The current Fellowship Program in Gynecologic Oncology at The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics was established in 1990 to provide complete training in all aspects of gynecologic cancer management.  Graduates are well prepared for a career in academic medicine and have been appointed to academic positions after completing the program.  Although administratively part of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Division of Gynecologic Oncology is physically located within the John and Mary Pappajohn Clinical Cancer Center.  There are currently three full-time faculty:  Drs. Koen De Geest, David Bender, and Michael Goodheart.  Dr. Thomas Buekers will start as a fourth full-time Board – certified staff member on August 1, 2006.  Dr. De Geest is Director of the Gynecologic Oncology Division and directs the Fellowship Program.  Dr. Barrie Anderson is  Professor Emeritus.

The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics has a long history of excellence in the treatment of cancer.  The hospital's Tumor Registry enters approximately 2,500 new cancer cases each year.  Iowa also participates in the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program. The Holden Cancer Center has been granted Comprehensive Cancer Center status by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and this designation was renewed this year. 

525 new patients were seen on the Gynecologic Oncology Service between July 1, 2004 and June 30, 2005.  Operative procedures performed by the fellows included 21 radical hysterectomies, 35 radical or simple vulvectomies, 23 inguinal lymphadenectomies, 1 exenteration, 173 abdominal hysterectomies, 64 ovarian debulking procedures, 51 colostomies and other bowel procedures, 3 urinary diversions, 50 brachytherapy implants, and 109 other major operative procedures.

The University of Iowa is a founding member of the Gynecologic Oncology Group and participates actively in its protocols.  All gynecologic chemotherapy is conducted by the Division of Gynecologic Oncology.  There is excellent clinical cooperation with the Departments of Medical Oncology, Surgery, Urology, and Radiation Oncology. 

The faculty in the Department of Radiation Oncology consists of seven board-certified radiation oncologists, five medical physicists and four dosimetrists.  The newly created facility for Radiation Oncology is the Center of Excellence in Image Guided Radiation Therapy, which combines state-of-the-art imaging and treatment delivery equipment into the same department:  4 new Siemens ONCOR Plus linear accelerators with megavoltage cone beam CT, 3T MAGNETOM Trio MRI scanner, Biograph PET/CT scanner, mobile C-arm for fluoroscopy and kV cone beam CT, and optical image guidance. The emphasis in image-guidance will enable high-precision target delineation based on molecular and functional imaging, as well as development of novel assessment of tissue response to therapy.  The department continues to maintain active stereotatic radiosurgery and extracranial stereotatic radiotherapy programs.  There is a full complement of low dose rate sources and a Varian High Dose Rate treatment unit for HDR treatment of gynecologic malignancies.  Planning of radiotherapy treatment is performed using the Philips Pinnacle Treatment Planning System performing 3-D dosimetry, conformal radiation therapy , IMRT and brachytherapy. 

Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship

The fellowship is a three year ABOG approved program.  Our program complies with the 80-hour weekly duty requirement.