The Department of Urology is pleased to announce expansion of its program in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
with the addition of Michelle Van Kuiken, MD, to the faculty.
Dr. Van Kuiken completed her undergraduate work at University of Texas at Austin and then attended medical school at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. From there, she went first to Chicago to complete her residency at Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine and then to UCLA to do a fellowship.
With dedicated fellowship training in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS), Dr. Van Kuiken specializes in urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, complex lower urinary tract dysfunction, mesh complications, as well as post-surgical and obstetric fistula.
Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery has been recognized by the American Board of Urology as a designated boarded subspecialty since 2013. Dr. Van Kuiken has benefitted from training by both urologists and gynecologists who are experts in the field of FPMRS and looks forward to bringing this expertise to the UCSF community. Part of her passion, too, comes from the fact that “over 30 percent of the patients who seek the help of urologists are women,” she says. “But less than 10% of the practicing urologists are female. I want to serve these patients better.”
“Dr. Van Kuiken brings a set of skills and commitment to patients that will enhance our ability to provide care to patients with complex urologic issues and needs,” says Raj Pruthi, MD, MHA, FACS, Professor of the Department of Urology. “We welcome her to our department and the university as a whole.”
For Dr. Van Kuiken, UCSF provides a chance both to excel as a urologist and re-connect with family. Having spent her first 12 years in the East Bay, she still has family locally – including her grandparents and parents. “The combination of the family pull and the fact that UCSF is a premier institution with one of the top urology departments in the country makes this an outstanding opportunity,” she says.
“I am very excited to work with Dr. Van Kuiken and support her in her transition here,” says Anne Suskind, MD, MS, FACS, an Associate Professor of Urology at UCSF as well as the Chief of Neurourology and Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery and the Director of Faculty Development. “We are delighted she is joining our team.”