Magee Matters Spring 2024: Rolling Up Her Sleeves
Dr. Donnellan’s pioneering career at Magee-Womens
Dr. Nicole Donnellan’s journey at Magee-Womens traces back to 2006 when she walked through the doors of UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital for the first time. There, at a hospital known for its world-class women’s health care, she got an up-close look at opportunities for advancing women’s health research — and decided to take them on herself.
After finishing medical school, Dr. Donnellan began her journey as a gynecologic surgeon and endometriosis advocate during her ob-gyn residency at UPMC Magee-Womens in 2006 and stayed to complete her minimally invasive gynecologic surgery fellowship in 2012. Because of the community at Magee-Womens, Dr. Donnellan became faculty to continue her pioneering work of supporting patients through clinical care and research ever since.
Since UPMC Magee-Womens sees many cases of endometriosis each year — a disease wherein the affected tissue must be removed, Dr. Donnellan saw an opportunity to bridge a critical gap in women’s health care and research. Those suffering from chronic pain and endometriosis were being treated, but their samples — which could hold the clues to treating other patients — were simply discarded.
“As a fellow, I knew how common endometriosis was, but I remember thinking, ‘We have all this tissue, but no research structure,’” she says.
Dr. Donnellan took it upon herself to change this narrative, spearheading the creation of a biobank — a repository that stores biological samples, like tissue.
“It was a labor of love that bridged the gap between clinical expertise and robust research infrastructure. I thought that maybe if I grassroots it, someone would want to use them — study them,” she adds. “I even hand-carried specimens over to Magee-Womens Research Institute to be frozen myself.”
In the initial stages, she collaborated with Dr. Richard Guido, a surgeon and translational research advocate. While the biobank was slow to start, taking 8 or 9 years to enroll 100 patients, it has now doubled in the last year.
But she didn’t stop there. In 2019, Dr. Donnellan founded the Center for Endometriosis and Chronic Pelvic Pain, marking a notable addition to the hospital’s specialized services.
The center seeks to improve early diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis and other pelvic pain disorders through a three-pronged approach: a physical clinic with a multidisciplinary care model, research, and analytics — ensuring a holistic approach to endometriosis treatment and research, focused on improving quality of life.
Apart from her clinical work at UPMC Magee-Womens, Dr. Donnellan is also part of the team behind the newly formed Hub for Endometriosis Research (HER), a research group centered around supporting and honoring the journeys of those affected by this painful disease, and those with chronic pelvic pain who are looking for answers. HER aims to ensure early detection and accurate diagnoses of women suffering from endometriosis by developing innovative treatment options through commercializable products.
Beyond her contributions to endometrial research, Dr. Donnellan is also mentor to trainees at UPMC Magee-Womens. Guiding future generations of surgeons through the challenging transition from trainee to seasoned professional, she views mentorship as her “retirement policy” in the making, as she envisions a legacy of skilled surgeons trailing after her, providing compassionate care for years to come.
“As alumni, we have made our mark. It is exciting to see people come back,” she adds.
Reflecting on her career, Dr. Donnellan says her premise for remaining at Magee-Womens lies in the people — the beating heart of the institution.
“Everyone at Magee knows each other. We are a family. We are equal. I have never felt alone — as a trainee, resident, or faculty ... My experience was second to none ... which is why I stayed for my residency and then became faculty,” she says. “Magee is a major tertiary care center. Even now as faculty, I feel strongly that the strength of the program is the high volume, the expertise, and the people — this is what Magee is about.”
Read the full Spring 2024 issue of Magee Matters here.