Alumni Spotlight: Dee Fenner, MD ‘85

Dee Fenner’s, MD, midwestern roots have spanned across her entire personal and professional life. Growing up in Lexington, Missouri, a small rural town 45 miles northeast of Kansas City, she eyed attending the University of Missouri from a young age. Fenner ultimately went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Science in 1980 and a Doctor of Medicine in 1985 at Mizzou.

After earning her medical degree, she trekked north and completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan Health System in 1989. Following a decade of practice, Fenner returned to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2001 and has resided there since. She currently serves as the chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Bates Professor of Diseases of Women and Children at the University of Michigan.

In October 2025, Fenner was elected as one of the newest members of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). The election is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who’ve demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

“My career has been focused in urogynecology, which was a new field in the 1990s, and I was fortunately able to help advance that field through research and leadership,” said Fenner. “My training and education at the Mizzou School of Medicine prepared me for all the challenges I faced. This election is such a great honor and I’m very humbled and grateful by this recognition.”

For more than 40 years, Fenner has been nationally recognized as a leader in female pelvic reconstructive surgery and medical education. As she reflects on the beginning stages of her healthcare career at Mizzou, a lot has changed over her acclaimed career.

“So much has evolved in the world of medical education and healthcare since the 1980s with technology playing a big role,” said Fenner. “My graduating class was about 70 individuals, nearly half the size of a typical graduating class today. I felt like we were constantly together, whether it was at the library or in the classroom. Something I learned at Mizzou was the importance of peer-to-peer relationships, and I continue to emphasize that to students today.”

Fenner and her husband, Charles, created a scholarship for Mizzou School of Medicine students in 2011. Awarded to one medical student each year, she hopes it helps alleviate stress many individuals face post-graduation.

“My husband and I both feel it’s important to give back, specifically scholarships for medical students,” said Fenner. “The debt they accrue today while in medical school is incredible. It can also impact where they go after finishing their education and what specialty they choose. Being able to meet the student scholarship recipient each year has been incredibly rewarding for us. We look forward to seeing it continue to grow and impacting more medical students in the future.”