Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health
Complex Benign Gynecology Fellowship Program
Montefiore Einstein delivers high-quality care to a diverse population, presenting our fellows with unique challenges and opportunities. Our program aims to improve the health of our patients through compassionate care, scientific discovery, humanistic education, and community engagement.
Kari M. Plewniak, MD, Program Director, Complex Benign Gynecology Fellowship
Why our program could be right for you
Our two-year American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL)-accredited fellowship program accepts one fellow annually, offering an intensive and focused training experience. Fellows receive hands-on instruction in the diagnosis and management of complex gynecologic conditions including fibroids, adenomyosis, endometriosis, and complex chronic pelvic pain. They become skilled in operative laparoscopy, robotic surgery, and vaginal and abdominal approaches to complex pathology. Training also includes hysteroscopy in both the office and operating room settings. Our goal is to support fellows in becoming excellent surgeons, clinicians, and educators. They play an active role in teaching medical students and residents through clinical responsibilities and simulation.
Our 2026 program at a glance
2-Year Fellowship
- PGY-5 and PGY-6: MIGS
- Gynecology service coverage (approximately one week per month), serving as the independent attending for benign gynecologic care
Call Schedule
- 3-4 Gynecology calls per month at the Moses campus. Calls are typically every other Monday night from 5pm to 8am
- One 12 to 24 hour weekend shift per month
- Calls are compensated in addition to house staff salary
Didactics
- Weekly: Journal Club (FMIGS Didactics Curriculum)
- Quarterly: Imaging Review and Video Review
Breakdown of fellow duties by level
Complex Benign Gynecology Fellowship PGY-5
- Develop advanced hysteroscopic skills using the resectoscope
- Learn minimally invasive techniques for managing large fibroid uteri, tissue extraction, and surgically complex abdomens
- Gain familiarity with a comprehensive approach to chronic pelvic pain evaluation and management
- Perform operative cystoscopies
- Participate in resident education in the OR, provide coverage for the benign gynecology service, and staff the preoperative booking clinic
Complex Benign Gynecology Fellowship PGY-6
- Continue refining and advancing skills acquired during PGY-5
- Achieve mastery of advanced robotic techniques, including retroperitoneal dissection, endometriosis resection, and myomectomy
- Engage in simulation-based training and resident education
- Participate in resident education in the OR, provide coverage for the benign gynecology service, and staff the preoperative booking clinic
I chose this program for its high surgical volume, broad exposure to surgical modalities and strong balance between surgical and medical management. Our attendings are deeply supportive and committed to our growth as fellows and independent practitioners.
Rachel Zeuner, MD
PGY-5
An academic hospital adjacent to Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Montefiore Einstein Weiler Hospital is a 421-bed private hospital located in the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx, adjacent to Albert Einstein College of Medicine. This location offers innovative gynecological and family planning services, patient-centered primary and specialty care, and comprehensive cancer screening and treatment services. The gynecologic team operates and covers the inpatient gynecology service and is supported by three Xi robotic systems for advanced robotic surgery, while collaborating closely with colorectal, general surgery, and urology teams. Weiler Hospital is also a New York State-designated Regional Perinatal Center and a New York State-designated Stroke Center.
An ambulatory surgery center and specialty care location
Our Hutchinson Campus raises the bar for efficiency and innovation in healthcare. Designed with patients in mind, the 11-floor, 280,000-square-foot facility is a highly streamlined, patient-focused ambulatory care center that maximizes efficiency. The Hutchinson Campus is home to multiple specialties and services under one roof, often on the same floor, enabling greater physician collaboration, easier referrals, joint consultations, and shorter wait times. It also houses an ambulatory surgery center where the full spectrum of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery is performed in an outpatient setting, including laparoscopy, hysteroscopy, and vaginal surgery.
Home to notable programs and our Centers of Excellence
Located in the Norwood section of the Bronx, Montefiore Einstein Hospital, Moses Campus provides leading patient care through many notable programs, including a New York State-designated AIDS Center, and a New York State-designated Stroke Center. The gynecology service operates and covers inpatient gynecologic care and supports a busy gynecologic consult service, with access to three Xi robotic systems for advanced minimally invasive surgery. Care is delivered through close collaboration with colorectal, general surgery, and urology teams, offering fellows and residents broad exposure to complex, multidisciplinary patient care.
Centennial Building
The Pelvic Pain Clinic at the Centennial Building offers comprehensive training in the evaluation and management of complex chronic pelvic pain syndromes and related pathologies. Fellows gain procedural experience with interventions such as trigger point injections and bladder instillations. The campus also includes a dedicated ultrasound unit, providing hands-on training in both image acquisition and interpretation. In addition, fellows receive training in office-based operative hysteroscopy.
Comprehensive Family Care Center (CFCC)
At the Comprehensive Family Care Center (CFCC), fellows are supervised by the Complex Benign Gynecology fellowship faculty serving as teaching attendings in the resident pre-operative clinic. Fellows gain experience functioning as precepting attendings while learning best practices in perioperative and longitudinal patient care. Faculty provide training in trigger point injections and offer broad exposure to the comprehensive management of complex benign gynecologic conditions.
Our program trains well-rounded experts in complex benign gynecology through comprehensive clinical and surgical training. Fellows master robotic, laparoscopic, hysteroscopic, and vaginal techniques and train in chronic pelvic pain care.
Kari M. Plewniak, MD
Program Director, Complex Benign Gynecology Fellowship
A world-renowned faculty
Kari M. Plewniak, MD
Program Director, Complex Benign Gynecology Fellowship
Associate Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health
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Mark D. Levie, MD
Vice Chair, Gynecology
Associate Program Director, Complex Benign Gynecology Fellowship
Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health
Full Profile
Dmitry Fridman, MD
Associate Program Director, Complex Benign Gynecology Fellowship
Associate Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health
Full Profile
Lance R. Bruck, MD, CPE
Executive Vice Chair, Clinical Affairs & Strategic Development, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health
Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health
Full Profile
Himabindu Reddy, MD
Associate Program Director, Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program
Assistant Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health
Full ProfileCurrent fellows
Faculty and scientists at the forefront of research
Admission and Application Process
Qualifications
To apply to the Complex Benign Gynecology Fellowship Program, you must:
- Have successfully completed four years of a postgraduate program in Obstetrics & Gynecology in the United States or Canada prior to the date on which your fellowship would begin and have passed USMLE Step III by January of the year you would begin the program to ensure licensure
- We do accept foreign medical graduates. However, Montefiore Medical Center sponsors J1 visas and H1B visas as long as the $100,000 fee is not applicable
Number of Positions
One position is available in the Complex Benign Gynecology Program at Montefiore Medical Center
Important Dates:
- Tuesday, February 3, 2026 - Application Opens
- Thursday, February 19, 2026 5:00 pm PT/ 8:00 pm ET - Centralized Application Service (CAS) Webinar
- Friday, May 1, 2026 - Application Deadline
- Tuesday, May 26, 2026 - First Wave of Interview Notifications
- Monday, June 1, 2026 - Deadline for Candidates to Accept/Decline Interview Invitation
- Tuesday, June 2, 2026 - Second Wave of Interview Notifications
- Wednesday, June 24, 2026 - Match Opens
- Wednesday, July 15, 2026 - Rank Opens
- Wednesday, August 19, 2026 - Quota Deadline
- Wednesday, September 9, 2026 - Rank Order List Certification Deadline
- Wednesday, September 23, 2026 - Match Day
- Number of Positions Available - 1
- Length of Program - 2 years
How to Apply
To apply for a Complex Benign Gynecology Fellowship position, you must submit an application using FellowshipsCAS. FellowshipsCAS | Streamlined Fellowship Applications & Program Management
We will use signaling in the FellowshipsCAS application. Paper applications are not accepted for fellowship positions
Appointments for the fellowship program are made through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Applicants must register through the NRMP http://www.nrmp.org/
The following supplemental materials are required for program acceptance consideration:
- Curriculum Vitae
- A Personal Statement
- At least three letters of recommendation from faculty members familiar with your performance (one letter must be from the Residency Program Director).
https://www.aamc.org/media/45531/download?attachment
- Official USMLE Transcript
- Official Medical School Transcript
- Photograph
- Medical Student Performance Evaluation
- CREOG Scores (optional)
Have questions? Get in touch.
Daiana Actis
Fellowship Program Administrator
dactis@montefiore.org
Learn more about the Montefiore Einstein Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health