Kimberly Kenton, MD, MS, FACOG, FACS, has been appointed Chief of the Section of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery and Professor with tenure at the University of Chicago. As Chief, Dr. Kenton will be instrumental in helping the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology establish a urogynecologic surgery practice in Chicago’s Northern Suburbs. Additionally, Dr. Kenton has been appointed Vice Chair of Research for the Department and will serve as a resource for faculty career development and research initiatives.
A lifelong resident of Illinois, Dr. Kenton completed her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She received her medical degree from Rush University Medical College, where she also completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Kenton completed fellowship training in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery at Loyola University Medical Center, and shortly thereafter received her master’s in Clinical Research Design and Statistical Analysis from the University of Michigan. Dr. Kenton joins us from Northwestern University, where she served as Chief of the Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery and Director of the Women’s Integrated Pelvic Health Program.
Dr. Kenton’s clinical and translational research expertise and leadership contributions to the field of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery are outstanding. She was among the first urogynecologic surgeons to transition from open to laparoscopic and then robotic reconstructive pelvic surgery. Dr. Kenton published widely on these topics, which earned her numerous honors and international recognition for her minimally invasive treatment approach to pelvic floor disorders. She is also an advocate of urogynecological and surgical education – especially for women entering the field – and has served as both a residency program director in Obstetrics and Gynecology and fellowship program director in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery. Most recently, she received the Raymond A. Lee Award from the American Urogynecologic Society for her advances in urogynecology and excellence in teaching urogynecologic surgery. She serves on the board of directors of the American Board of OB&GYN.
As a scientist Dr. Kenton’s primary research focuses on clinical effectiveness trials and patient-centered outcomes for pelvic floor disorder treatments. She is efficient at creating and developing productive multidisciplinary research teams and has over two decades of continuous federal funding from the NIH and has published more than 250 paper. At the University of Chicago, Dr. Kenton will establish our institution as a member of the NIH’s Pelvic Floor Disorders Network, expanding our ability to collaborate on research to improve patient care for a variety of urogynecologic conditions.
The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is extremely proud to welcome Dr. Kenton to our leadership team. We look forward to your contributions to medical training, research and patient care that will enrich the education and lives of those in the UChicago Medicine community and beyond.
