Specialty care

Specialty care

UF doc one of first to specialize in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery

Joseph a. Costa, D.O., a UF college of Medicine-Jacksonville associate professor of surgery and chief of urology, is among the first doctors in the nation to obtain his certification in the subspecialty of female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. He is one of roughly 734 doctors to pass the inaugural boards for this newly recognized, highly subspecialized field of medicine, offered jointly by the American board of urology and the American board of obstetrics and gynecology. The subspecialty focuses on the surgical and nonsurgical treatment of pelvic floor disorders, which include pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence and pelvic pain. the pelvic floor includes 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. Costa specializes in neurourology and pelvic reconstructive surgery, which are subspecialties in the field of urology. He is also assistant dean for clinical informatics. He received his medical education at the college of osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in Pomona, Calif. He completed his residency in urology at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va., and his fellowship in neurourology and reconstructive surgery at the university of iowa hospitals and clinics in Iowa City, Iowa. — Tiffany Wilson