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 in Florida is a comprehensive, two-year academic training program incorporating both clinical and research activities. Our fellowship is designed to cultivate highly skilled surgeons with expertise across a wide range of minimally invasive gynecologic procedures as well as complex benign gynecologic care.
Upon completion, fellows will be fully prepared to serve as both scholarly and surgical leaders in the communities where they will ultimately practice.
Cleveland Clinic in Florida, a non-profit, multi-specialty, fully integrated medical center, stands as the primary site for fellowship training, offering exceptional medical diagnoses and treatments for complex conditions. Our minimally invasive gynecologic surgery (MIGS) program collectively performs well over 950 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 as well as treatment of congenital abnormalities. 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. The program’s depth is further enhanced through interdisciplinary collaborations with departments such as General Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, and Urology.
In-office hysteroscopy, along with sonography and sonohysterography, are essential competencies incorporated into the curriculum and actively taught throughout the fellowship program Dedicated, protected time for research is an integral part of the program. Fellows are expected to complete an independent research project, present their findings at national conferences, and publish their work in peer-reviewed journals prior to graduation. They also actively contribute to numerous randomized controlled trials and have authored systematic reviews, further reinforcing their scholarly contributions to the field.
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
