UNC Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
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Program Faculty
Ellen C. Wells, MD is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chief of the Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery and President for the N.C. Obstetrical and Gynecological Society. She joined the faculty at UNC in 1993 and lead development of the Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery which has seen dramatic and consistent growth in research, clinical, diagnostic and surgical care volume during her tenure. Under her leadership the Division became the sixth fellowship in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery recognized by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1997. The fellowship has subsequently been jointly accredited by the American Board of Urology under the new title: Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery. Dr. Wells directs the fellowship program that has graduated 10 fellows and currently has three fellows in training. Dr. Wells has extensive clinical knowledge and research experience in female pelvic floor disorders including urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and lower GI dysfunction. She has specific expertise in surgical techniques, performing vaginal and abdominal reconstructive surgeries, vesicovaginal, ureterovaginal and rectovaginal fistula repairs, and reconstructive surgeries for congenital genitourinary anomalies. Her research has been supported by external funding from a number of sources including NIH and the pharmaceutical industry. She was a co-investigator and prinicipal gynecologist for the UNC site of the NIH sponsored Women’s Health Initiative for 10 years and a co-investigator at the UNC site of the Pelvic Floor Disorders Network for 5 years. Other previous research areas include trials in medical management of incontinence, efficacy of biofeedback therapy, hormonal influences in post-menopausal women, and effects of childbirth and parturition on the pelvic floor. Current interest includes outcome measures for efficacy of prolapse surgeries, physical activities in women undergoing and after prolapse surgery, and alternative treatments for overactive bladder. AnnaMarie Connolly, MD is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and completed her fellowship in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery at the University of North Carolina. Dr. Connolly is an Associate Professor and has expertise in surgical procedures for incontinence, prolapse, and fistula repair. Dr. Connolly’s rich and extensive clinical experience covers all aspects of urogynecologic and prolapse evaluation and treatment, and includes a thorough knowledge of and familiarity with multi-channel urodynamics with fluoroscopy as well as gynecologic ultrasound including anal sphincter ultrasonography. She has significant experience with conservative treatments of pelvic floor disorders such as biofeedback with electrical stimulation, posterior tibial nerve stimulation, pessary management, and transurethral collagen injections. Dr. Connolly’s areas of research include the effects of pregnancy and childbirth on the pelvic floor, particularly on voiding function and anal sphincteric integrity after delivery. She also has very strong interests in medical educational research. She is Director of the Education Division within our OB/GYN department, is the Residency Program Director, and serves as the Director of Undergraduate Medical Education for the Department. Dr. Connolly’s commitment to education has also been recognized by the School of Medicine and the University. She is Director of the UNC-CH Teaching Scholars Program, a monthly educational faculty development seminar series for twelve participating faculty members from the School of Medicine. In November 2005, Dr. Connolly received the H. Fleming Fuller Award, given by the Board of Directors of the UNC Health Care System for excellence in patient care, teaching, and community service. On the national level, she serves as a Board Examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and serves as 1 of 5 members on the Women's Health Education Committee of APGO. Mary L. Jannelli, MD is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery. Dr. Jannelli completed a three year subspecialty fellowship in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery at UNC-CH and joined the faculty in 2002. Her research interests are outcome measures for operative procedures and parameters in evaluating lower GI dysfunctions. Dr. Jannelli has been the site principal investigator for a clinical drug trial for the treatment of stress incontinence and actively assists fellows in their research endeavors. Dr. Jannelli participates in the teaching and evaluation of the Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery fellows. The fellows recognize her as a successful teacher both in the outpatient and inpatient settings. She is particularly well appreciated for her teaching style in the operating room, allowing fellows to gain increasing autonomy while providing the appropriate level of supervision. She has expertise in minimally invasive surgeries, including laparoscopy, minimally invasive slings and our recently developed robotics program. Elizabeth Geller, MD is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and completed her Fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008. She has established an expertise in robotic and minimally invasive surgery and will lead our divisional efforts in UNC’s Computer and Robotic Enhanced Surgery Center . She also directs the Interstim Neuromodulation Program. Her leadership roles have included being Chief Administrative Resident as well as ACOG Section Chair during her residency at the University of California at Irvine and Lead Fellow for the AUGS Fellows Task Force within the American Urogynecological Society. Her teaching excellence is demonstrated by receiving the Berlex Best Teaching Resident Award at UC-Irvine and the Fellows Teaching Award at UNC. Her research interests include short-term and long-term outcomes with robotic pelvic reconstructive surgery, clinical outcomes associated with a minimally invasive approach to anti-incontinence surgery and pelvic floor outcomes with cesarean delivery on maternal request. Wesley Fowler, MD is the Division Chief of Gynecologic Oncology. He has extensive experience in complex pelvic surgery as well as expertise in gastrointestinal and genital-urinary procedures. His areas of expertise include large and small bowel procedures, ureteral anastomosis and reimplantation, and urinary diversion procedures. He has been a strong supporter of the Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery fellowship both at the local and national levels. He was a member of the original American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology Committee for the development and accreditation of our new subspecialty. John Thorp, MD is subspecialty certified in Maternal Fetal Medicine and is the Director of the Division of Women’s Primary Care. He has particular expertise and interest in the relationship between pregnancies, delivery and postpartum to immediate as well as long-term symptoms of urinary and pelvic floor dysfunction. He has a very active research and educational role within our department and has received the Resident Teaching Award three times in the past seven years. He is the Director of the UNC Center for Women’s Health Research. John Steege, MD is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Director for the Division of Advanced Laparoscopy and Pelvic Pain. He adds further dimension to the program with his expertise in laparoscopic and robotic surgery. He is nationally recognized for his work on pelvic pain and sexual dysfunction. He coordinates the Pelvic Pain Clinic, which is multidisciplinary and includes physicians in Neurology, Anesthesia, Psychiatry, and Gastrointestinal Medicine. William Whitehead, Ph.D. is a Research Professor of Medicine and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is coordinator of the rotation in the GI Procedures laboratory. He has a primary interest in defecatory dysfunction and fecal incontinence, and behavioral and biofeedback therapy for functional gastrointestinal disorders. His expertise includes anal manometry and anorectal biofeedback therapy. Dr Whitehead actively participates in the monthly Pelvic Floor Disorders Conferences and the Pelvic Floor Disorders Network. Timothy Sadiq, MD is a certified Colorectal Surgeon recently completing his Fellowship from The Lahey Clinic in Massachusetts. He joined the UNC-CH GI Surgical Division on August 1, 2007. He completed his Surgical Residency at UNC-CH and served in the capacity of Administrative Chief Resident. His interests include complex anorectal disorders, transplantation and stem cell research. He has received several Chief Resident Awards and has served on Medical Student Education and Organ Donation Initiative Committees. Raj S. Pruthi, MD is Associate Professor of Surgery/Urology and Director of Urologic Oncology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also serves as disease group leader for the Genitourinary Oncology Program at the NIH-sponsored Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at UNC. His clinical and research interests are in urologic oncology including bladder, kidney, and prostate cancer. He has contributed over 100 peer review publications in these areas. Additional interests include minimally-invasive treatments for urologic malignancies, such as laparoscopic and robotic approaches, and evaluation of their role in urologic oncology. Basic science research interests include the study of inflammatory pathways in the development and treatment of urologic cancers. Dr. Pruthi is currently a member of the American Urologic Association’s Committee for Guidelines on the Management of Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer, the American College of Surgeons Advisory Panel for Urology, and the Board of Directors for the Southeastern Section of the American Urological Association. Other University of North Carolina faculty who are directly involved in fellowship training are:James F. Howard, Jr. MDProfessor, Neurology, and Medicine Julia Fielding, MDAssociate Professor, Radiology Mark Koruda, MDAssociate Professor, Gastrointestinal Surgery Yolanda Scarlett, MDAssociate Professor, GI Medicine Jan Busby-Whitehead, MDAssociate Professor, Medicine |