UNMC_Acronym_Vert_sm_4c
University of Nebraska Medical Center

About Us

The Obstetrics and Gynecology faculty provide education for our residents and third- and fourth-year medical students, in addition to being health care providers in the Nebraska Medicine system. This is a diversified specialty that involves medical and surgical care of the female patient’s reproductive system and associated disorders.

Subspecialties include:

  • Maternal-fetal medicine, which is health care for high-risk pregnancies
  • Reproductive endocrinology, which is the study of physiology and pathophysiology of hormones in the female body, and infertility
  • Gynecologic oncology, which is the management of gynecological cancers
  • Female pelvic medicine, which is the management of such disorders as pelvic organ prolapse and female urinary incontinence
  • Pediatric and adolescent gynecology, which is health care for girls and teens that encompasses preventative health care education, as well as medical and surgical care for common to complex issues

Read more about us

Department Emphasis
• Accredited four-year residency program
• Third-year medical student clerkship
• Robust, collaborative women’s health research enterprise
• Service to the underserved
• Entrepreneurial, integrated faculty-resident clinical practice
• An environment to attract and retain the best health care professionals
Our Residents, Faculty and Clinical Locations
  • Residency Program: We currently have 17 residents. Four residents are selected per year from over 200 applications.
  • Faculty: In our department, faculty have three main roles which are to educate our learners, provide patient care in the clinics and hospital, and perform research.
  • Patient Care: Clinical locations include eight affiliate hospitals, three Nebraska Medicine clinic sites, and nine outreach clinic sites

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology abides by the UNMC strategic plan that states we will: 

1. Advance the programs and culture of UNMC as an exemplary culturally sensitive, diverse & inclusive organization in its mission of transforming lives through premier education, innovative research, and extraordinary patient care.

2. Promote equal educational and employment opportunities in the academic and work environment such that everyone is free from discrimination and/or harassment. We are dedicated to creating an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and included.

In addition, per UNMC’s 2022-2025 strategic plan, the department also will address these statements regarding diversity, equity and inclusivity: Ensure UNMC is an exemplary culturally sensitive, diverse & inclusive organization in its mission of transforming lives through preeminent education, innovative research, and extraordinary care. 

1. Enhance the recruitment, engagement, and mentorship of faculty, students and staff. Increase retention, recruitment, engagement and mentorship of all faculty, students and staff to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion across all UNMC and Nebraska Medicine programs and sites. 

2. Maintain a welcoming and safe environment for all learners, faculty, staff & patients. Maintain a welcoming and safe environment for all learners, faculty, staff, patients and those visiting our campus sites. 

3. Assure that all students, faculty, and staff own and model their individual IDE role. Assure that all students, faculty, and staff own and model their individual role in a welcoming, collaborative, and inclusive culture at UNMC that aids in recruitment of a more diverse university community and health care workforce. 

4. Require implicit bias training for those serving on admissions and search committees. Require implicit bias training for all faculty, students and staff members of UNMC serving on admissions and search committees. 

5. Share best practices that improve the culture of equity, inclusion, and diversity. Identify and share institutional best practices that improve the current UNMC culture of equity, inclusivity, and diversity across the educational, research and clinical care mission sets.

Research Highlights

Research Focus
  • Our mission is to advance knowledge of women’s health and cancer while training the next generation of scientists and facilitating collaborative interactions among clinicians and basic scientists.
  • Specifically, we focus on understanding female fertility and menopause, as well as understanding the devastating nature of ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancers.
  • It is our hope that discoveries associated with these scientific pursuits will translate to innovative approaches to improve women’s health and ultimately improve care for women.
  • We have four basic science research laboratories, which are funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, The National Institute for Food and Agriculture, the University of Nebraska Foundation, the State of Nebraska, and the Olson Center for Women’s Health.
  • Our group has attracted $14.5 million in research funding in the last ten years.
Academic Research
The lab directors and the research their teams conduct include John S. Davis, PhD, signal transduction pathways that govern cell proliferation; Shyamal K. Roy, PhD, follicle morphogenesis during perinatal development; So-Youn Kim, PhD, oncofertility; and Lynda K. Harris, PhD, placental dysfunction and placental-specific drug delivery systems.
Clinical Research
We are members of the NRG/Gynecologic Oncology Group, which is affiliated with the National Cancer Institute. We strive to aggressively pursue novel clinical therapies for our cancer patients. Kerry Rodabaugh, MD, is the principal investigator for the Gynecologic Oncology Group contract.
Resident Research
Each resident is required to pursue a research project during their four years of residency. Our physician faculty play prominent roles in resident research by serving as faculty advisors.