A Message from Our Team

A Message from Our Team

In collaboration with VCU’s Massey Cancer Center, the Division of Gynecologic Oncology is dedicated to the patient-centric care of women with and at risk for cancers of the reproductive tract including uterine, ovarian, cervical, vaginal, vulvar and trophoblastic.

Gynecologic oncology provides unique continuity of patient care by delivering both surgical and chemotherapeutic treatments to our patients, and we do so in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team that includes medical, surgical and radiation oncology, pathology, cancer genetics and radiology. We are committed to bringing the most current evidence-based treatments to Central Virginia’s diverse population, while collaborating nationally and internationally to develop tomorrow’s treatments through clinical trials of novel therapeutics and surgical innovation.

OB/GYN Residency

Over the course of the four-year program, OB/GYN residents at VCU spend eight months on gynecologic oncology rotations, with the option of additional exposure during the third-year elective. Residents gain experience and knowledge in gynecologic malignancies through myriad learning opportunities.

Formal teaching sessions

Residents rotate through our eight-week didactic curriculum multiple times throughout their training, which is updated annually.

Week 1: Endometrial cancer and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS)
Week 2: Ovarian cancer
Week 3: Cervical cancer
Week 4: Vulvar cancer and vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN)
Week 5: Gestational trophoblastic disease
Week 6: Genetics and genomics of gynecologic cancer
Week 7: Palliative care
Week 8: Surgical complications

Participation in cancer surgery

We are committed to providing comprehensive surgical education for residents, and trainees gain experience in both open and robotic surgeries.

Didactic learning

Our structured system of teaching rounds and conferences includes a weekly tumor board case review and a weekly team huddle, which facilitate interdisciplinary team communication.

Residents also participate in the following:

Outpatient chemotherapy and the critical care management of inpatients
Surgical and medical management of radiation therapy patients
Surgical management of cancer patients in a private practice settings

Through the use of myTIPreport, residents receive real-time feedback on milestones and surgical procedures.

Learn more about the OB/GYN residency program

Opportunities for Medical Students

We are excited to host third-year and fourth-year medical students in our service.

Third-year students participate in rounds, clinic and the operating room, and the rotation includes weekly didactic teaching. We invite fourth-year students to participate in our month-long acting internship (AI), with preference, due to current COVID-19 precautions, given to VCU students and those at institutions without gynecologic oncology programs.

To advance the field of gynecologic oncology and provide the latest innovations in patient care, our team participates in extensive clinical and translational research.

We are excited to partner with residents on their projects, with a broad range of research areas including the following:

Volume of lymphatic metastasis in cervical cancer: Does size matter?
Implicit gender bias in surgeons
Feedback and teacher level; association between experience and quality of feedback.
Genetic counseling referrals for gynecologic oncology: Are we missing opportunities?

Translational research opportunities within the division include a clinical and pathological examination of molecular risk factors in endometrial cancer, and the clinical pathologic expression of cell cycle regulatory complexes in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma.