Kathleen A. Connell Kieran, MD

Education
Fellowship, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Brooklyn, NY
Residency, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY
MD, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY
BS, State University of New York, Albany, NY

Contact
Research Complex 2
12700 East 19th Avenue
Room 3010, MS 8613
Aurora, CO 80045

Phone: (303) 724-2038
Fax: (303) 724-3512

Research Interests
Dr. Connell is passionate about advancing scientific research in the field of female pelvic medicine. Her research focuses on the effects of aging and other women’s issues on pelvic support, with the ultimate goal of preventing pelvic organ prolapse and developing new treatment options.

Full List of Publications

Recent Publications

1. Orlicky DJ, Smith EE, Kuhn A, DuBois H, Hilton A, Grado L, Guess MK, Rascoff LG, Arruda JS, Hutchinson-Colas JA, Johnson J, Connell KA. Evidence of compensatory elastin remodeling in non-prolapsed uterosacral ligaments and its divergence in histopathological subtypes of pelvic organ prolapse. BMC Womens Health. 2026 Feb 04; 26(1):94. PMID: 41639871.
2. Savard LM, Bastías CS, Orlicky DJ, Johnson J, Connell KA, Calve S, Luetkemeyer CM, Ferguson VL. Effect of pregnancy, vaginal delivery, postpartum remodeling, and age on the tensile behavior and biochemical composition of the murine uterosacral ligament (USL). Acta Biomater. 2025 Sep 1;203:427-437. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2025.07.003. Epub 2025 Jul 5. PMID: 40623465.
3. Bastías CS, Savard LM, Jacobson KR, Connell KA, Calve S, Ferguson VL, Luetkemeyer CM. Pregnancy and age differentially affect stiffness, injury susceptibility, and composition of murine uterosacral ligaments. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2025 Mar;163:106874. doi: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2024.106874. Epub 2024 Dec 17. PMID: 39709727.
4. Orlicky, D. J., Smith, E. E., Johnson, J., Hilton, A. E., Guess, M. K., Rascoff, L. G., Arruda, J. S., Hutchinson-Colas, J. A., Yang, I., & Connell, K. A. (2024). Inflammatory Cells in Control and Prolapsed Uterosacral Ligament Tissue. Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), 10.1007/s43032-024-01618-4. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-024-01618-4
5. Orlicky, D. J., Smith, E. E., Bok, R., Guess, M. K., Rascoff, L. G., Arruda, J. S., Hutchinson-Colas, J. A., Johnson, J., & Connell, K. A. (2023). Estrogen and Androgen Receptor Status in Uterosacral Ligaments of Women with Pelvic Organ Prolapse Stratified by the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Histology Quantification System. Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), 10.1007/s43032-023-01283-z. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-023-01283-z
6. Alperin M, Abramowitch S, Alarab M, Bortolini M, Brown B, Burnett LA, Connell KA, Damaser M, de Vita R, Gargett CE, Guess MK, Guler Z, Jorge RN, Kelley RS, Kibschull M, Miller K, Moalli PA, Mysorekar IU, Routzong MR, Shynlova O, Swenson CW, Therriault MA, Northington GM. Foundational science & mechanistic insights for a shared disease model: an expert consensus: Developed by the AUGS Basic Science Subcommittee & IUGA Special Interest Group. Int Urogynecol J. 2022 Jun;33(6):1387-1392. doi: 10.1007/s00192-022-05253-y. Epub 2022 Jun 8. PMID: 35674811
7. Alperin M, Abramowitch S, Alarab M, Bortolini M, Brown B, Burnett LA, Connell KA, Damaser MS, de Vita R, Gargett CE, Guess MK, Guler Z, Jorge RN, Kelley RS, Kibschull M, Miller K, Moalli PA, Mysorekar IU, Routzong MR, Shynlova O, Swenson CW, Therriault MA, Northington GM. Foundational Science & Mechanistic Insights for a Shared Disease Model: An Expert Consensus: Developed by the AUGS Basic Science Subcommittee & IUGA Special Interest Group. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 2022 May 25. doi: 10.1097/SPV.0000000000001216. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35609252
8. Bunn JG, Sheeder J, Schulkin J, Diko S, Estin M, Connell KA, Hurt KJ. Obstetric anal sphincter injuries & other delivery trauma: a US national survey of obstetricians & gynecologists. Int J Urogynecol J. 2022 Feb 3. doi: 10.1007/s00192-021-05062-9. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35113178
9. Orlicky DJ, Guess MK, Bales ES, Rascoff LG, Arruda JS, Hutchinson-Colas JA, Johnson J, Connell KA. Using the novel pelvic organ prolapse histologic quantification system to identify phenotypes in uterosacral ligaments in women with pelvic organ prolapse. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2021 Jan;224(1):67. e1-67. e18. PMID: 3310030 (* highlighted in editorial- Alperin M. prolapse. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2021 Jan;224(1):1-2. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2020.11.003.PMID: 33386102)
10. Wakefield B, Diko S, Gilmer R, Connell KA, DeWitt PE, Hurt KJ. Accuracy of obstetric laceration diagnoses in the electronic medical record. Int Urogynecol J. 2020 Aug 13. PMID:32789812