Gulden Menderes, MD

Gulden Menderes, MD, is a gynecologic oncologist who specializes in treating cancers of the uterus, ovaries and cervix. She is well-trained in robotic and laparoscopic (minimally invasive) surgery.

“It is rewarding to see a patient you’ve worked with during cancer treatment and eventually tell them, ‘You don’t have any evidence of disease anymore,’” Dr. Menderes says.   

And the best part of her job, Dr. Menderes says, is when a patient comes into her office and gives her a warm hug. “That means that everything you have done is well received, and they appreciate you. That’s what I like the most,” she says.

Dr. Menderes says she enjoys treating gynecologic diseases using robotic and laparoscopic surgery (making tiny incisions to insert a tube with a lighted camera and surgical tools). “It’s great to see patients go home the same day. They recover faster (than open surgeries) and return back to lives much earlier,” she says.

Dr. Menderes is an assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine. Her research explores targeted therapies for chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer and an aggressive form of uterine cancer.