Dr. Fenner is the Chair and Bates Professor of Diseases of Women and Children at the University of Michigan. She attended undergraduate and medical school at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan followed by a fellowship in Pelvic Surgery and Urogynecology at the Mayo Clinic -Scottsdale.
Throughout her career she has been a champion for the inclusion and advancement of women in medicine and leadership. She is nationally recognized as an expert in defecation disorders, surgical education, and reconstructive surgery. Working with a multidisciplinary team, her major contributions have been on understanding how birth injuries impact pelvic floor disorders and developing new and novel treatments for accidental bowel leakage. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and chapters.
She is the Past-President of the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Urogynecologic Society. She is currently the President of the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society. As Director of the Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Board for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Board of Urology, she was instrumental in obtaining official recognition of the Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery from the American Board of Medical Subspecialties.
Dr. Fenner has received numerous awards for her contributions as a physician surgeon, educator, and leader. In 2014 she was given the Sarah Goddard Award by the University of Michigan for Leadership in the advancement of women. She was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Awards from the American Urogynecologic Society and in 2015 and in 2017 from the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics Lifetime Achievement Award.
Research Interests
Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynecology