Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Urology is now accepting applications for a new fellowship focused on andrology and male sexual and reproductive medicine.
This is the first training program in andrology/sexual medicine in Indiana, and one of only 19 in the United States. The program will teach fellows to become experts in providing specialized care in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of issues like erectile dysfunction, Peyronie’s disease, male infertility and more.
“We are so excited to offer this fellowship program, which will allow us to train the next generation of physicians on the comprehensive care for men dealing with these difficult issues,” said Helen Bernie, DO, MPH, Director of Male Sexual and Reproductive Medicine and assistant professor of urology. Bernie is the new fellowship’s director and the first woman in the country to start and lead a fellowship program in Andrology/Male Sexual and Reproductive Medicine.
“Women make up only 10 percent of practicing urologists in the U.S.,” Bernie said, “and even less of practicing specialists in male sexual and reproductive medicine. We hope our program will encourage more women to apply to the field and emphasize the importance of this urological subspecialty to improve overall men’s health.”
IU School of Medicine is home to the only urology residency program in Indiana. The new fellowship provides an additional training opportunity for graduating residents from both IU and other parts of the country to study the specialty. They’ll learn from faculty at IU School of Medicine and treat patients through the school’s partnership with Indiana University Health.
“Fellows will be able to get one-on-one mentorship and hands on training in both the medical and surgical approaches to men’s health,” Bernie said. “They’ll see patients in clinic, learn to perform a comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of male sexual dysfunctions and male infertility, as well as become experts in performing complex penile surgeries, and microsurgical operations for fertility in the OR. In addition, fellows will have dedicated research time to help advance this field forward, as there is so much work to be done in the areas of men’s health and andrology.”
As one of the largest and oldest urology departments in the country, fellows will have the opportunity to work closely with faculty in other subspecialties, including at the IU Health Joe and Kelly Schwarz Cancer Center. Cancer patients often experience sexual issues including low libido, low testosterone, erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory dysfunctions, or infertility as a result of cancer or the cancer treatments they are undergoing, whether surgical, chemotherapy or radiation. This fellowship will train doctors to provide unmatched multidisciplinary care and cancer survivorship for cancer patients with these concerns.
As one of only a few institutions in the country that offer fertility preservation and family planning, fellows will also participate in IU’s Fertility Preservation program which seeks to offer fertility preservation options for adolescents and young adults prior to chemotherapies or surgical treatments that may render them infertile.
“The fellow will spend time in the cancer center, which is a multidisciplinary cancer survivorship clinic,” Bernie said. “They will develop expertise in starting up and running their own cancer survivorship sexual and reproductive health program as well as a fertility preservation program, managing these common problems that people experience both during and after cancer treatments. Our fellows will leave this program with world-class training, a superb skill set and knowledge base and be well equipped to become the next leaders and experts in the field.”
The department will take one fellow per year, starting in the summer of 2023. Applicants for the 2024 academic year will use the American Urological Association match process. For more information about the new Andrology/Male Sexual and Reproductive Medicine Fellowship, contact Ashley Fox at afox12@iuhealth.org or Helen Bernie at hbernie@iuhealth.org.
Click here to learn more about andrology and male sexual medicine at IU School of Medicine.