Also leads gynecologic oncology program at the Women’s Medicine Collaborative

Christina Bandera, M.D. has been appointed chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals. In this role she will provide medical, administrative and quality oversight of the department. She assumed her new post on July 1, 2013.

Bandera is board-certified in both obstetrics and gynecology, as well as gynecologic oncology, and her clinical and research interests include treatment and prevention of gynecologic cancers. She also has a special interest in minimally invasive and robotic surgery.

“Our goal is to provide coordinated, multi-specialty care for woman at all stages of their life,” said Karen Rosene Montella, M.D., Lifespan’s senior vice president for women’s services and clinical integration. “Dr. Bandera is an accomplished physician, surgeon and educator, and her leadership, vision and unquestioned expertise will provide new dimensions to the enhanced OB/GYN program.”

Bandera also leads the Center for Gynecologic Cancers at the Women’s Medicine Collaborative, Rhode Island’s largest multidisciplinary center dedicated to the unique health needs of women. The Center provides specialized, cutting-edge surgical and non-surgical options for women diagnosed with, or at high risk for, cancers of the reproductive system, including cervical, uterine, ovarian, vaginal, vulvar and fallopian tube cancers.

The Center for Gynecologic Cancers partners with the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital and Newport Hospital, offering patients access to a vast array of resources and clinical expertise.

Ours is also the only gynecologic oncology service in Rhode Island that provides care in full-service academic hospitals,” said Rosene Montella. “This is critical, considering many patients h ave additional health problems, such as heart disease or diabetes, which may require expertise outside the field of gynecologic oncology. Having these other medical services under the same roof means we are positioned to respond quickly to meet all of our patients’ medical needs.”

This spring, Lifespan and the Women’s Medicine Collaborative announced a new partnership with OB/GYN Associates, Inc., one of the state’s largest obstetrics and gynecology practices. The alliance will create a cohesive group of providers and establish a comprehensive, one-stop resource to meet the health care needs of all women. The providers will officially join Lifespan on August 1.

Bandera is a member of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists and the American Association for Gynecologic Laparoscopy, and is also the gynecologic oncology editor for the international journal Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation. A graduate of Harvard University, she received her medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed her postgraduate training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. Bandera also held fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. She was previously the director of robotic surgery at Women & Infants Hospital, and has won numerous teaching awards for her work with medical students and residents.