Faculty Profile

Emma Barber, MD

Dr. Emma Barber is an Assistant Professor and Division Chief of Gynecologic Oncology at Northwestern Medicine. Dr. Barber ensures that the benefits of a minimally invasive approach are extended to as many woman with gynecologic conditions requiring surgery as possible – especially those recently diagnosed with cancer. Her areas of expertise include minimally invasive surgery for endometrial and ovarian cancer as well as performing sentinel lymph node mapping to assess for the spread of cancer to lymph nodes. She also performs benign gynecologic surgery for patients with complex conditions that would traditionally be performed with an open approach. These include women with a history of an organ transplant, morbid obesity, and women with multiple prior abdominal surgeries. In many cases, Dr. Barber can offer a minimally invasive approach when others would perform the same procedure with a large open incision. Dr. Barber is one of the only surgeons in the region to perform uterine artery-sparing radical trachelectomy for young women with cervical cancer who desire to preserve fertility.

In addition to being a skilled surgeon, Dr. Barber is also an accomplished health services researcher. She has published more than 45 peer-reviewed articles and five book chapters. She is the recipient of a National Institutes of Health Women’s Reproductive Health Research grant, a competitive career development award for promising surgeon scientists. Her research focuses on surgical quality and improving the postoperative recovery period so that patients experience fewer complications and recover more quickly. She has been invited to present her research findings more than 60 times at national meetings and her research has been featured in prominent peer review publications such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Gynecologic Oncology. Her research has won awards from the Society of Gynecologic Oncology and the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Barber’s research on cervical cancer surgery has been featured by national news outlets including the New York Times and NPR’s All Things Considered. Dr. Barber also serves on the Developmental Therapeutics Committee of NRG Oncology, an organization funded by the National Cancer Institute to develop clinical trials for patients with gynecologic malignancies

Dr. Barber received her undergraduate and medical degrees from Yale University where she excelled, graduating cum laude with honors. She completed her residency at Northwestern University, where she was inducted into the medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha. She completed both a clinical fellowship and a National Institutes of Health research fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received awards at both institutions for her bedside manner, empathy, leadership, compassion, and clinical skills.

To request an appointment with Dr. Barber, please call 312.695.0990.