Faculty

Clinical Summary

Pediatric Malignancies; Gynecologic Malignancies; Central Nervous System Cancers; Gamma Knife Treatment; Radiation for Benign Conditions; Eye Plaque Treatment for Ocular Melanoma; High Dose Rate Brachytherapy

Research Summary

Clinical interest:
Ovarian, uterine, cervical, vulvar, vaginal malignancies
Advanced pelvic surgery for benign and malignant conditions
Minimally invasive surgery
Chemotherapy for gynecologic malignancies
Clinical trials

Clinical Summary

Schedule an Appointment:

Minneapolis - M Health Fairview Masonic Cancer Clinic, Appointments: 612-676-4200

Board certifications:

Obstetrics and Gynecology; Gynecologic Oncology

Bio

Dr. Fischer earned his medical degree at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and completed Residency training at Wright State and Urogynecology Fellowship training at Indiana University. He has served in numerous leadership roles including Urogynecology Fellowship Director, Ob/Gyn Residency Director and served as the Department Chief of one of the largest Ob/Gyn departments in the Department of Defense. He is currently serving as Faculty for APGO's Surgical Scholars Course and as an Oral Board Examiner, ABOG. He was honored to be named the Professor of the Year by the Junior Fellows of Armed Forces District of American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. His research interests include the effects of pregnancy, labor, and delivery on the pelvic floor and surgical education.

Dr. Fischer transitioned from a 29-year career as an Air Force physician to start a new Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health. He began his new role in October 2017 and his clinical practice sites will include Women's Health Specialists Clinic and M Health Clinics & Surgery Center.

Clinical Summary

Schedule an Appointment:
Minneapolis - M Health Fairview Women's Clinic - Riverside: 612-273-7111
M Health Fairview Clinics & Surgery Center: 612-273-8383
M Health Fairview Center for Women - Edina: 952-285-6140
 

Clinical Summary

Women's Health Specialists Clinic

Clinical Interests
Primary Care - Women; Colposcopy - abnormal pap diagnosis and follow-up; Contraception; Bleeding problems; Menopause; International/immigrant health issues

Clinical Summary

Clinical Interests
Complex contraception, minimally invasive surgery, Oncofertility, reproductive anomalies, transgender health

Bio

Dr. French received her medical degree in 1999 from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. She completed her residency in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health from the University of Minnesota where she was elected Chief Resident.

Dr. French specializes in general obstetrics and gynecology, including prenatal care, gynecologic surgery, colposcopy, LEEP, office hysteroscopy, menopausal care, contraceptive counseling, and women's health issues.

Clinical Summary

Clinical interests:
Benign gynecology; General obstetrics; Prenatal care; Gynecologic surgery; Colposcopy; LEEP; Office hysteroscopy; Menopausal care; Contraceptive counseling; Women's health issues

Bio

Dr. Gearhart is a developmental biologist investigating epigenetic processes that control the formation and health of the placenta. His laboratory uses mouse models and human trophoblast stem cells to uncover molecular mechanisms underlying placental insufficiencies. After receiving an undergraduate degree in chemistry, he studied the structural biology of transcription factors as a PhD student at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. As a postdoctoral fellow in Vivian Bardwell's laboratory at the University of Minnesota, he discovered the non-canonical variant of the Polycomb Repressive Complex (PRC1.1). He most recently held a position as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development and served as a bioinformatics consultant for the Developmental Biology Center. 

Research Summary

Research Interests

The temporal and spatial control of gene expression during development is a dynamic process that relies on altering the composition of DNA-associated factors as well as the nuclear organization of the genome. Advances in next-generation sequencing technologies have allowed us to take a precise look at the changes that occur throughout the genome as cells change from one type into another. Dr. Gearhart has 19+ years of bench experience studying transcriptional regulation, chromatin structure and protein-DNA interactions. His laboratory is interested in finding out 1) how the genome responds to cell-fate reprogramming by sequence-specific DNA binding proteins and 2) how cell identity is maintained by transcriptional regulators. They are particularly interested in factors that influence cell fate specification in human embryonic stem cells and trophoblast stem cells including the components of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 1.1. 

As a member of the Developmental Biology Center, Dr. Gearhart has collaborated extensively with other laboratories on model organisms such as M. musculus (mouse), D. melanogaster (fruitfly), C. elegans (nematode), D. rerio (zebrafish), G. gallus (chicken) and A. mexicanum (axolotl). He is a strong proponent of reproducible research and have published the full methods of my analyses at github.com/micahgearhart. Our department aims to train the next generations of biologists to embrace genome-wide approaches and apply statistical and critical analyses to their results and interpretations. His goal is not only to collaborate with investigators to analyze and interpret next generation sequencing data, but also to facilitate the transfer of knowledge regarding bioinformatics tools and statistical methods for functional genomics to our researchers and graduate students.

Clinical Summary

Clinical Interest
LGBT healthcare; rural healthcare; infertility; minimally-invasive and vaginal surgery; prolapse and incontinence; pelvic pain and endometriosis