Steven M. Minaglia, MD, MBA, FACOG, FACS, FPMRS is Director of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Queen's University Medical Group in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Dr. Minaglia also holds an academic appointment as Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women’s Health at the University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine in Honolulu.  He is currently an Associate Editor of Urogynecology, the official journal of the American Urogynecologic Society, The European Urogynaecological Association, The Mediterranean Incontience and Pelvic Floor Society, and the Italian Association of Urogynecology. He has served on the editorial staff for the journal since 2010.

Dr. Minaglia is board certified in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (MIGS). He holds both B. A. and M. D. degrees from the University of Chicago, where his undergraduate major was in the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science and Medicine. He received special honors for his bachelor’s thesis entitled, “Articulating a professional ethic for the treatment of patients with contagious diseases”. He completed both a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology and a 3-year accredited fellowship in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Southern California where he received the Daniel R. Mishell, Jr., MD resident teaching award. More recently, he received the Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Hawaii.

Dr. Minaglia specializes in vaginal and laparoscopic surgical approaches to treat uterine and vaginal prolapse, as well as treatments for urinary and fecal incontinence and those that restore sexual health. He has a passion for teaching and lectures internationally on clinical advancements in urogynecology and trains physicians worldwide in techniques and procedures of minimally invasive reconstructive pelvic surgery, including advanced training programs beyond residency in Europe, South America, China, mainland US and Hawaii.  

Dr. Minaglia enjoys long distance swimming, competes internationally and holds several local swimming records.

"The opportunity to teach, innovate, and most of all to make a meaningful difference in my patients' lives is medicine's greatest gift to me".  Dr. Steven Minaglia 

What is a Urogynecologist?

A urogynecologist is an obstetrician/gynecologist who specializes in the care of women with pelvic floor disorders. This field of medicine is also known as Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery.  The pelvic floor is the muscles, ligaments, connective tissue, and nerves that help support and control the rectum, uterus, vagina, and bladder. The pelvic floor can be damaged by childbirth, repeated heavy lifting, chronic disease or surgery.

Although your primary care physician, Ob/Gyn, or urologist may have knowledge about these problems, a fellowship-trained urogynecologist offers considerable expertise. You should see or be referred to a urogynecologist when you have problems of prolapse, and/or troublesome urinary and/or fecal incontinence or when your primary doctor recommends consultation.

Other problems for which you or your doctor might think about consulting a urogynecologist include: problems with emptying the bladder or rectum, pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, and the need for special expertise in vaginal, vulvar, and/or labial surgery.

After medical school and a four-year residency in obstetrics/gynecology, a urogynecologist must complete a fellowship in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery. This is an intensive, three-year surgical fellowship concentrating on treatment of the entire female pelvis including the vagina, uterus, bladder, and rectum.

In the past, women had to see several physicians to treat different components of pelvic floor disorders. Now, women can see one physician who is trained in managing the entire pelvic floor.

Urogynecologists are specialists in the evaluation and treatment of conditions that affect the female pelvic organs, and the muscles and connective tissue that support the organs. Their additional training focuses on the surgical and non-surgical treatment of non-cancerous gynecologic problems.