Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellowship (Minnesota) - Residencies and Fellowships - Mayo Clinic College of Medicine & Science

Page Content

Overview

The Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, offers a rich diversity of surgical and clinical training which spans benign gynecologic surgery. Your experience will range from office hysteroscopy to complex endometriosis and retroperitoneal dissection.

Our exceptional surgical team provides expertise in the management of uterine fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis, chronic pelvic pain, infertility, uterine anomalies, and abnormal uterine bleeding. You will train in both conventional laparoscopic surgery and robotics.

Fellowship highlights include:

A rich clinical experience. There are no private patients at Mayo Clinic, which offers a great opportunity to care for a wide variety of local, national, and international patients with both common and rare conditions.
A robust evaluation system to ensure that you are progressing through surgical cases and will be able to perform all steps of the surgery independently by the end of fellowship.
Team-based models of care in Abnormal Bleeding Clinic and Chronic Pelvic Pain Clinic.
Research support with funding and protected time leading to scientific presentations and peer-reviewed publications. There are opportunities for you to complete additional training in research methodology if desired.
A formal quality improvement program in which the fellow aids residents in identifying cases for systematic review and presents yearly at the Quality and Safety Conference.
A three-site, cutting-edge didactic program offering fellows learning opportunities from faculty at the Mayo Clinic campuses in Arizona and Florida, as well as a local didactic program including robust simulation and team-based learning experiences.
A gross surgical anatomy course taught by an anatomist and gynecologic surgeon.

hospital in Minnesota and nationally recognized on the Best Hospitals Honor Roll (U.S. News, 2024-25)

year program

adult obstetrics and gynecology hospital (U.S. News, 2024-25)

Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery fellows in an operating room at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Your training experience

As a fellow at Mayo Clinic, you'll have access to robust clinical, educational, and research resources. You'll find support both inside and outside of the campus to promote physical and mental wellness and ensure your work/life balance.

More about the curriculum

Meet our current fellow

Director's welcome

Our goal is to train the future leaders in pelvic surgery who will also embody the guiding principle of Mayo Clinic: The needs of the patient come first. We offer surgical expertise in a top-notch health care system with exceptional research resources and opportunities for innovation.

Frequently asked questions (and answers)

What is the patient mix?

At Mayo Clinic you have the opportunity to care for a wide variety of patients. There are world-renowned experts in almost every obstetric and gynecologic disease at Mayo, which makes this a destination for patients with diagnostic and management challenges.

Mayo Clinic serves as a local, regional, and national center for care of common clinical pathology and rare, complex patient presentations. Minnesota also has diverse immigrant populations, including communities from Southeast Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe.

Are there opportunities to teach?

We rely on our fellows to educate peers, students, allied health staff, community members, and even staff.

Your opportunities to teach run the gamut – from the informal and formal teaching on your surgical team, to designing and delivering didactic teaching for residents through the guidance of the faculty.

The program director is actively engaged with the ACOG simulation working group which offers an arena for dissemination of your work to other programs nationally.

What is it like to live in Rochester?

Rochester is consistently recognized as one of the best cities to live in the U.S. Our fellows enjoy the small-town safety and conveniences paired with an array of diverse restaurants, entertainment venues, recreation spots, and activities for both families and young professionals.

Diana Encalada Soto, M.D.

"I enjoy the pace of Rochester. It is a very safe, calm, and family-friendly city. Lots of young professionals live here. I love my commute each morning (it's less than 5 minutes)!"

Diana Encalada Soto, M.D.
Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellow

Adela Cope, M.D.

“Rochester is an easy city to live in. It’s super easy to get to and from work every day, and although winter is real here, the city tends to manage it well. I personally enjoy the farmer’s market, going to trivia with my friends, lifting weights at the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center, and hanging out after work with my coworkers. It’s not too far from the Twin Cities, which is great because my husband and I love going to concerts and music festivals. The music scene is also starting to pick up in Rochester, though, so we don’t always have to make the drive to go to a show!”

Adela Cope, M.D.
Fellowship Graduate and Current Faculty Member