Biography

Gary Sutkin is the Associate Dean and Victor and Caroline Schutte Chair in Women’s Health. He is a Professor with tenure in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics.

Dr. Sutkin comes to the University of Missouri Kansas City from the University of Pittsburgh. There he was in the Academy of Master Educators and directed the Obstetrics and Gynecology core clerkship. His research centered on surgical education and the prevention of postoperative urinary tract infections. He was a co-investigator in the NIH Pelvic Floor Disease Network. He contributed to the establishment of the Nazarbayev School of Medicine in Astana Kazakhstan.

Dr. Sutkin’s research interests center on surgical safety and error prevention. He is interested in how communication between attending and resident surgeons impact patient outcome. He collaborates with a cognitive psychologist and members of the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering.

He is a practicing Urogynecologist and specializes in women with pelvic floor prolapse. He provides both reconstructive pelvic surgery and non-surgical treatments for women with pelvic organ prolapse, urinary incontinence, and other pelvic floor disorders.

Dr. Sutkin was born in San Antonio and grew up in Richardson, Texas. He attended Northwestern University’s Honors Program in Medical Education, worked at the federal Reserve bank in Chicago, and attained his BS, MD, and MBA degrees at Northwestern. He is an avid Northwestern fan.

Awards

• Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics Teaching Award – 2002
• Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics/Solvay Scholar – 2002-2003
• Alpha Omega Alpha Society – 2003
• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Dean’s Clinical Science Teaching Award – 2006
• Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology Teaching Award – 2011
• Residency Program Top 10% Golden Apple Teaching Award – 2011
• Appointment to University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Academy of Master Educators – 2012
• Finalist, Patil Teaching Innovation Award – 2015

Research Interests

• Surgical error prevention and communication
• Intraoperative teaching
• Midurethral sling surgery
• Postoperative Urinary tract infections

Selected Publications

1. Oliphant S, Littleton E, Gosman G, Sutkin, G. Teaching the Retropubic Midurethral Sling  Using a Novel Cadaver and Model-Based Approach. Cureus. 2017; 9(5): e1214. DOI 10.7759/cureus.1214. PMID:PMC5453826.
2. Paradis E, Sutkin G. Beyond a Good Story: From Hawthorne Effect to Reactivity in Health Professions Education Research. Medical Education. 2016 Publication pending.
3. Markland AD, Jelovsek E, Whitehead WE, Andy UU, Newman DK, Dyer K, Harm-Ernandes I, Cichowski S, McCormick J, Rardin C, Sutkin G, Shaffer A, Meikle S. Implementation of a Multi-site Manometric Biofeedback Intervention with Anorectal Manometry for the Treatment of Fecal Incontinence in Women. Neurogastroenterology and Motility. 2016 Publication pending.
4. Lowder J, Oliphant S, Shepherd J, Ghetti C, Sutkin G. Genital Hiatus Size is Associated with and Predictive of Apical Vaginal Support Loss. Am J Obstetrics Gynecology. 2015; PMID: 26719211
5. J. Eric Jelovsek, Alayne D. Markland , William E. Whitehead, Matthew D. Barbe, Diane K. Newman, Rebecca G. Rogers, Keisha Dyer, Anthony Visco, Vivian W. Sung MD, Gary Sutkin, Susan F. Meikle Marie G. Gantz. Controlling anal incontinence by performing anal exercises with biofeedback or loperamide (CAPABLe) trial: Design and methods. Contemp Clin Trials. 2015;44, 164-74. PMID: 26291917
6. Sutkin G, Littleton EB, Kanter SL. How surgical mentors teach: A classification of in vivo teaching behaviors part 2: Physical teaching guidance. Journal of Surgical Education. 2015; 72(2), 251-7. PMID: 25468768
7. Sutkin G, Littleton EB, Kanter SL. How surgical mentors teach: A classification of in vivo teaching behaviors part 1: Verbal teaching guidance. Journal of Surgical Education. 2015;72(2), 243-50. PMID: 25456208
8. Zimmern P, Litman HJ, Nager CW, Lemack GE, Richter HE, Sirls L, Kraus SR, Sutkin G, Mueller ER. Effect of aging on storage and voiding function in women with stress-predominant urinary incontinence. J Urol. 2014 Feb 8. pii: S0022-5347(14)00131-1. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2014.01.092. PMID: 24518790.
9. Frankman EA, Alperin M, Sutkin G, Meyn L, Zyczynski HM. Mesh exposure and associated risk factors in women undergoing transvaginal prolapse repair with mesh. Obstet Gynecol Int. 2013;2013:926313.  doi: 10.1155/2013/926313. Epub 2013 Sep 8. PMID: 24194763; PMCID: PMC3782123.
10. Sutkin G, Dzialowski K. A gynaecologic clinic dedicated to student teaching. Clin Teach. 2013 Jun;10(3):181-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-498X.2012.00633.x. PMID: 23656681
11. Nager CW, Brubaker L, Litman HJ, Zyczynski HM, Varner RE, Amundsen C, Sirls LT, Norton PA, Arisco AM, Chai TC, Zimmern P, Barber MD, Dandreo KJ, Menefee SA, Kenton K, Lowder J, Richter HE, Khandwala S, Nygaard I, Kraus SR, Johnson HW, Lemack GE, Mihova M, Albo ME, Mueller E, Sutkin G, Wilson TS, Hsu Y, Rozanski TA, Rickey LM, Rahn D, Tennstedt S, Kusek JW, Gormley EA; Urinary Incontinence Treatment Network. A randomized trial of urodynamic testing before stress-incontinence surgery. N Engl J Med. 2012 May 24;366(21):1987-97. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1113595. Epub 2012 May 2. PMID: 22551104; PMCID: PMC3386296
12. Skoczylas LC, Littleton EB, Kanter SL, Sutkin G. Teaching techniques in the operating room: the importance of perceptual motor teaching. Acad Med. 2012 Mar;87(3):364-71. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e31824484a0. PMID: 22373633.
13. Nygaard I, Brubaker L, Chai TC, Markland AD, Menefee SA, Sirls L, Sutkin G, Zimmern P, Arisco A, Huang L, Tennstedt S, Stoddard A. Risk factors for urinary tract infection following incontinence surgery. Int Urogynecol J. 2011 Oct;22(10):1255-65. doi: 10.1007/s00192-011-1429-9. Epub 2011 May 11.  PMID: 21560012.
14. Martirosian Smith TE, Trowbridge ER, Pastore LM, Smith SC, Brennan MC, Dooley Y, Matthews CK, Ozel B, Sutkin G, Hullfish KL. Multicenter Urogynecology Study on Education: Medical Student Educational Experiences and Knowledge Outcomes During the OBGYN Clerkship. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 2011 Mar;17(2):100-104. PMID: 22453697.
15. Sutkin G, Daucher J, Zyczynski H. Prolapse in the Older Woman. European Urologic Review. 2010;5:64-8.
16. Park AJ, Barber MD, Bent AE, Dooley YT, Dancz C, Sutkin G, Jelovsek JE. Assessment of intraoperative judgment during gynecologic surgery using the Script Concordance Test. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2010 Sep;203(3):240.e1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2010.04.010. Epub 2010 May 21. PMID: 20494330.
17. Nager CW, Kraus SR, Kenton K, Sirls L, Chai TC, Wai C, Sutkin G, Leng W, Litman H, Huang L, Tennstedt S, Richter HE; Urinary Incontinence Treatment Network. Urodynamics, the supine empty bladder stress test, and incontinence severity. Neurourol Urodyn. 2010 Sep;29(7):1306-11. doi: 10.1002/nau.20836. PMID: 20127832.
18. Sutkin G, Alperin M, Meyn L, Wiesenfeld HC, Ellison R, Zyczynski HM. Symptomatic urinary tract infections after surgery for prolapse and/or incontinence. Int Urogynecol J. 2010 Aug;21(8):955-61. doi: 10.1007/s00192-010-1137-x. Epub 2010 Mar 31. PMID: 20354678.
19. Sutkin G, Littlefield JH, Laube DW. Nursing staff assessment of residents’ professionalism and communication skills. Med Educ. 2009 Nov;43(11):1104. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2009.03461.x. Epub 2009 Oct 2. PMID: 19799729.
20. Sutkin G, Lowder JL, Smith KJ. Prophylactic antibiotics to prevent urinary tract infection during clean intermittent self-catheterization (CISC) for management of voiding dysfunction after prolapse and incontinence surgery: a decision analysis. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 2009 Aug;20(8):933-8. doi: 10.1007/s00192-009-0885-y. Epub 2009 Apr 10. PMID: 19582384.
21. Sutkin G, Aronoff CK. Resident front office experience: a systems-based practice activity. Med Educ Online. 2008 May 28;13:6. doi: 10.3885/meo.2008.T0000120. PMID: 20165536; PMCID: PMC2779599.
22. Sutkin G, Wagner E, Harris I, Schiffer R. What makes a good clinical teacher in medicine? A review of the literature. Acad Med. 2008 May;83(5):452-66. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e31816bee61. Review. PMID: 18448899.
23. Sutkin G, Burley H, Zhang K, Arora N. Characteristics of good clinical educators from medical students perspectives: A Qualitative inquiry using a web-based survey system. International Journal of Healthcare Information Systems and Informatics. 2008;3(2):69-86.
24. Sutkin G, Krohn MA, Heine RP, Sweet RL. Antibiotic prophylaxis and non-group B streptococcal neonatal sepsis. Obstet Gynecol. 2005 Mar;105(3):581-6. PMID: 15738028.
25. Sutkin G, Mamlok V. Images in clinical medicine. Fetus papyraceus. N Engl J Med. 2004 Apr 15;350(16):1665. PMID: 15084699.

Complete list of publications