopic procedures for the management of pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence.
The program also includes experience in GYN Oncology, where the Fellow will gain advanced surgical training in retroperitoneal dissections and oncologic procedures.
Additionally, the fellow’s experience is complemented through collaborations with other Cleveland Clinic departments including General Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, and Urology.
We have a simulation center on campus that is equipped for cadaver anatomy labs as well as robotic and laparoscopic surgical simulation.
Another strength of our program is that we perform a large amount of in office procedures such as saline infusion sonograms, office hysteroscopies and point of care ultrasounds.
Protected research time as well as support from our statistician is provided to all fellows. Cleveland Clinic also offers professional development opportunities to the fellows through their academic advancement series.
Katrin Arnolds, MD
Program Director
The Program
The Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Florida is a comprehensive, two-year academic training program incorporating both clinical and research activities. The aim of our fellowship is to graduate competent surgeons proficient in a broad spectrum of minimally invasive gynecologic procedures. Upon completion of our program, our fellows are poised to serve as both scholarly and surgical resources for the communities in which they eventually practice.
Cleveland Clinic Florida, a not-for-profit, multi-specialty, fully integrated medical center providing outstanding medical diagnosis and treatment for all types of complex illnesses, is the primary site of the fellowship activities. Our MIGS program collectively performs over 900 minimally invasive procedures each year. Common procedures performed by the MIGS faculty include laparoscopic and robotic hysterectomy, robotic, laparoscopic and hysteroscopic myomectomy, excision of endometriosis, and surgical treatment of pelvic adhesive disease. Clinical and surgical experience is offered to the fellows through our section of Urogynecology, where the fellow is exposed to advanced vaginal and laparoscopic procedures for the management of pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. The program also includes experience in GYN Oncology, where the Fellow will gain advanced surgical training in retroperitoneal dissections and oncologic procedures. Additionally, the fellow’s experience is complemented through collaborations with other Cleveland Clinic departments including General Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, and Urology.
Ample protected research time is provided. The fellow is expected to complete an independent research project, present their research at a national meeting and to publish their results in a peer-reviewed journal before graduating. The fellows are involved in multiple randomized controlled trials and have published systematic reviews.
Duration
2 years
Evaluations
Evaluation of fellow at least twice per year.
Evaluation of staff and program at least once per year.
Treatments & Procedures
Laparoscopy
Many advanced operative laparoscopic procedures can be performed robotically. At Cleveland Clinic Florida, our physicians have been performing a number of innovative techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of conditions including endometriosis, fibroids, heavy and abnormal menstrual bleeding, as well as pelvic pain.
- Advanced Operative - with removal of fibroid(s), resection of endometriosis and hysterectomy either supracervical or complete
- Diagnostic
- Operative - with removal of scar tissue, fallopian tubes and ovaries, or ovarian cysts.
Benefits
Benefits information including salaries, insurance information and more, can be found by visiting the Graduate Medical Education Benefits page.
Staff
Katrin Arnolds, MD
Program Director
Eric Hurtado, MD
Associate Program Director
Teaching Staff
Pamela Frazzini-Padilla, MD
Associate Program Director
Teaching Staff
Joel Cardenas Goicoechea, MD, MBA
Teaching Staff
Michael Sprague, MD
Department Chair
Teaching Staff
Adria Suarez Mora, MD
Teaching Staff
Contact Us
Lauren Eadeh
Senior GME Coordinator
2950 Cleveland Clinic Blvd.
Weston, Florida 33331
Phone: 954.649.7453
Email: eadehl@ccf.org
Current Fellows
Class of 2026
Vanessa Fuentes, MD
Barnes Jewish Hospital-Washington University
Saint Louis, MO
Natalia del Mazo, MD
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine at the Medical Science Campus
San Juan, PR
Class of 2025
Olivia Casas Diaz, MD
Medstar Georgetown University Hospital
Washington, DC
Courtney Poston, MD
Orlando Health
Orlando, FL
Alumni
Class of 2024
- Jessica Savoni, DO
- Tarangi Sutaria, MD
Class of 2023
- Ali McGregor, MD
- Sonia Carlson, MD
Class of 2022
- George Kurian Thomas, MD
- Nuria Garcia-Ruiz, MD
Class of 2021
- Maral Malekzadeh, DO
- Laura Ramirez-Caban, MD
Class of 2020
- Natasha Mehandru, MD
- Jennifer Cooper, MD
Class of 2019
- Katherine Smith, MD
