Genital Reconstructive Fellowship Program
Coordinated by Dr. Omer Acar at UI Hospital, the Division of Reconstructive Urology sponsors a special fellowship in genital reconstruction and uro-genital dysfunction, with an emphasis on transgender health relative to gender affirmation surgery. The Fellow is trained and participates in a range of clinical and research activities, including surgical procedures and a host of regular meetings and conferences.
About the Program Heading link
The Genital Reconstructive Fellowship Program is designed to ensure that upon completion, trainees achieve a targeted knowledge of uro-genital dysfunction including transgender health. The program is also designed to ensure that on completion, trainees have the requisite surgical skills to perform reconstructive procedures such as phalloplasty, vaginectomies, neouretra reconstruction, harvesting of different flap sites. The program is also designed to ensure that on completion, trainees have the requisite surgical skills to perform procedures and to learn, when the fellow has become an attending and is in practice, how to advance their base and surgical skills to maintain fluency with current reconstructive surgical practice. Thus, the fellow learns to understand that reconstructive and transgender medicine is not stagnant, is ever changing, and that they must strive to keep up with, and critically evaluate changes in diagnosis and therapy that may arise in the future. These goals are accomplished through a broad range of conferences, participation and attendance in local and national meetings and research. Most important, these goals are accomplished by direct supervision of the fellow by 2 attendings with subspecialty interest in reconstructive and transgender medicine and surgery, and international recognition. Our goal is not only to provide trainees who have the prerequisite knowledge, abilities and skills to practice reconstructive medicine and surgery, but physicians who should they choose, be effective teachers of urologists in urology residency training programs.
Length of Fellowship: This is a 12-month program
Application Process Heading link
- Send your CV, head shot, personal statement, 3 letters of recommendation, and the standard UIC graduate medical education form via email to uroed@uic.edu
- Applications for the 2026- 2027 fellowship are being accepted and interviews are being held now.
- We welcome foreign applicants with ECFMG certification. Applicants must have taken USMLE Step1 and Step2CK.
Didactic Resources Heading link
University of Illinois Hospital is utilized for fellow education. The objectives for participation in the clinic are to learn the methods for evaluation of new transgender patients, to develop diagnostic and treatment plans for urologic problems, and to learn continuity of care through follow-up of patients.
Fellow Alumni Heading link
- 2024 Jose Manuel Enrique Quesada Olarte, MD, Urologist – UPMC, Coudersport, PA
- 2023 Ahmad Hefnawy Mohmmad Hefnawy,MD – Ain Shams University, Egypt.
- 2022 Juan Diego Cedeno Gaviria, MD
- 2021 Alexandra Millman, MD – University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- 2020 Omer Acar, MD – University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL