Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery

The University Hospitals Urology Institute Female Pelvic Medicine & Surgery Center is a national leader in conducting unparalleled research and clinical trials on pelvic floor disorders. We bring together many perspectives and disciplines, allowing us to enhance research ideas and bring them to our patients.

Our expert team is actively engaged in finding innovative ways to improve pelvic floor conditions such as urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse with groundbreaking research such as:

• Breakthrough investigational studies using stem cells for treatment of stress urinary incontinence
• Clinical research on how to improve recovery of maternal birth injury and stress incontinence
• Comparative effectiveness research in surgical treatment of uterovaginal prolapse
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning in management of overactive bladder
• Application of AI/ML for outcomes after urologic surgery
• Urinary molecular markers of Urgency incontinence
• The interaction of central nervous system and bladder disorders

Peer Reviewed Funded Grants

Discovering new medical techniques or improvements to patient care is a vital component of our research mission at University Hospitals. Targeted research for female pelvic medicine conditions or treatments is funded through research grants by organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, including:

• Collagen-based tissue guidance biofabric for treatment of stress urinary incontinence. (PI: Subba Shankar) Co-Investigator (Adonis Hijaz, Ozan Akkus). 3/1/2020- 2/28/2022. (NIH- 1 R44 HD102241-01)
• ICECAN- Interstitial Cystitis- Evaluation of the Central Autonomic Network (PI: Thomas Chelimsky) Co-Investigator (Adonis Hijaz). NIH- 2R01DK083538-06A1.
• Immunoregenerative treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence by Autologous Macrophage. PI: Ozan Akkus and Adonis Hijaz. 2018-2020 1R21HD095439-01
• Validation of the biochemical and mechanical characteristic of collagen based biotextile sling in large animal model. University Hospitals Technology Validation Startup Fund” (TECG20170071) from the Third Frontier Program of the Ohio Development Services Agency. PI: Adonis Hijaz and Ozan Akkus 2017-2018
• Evaluation of Urinary Cholinergic Metabolites in Patients with and without Overactive Bladder. Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative of Cleveland CTSC Core Utilization Pilot Grant (UL1TR002548) PI: David Sheyn, MD

Clinical Research & Trials

• Renalis – Overactive Bladder Behavioral Therapy Study
• AI prediction algorithm using MTOPS data to predict response of BPH to medical therapy
• AI prediction algorithm for post-operative UTI after female urologic surgery
• Using urinary biomarkers to identify patients with overactive bladder
• Using AI to develop appropriateness criteria for preoperative testing with Peter Pronovost, Adonis Hijaz, Heather McFarland
• Using AI to develop clinical phenotypes of overactive bladder with Anant Madabhushi, Sarah Markt