About
CBG Fellowship Program Requirements: 2024 FMIGS Program Requirements
The Complex Benign Gynecology (CBG) was developed to address the concern that most graduating residents in obstetrics and gynecology were not fully trained in modern endoscopic surgery.
The Fellowship offers two and three year comprehensive training program in advanced gynecologic endoscopy to graduating gynecologic residents who are interested in a focus in complex benign surgery.
Offered through 52 hospital sites across the USA, 3 in Canada, 1 in Brazil, 1 in Colombia, 1 in Mexico and 1 in Ireland.
Educational objectives focus on evidence-based medicine, anatomical principles, instrumentation, operative laparoscopy, operative hysteroscopy, and robotics.
600+ fellow have successfully graduated the CBG Fellowship program.
Definition of a CBG Surgeon: A complex benign surgeon is a physician who has obtained additional training and/or experience to manage complex gynecologic disorders, and can serve as a consultant for the community.
Mission Statement
The mission of the national and international Complex Benign Gynecology Fellowship is to assure quality training for graduates of OBGYN residencies who desire to focus their career in the delivery of excellent advanced benign gynecologic surgery and clinical practice. We aspire to do this through:
- Program Oversight—We oversee all CBG fellowship programs and work closely with their PDs, APDs, and fellows to maintain a high standard of training.
- Educational Opportunities—We align with AAGL to provide annual educational opportunities for CBG fellows that follow our educational objectives and connect fellows with nationally-recognized faculty and encourage their growth as leaders.
- Research Opportunities—We organize committees and identify resources to allow fellows to participate in national collaborations for the design, implementation, and publication of research that aim to improve women’s health.
- Strategic Planning—We will closely monitor the need and opportunity for CBG training in the US and abroad; and collaborate with other OBGYN organizations regarding subspecialty recognition and benchmarks. Additionally, we will continue to assess ongoing patient outcomes in order to modify training parameters and suggest practice guidelines.
- Patient Care—In addition to surgical training, we will provide high-level educational opportunities for the medical treatment of complex benign gynecologic disorders. We will collaborate with patients and patient-advocates to provide evidence-based educational materials and facilitate communication about these conditions.
Our vision is to assure quality and uniform training of graduates of the fellowship in complex benign gynecology.
History
In the late 1980s, Veasy Buttram, M.D. proposed and initiated a one-year fellowship in reproductive surgery. The program was developed because he recognized that most graduating residents in obstetrics and gynecology were not fully trained in modern endoscopic surgery. In addition, it was recognized that private physicians were developing most of the advances in endoscopic surgery in non-university hospitals. Several leading reproductive surgeons who were recognized for their surgical skills and interests in teaching were recruited to serve as preceptors for the SRS (Society of Reproductive Surgeons) Fellowship.
During the 1990s, similar fellowships were established on an ad hoc basis without formal affiliation with the AAGL or the SRS. These fellowships focused on a variety of clinical areas, primarily due to the interests and practices of the sponsoring physician. In 2001, the AAGL and the SRS Fellowship Committee collaborated to establish the Complex Benign Gynecology Fellowship with a standardized minimal curriculum and a requirement for research. The first Fellowships were granted to seven preceptees at seven sites throughout the United States. No longer affiliated with the SRS, the AAGL/CBG Fellowship program has successfully graduated 700+ fellows.