Program Details

Pittsburgh, PA

Job Address: University of Pittsburgh Department of Urology Kaufman Bldg., Ste. 700 3471 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Contact Name: Stephen V. Jackman, M.D.

Website: Visit Website

Type/Focus: Combined

Duration: 2 Years

Country: United States

Phone: 412-692-4094

Fax: 412-692-4101

Region: North America

Description of Program
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Endourology/Laparoscopic Urology Fellowship Program is a two-year program and will be accepting applications for the position in the spring. The program will involve a year of research opportunities with some clinical responsibilities. This first year is under the supervision of Dr Michael Ost. The second year is primarily clinical with Drs. Averch and Jackman, but will continue to involve participation in clinical and animal research. During the course of the fellowship, the fellow will function at the level of an attending in clinical practice with the title of Instructor in Urology. The entire realm of endourology will be covered from endourologic management of complex stone and soft tissue disease, percutaneous management of urologic diseases, to laparoscopy and robotic assisted procedures of all urological solid organs, including reconstructive techniques. Five DaVinci robots are clinically available. Additional faculty available during the fellowship will be Dr. Michelle Jo Semins. Our fellows have won the Endourology Society Basic Science Essay two years in a row, 2013 and 2014.

Bench space and animal lab facilities

The Department of Urology has 12,500 sq. ft. of laboratory space. A large animal facility is also available with a full complement of equipment and staff.

Availability of Ph.D. to supervise research.
Nine Ph.D.’s are currently within the Department.

On campus housing: ?No

Whether fellows take call at night. Yes, rotating with the rest of the faculty, currently 1 in 12.

Clinical

Past Fellows

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

Job Address: University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Department of Urology 2106 Physicians Office Bldg., CB 7235 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7235 Department of Urology 2106 Physicians Office Bldg., CB 7235 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7235

Contact Name: Program Director: Davis Viprakasit MD, FACS

Type/Focus: Endourology

Duration: 1 Year

Country: United States

Phone: 919-843-9014

Fax: 919-966-0098

Region: North America

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Description of Training

The Endourology Stone / Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship at the University of North Carolina offers prospective candidates a customizable one-year training experience focused on endourology, stone disease, BPH and advanced benign robotic surgery. Our goal is to provide trainees with the opportunities to develop the clinical, surgical, and research skills needed to jump start their career in endourology. The Endourology Fellowship at UNC transitioned from a one-year robotics fellowship to a one-year endourology stone / combined fellowship after 2021.

Fellows will have the opportunity to work with four Endourology fellowship trained faculty, David Friedlander MD, MPH, Gopal Narang MD, Mathew Raynor MD and Davis Viprakasit, MD in different clinical, surgical, and research capacities. The Fellowship is structured to encompass a combination of clinical/surgical (90%) and research (10%) training over a one-year period. There is the potential opportunity to increase the research experience within the one-year period or through an additional fellowship year based on individualized applicant goals and interests.

Clinical/Surgical Training
The Fellow’s case mix is generally divided as 50% stone disease, 25% BPH and 25% advanced benign robotics. However, Fellows can individualize / customize their clinical rotations to some degree based on specific career goals and interests. Fellows work primarily with Drs. Friedlander, Narang and Viprakasit to develop the skills to clinically evaluate and surgically manage all facets of complex kidney stone disease. Fellows learn the fundamentals of metabolic stone prevention including training with dedicated faculty in Nephrology and Nutrition Services through the UNC Multi-disciplinary Kidney Stone Clinic. Surgical experience is centered on all areas of stone treatment with particular emphasis on complex standard and miniaturized percutaneous surgery with development of fluoroscopic, ultrasound and endoscopic guidance in supine and prone positions and some experience in tubeless and same day discharges. For benign prostatic diseases, Fellows work primarily with Drs. Narang and Viprakasit for training in holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) and with Drs. Friedlander and Raynor with robotic simple prostatectomy. Fellows will also have exposure to other BPH treatments including MIST and prostate artery embolization. For advanced benign robotics, Fellows work primarily with Drs. Friedlander, Narang and Raynor on partial nephrectomy and upper and lower urinary tract complex ureteral stricture reconstruction with particular focus on both transperitoneal and retroperitoneal approaches. 

The Fellow will be employed as a junior faculty member. Fellows will maintain an autonomous weekly clinic which encompasses general urology, endourology, men’s health, oncology and procedures. Fellows share call amongst the entire UNC Urology faculty and will be responsible for approximately 4 weeks of faculty call per year.

Teaching Expectations

The Fellow is an important part of the Endourologic training program for our residents including assisting in teaching basic and advanced ureteroscopic and percutaneous procedures and contributing to grand rounds, journal clubs and teaching conferences. Additionally, Fellows are expected to participate in the department Endourologic skills lab for residents and medical students.

Research Expectations
Health services research activities in Endourology occur under the direction of David Friedlander MD, MPH. Additional research opportunities are available with other Endourology faculty or within the UNC Department of Biomedical Engineering. Departmental and university support is available. Fellows are expected to complete at least one abstract submission and one original manuscript to the Annual Endourologic Essay Contest.

Ann Arbor, MI

Job Address: University of Michigan Urologic Surgery 1500 East Medical Center Drive TC3875, Box 5330 Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5330

Contact Name: Khurshid Ghani, M.D., M.S., Casey Dauw, M.D.

Website: Visit Website

Type/Focus: Endourology

Duration: 2 Years

Country: United States

Phone: 734-764-8397

Fax: 734-936-9127

Region: North America

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Description of fellowship

The University of Michigan Fellowship in Endourology is a 2-year program designed to train individuals who aspire to be academic surgeon-scientists.  Fellows spend one year conducting translational laboratory, clinical or health services research.  An additional 12 months is dedicated to clinical training focused on surgical and medical management of nephrolithiasis and other advanced endourologic techniques.  Five clinical faculty within our division of Endourology provide a robust volume of PCNL, ureteroscopy, and SWL procedures, as well as advanced minimally invasive surgical treatments for BPH and laparoscopic procedures for benign upper tract conditions.  Most of our former trainees are currently engaged in careers in academic urology.

Completing an ACGME-accredited residency program in the US/Canada is a requirement to apply for the fellowship.

Lexington, KY

Job Address: University of Kentucky Department of Urology 780 Rose Street MS 283 Lexington, KY 40536

Contact Name: Program Director: John Roger Bell, M.D.

Website: Visit Website

Type/Focus: Combined

Duration: 1 or 2 Year

Country: United States

Phone: 859-323-1898

Fax: 859-323-1994

Region: North America

Contact Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Description of Program:

We offer one-, or two-year fellowships in either the Endourology and Stone Disease program or the Combined program.  The fellowship training is focused on advanced minimally invasive urology as well as the medical and surgical management of urinary stone disease.  Many aspects about the fellowship can be tailored to the individual’s career goals. 

Clinical Experience:

The University of Kentucky (UK) Urology Department is a tertiary referral center with a large mix of complex cancer and stone patients.

Our faculty perform a variety of advanced laparoscopic and robotic surgeries, including: MIS total and partial nephrectomy, retroperitoneal robotic partial nephrectomy, robotic pyeloplasty, MIS adrenalectomy, robotic radical prostatectomy, robotic simple prostatectomy, robotic sacrocolpopexy.  UK currently has several dual console DaVinci Xi robotic machines as well as a single port robot.

We perform a high volume of stone surgical procedures including PCNL, ureteroscopy, shockwave lithotripsy, and MIS stone procedures.  The faculty obtain the percutaneous access for almost all cases using a variety of techniques including fluoroscopy, ultrasound, and endoscopic assisted techniques.  In addition, we work very closely with our nephrology colleagues in the multi-disciplinary care of stone patients and have monthly joint conferences with nephrology. 

We additionally perform a variety of surgical procedures for BPH including: HOLEP, robotic simple prostatectomy, Rezum, PVP, and TURP. 

Core Faculty:

Fellows will primarily train with the Endourology and Urologic Oncology faculty members including Drs. John Roger Bell, Donald P Bell, Jason Bylund, Patrick Hensley, Rebekah Keller, Frances Martin, and Stephen Strup. 

Fellowship Goals:  

The specific goals for the fellow will depend on training program the fellow chooses (Stone/Endourology vs Combined).  Fellows are also expected to enter with the skills and knowledge of a junior faculty member as they will be considered a Clinical Instructor.  The fellow will supervise residents in the operating room, in clinic, and while serving as the attending on call. Annual salary and benefits are consistent with a clinical instructor.  The fellow should be prepared to be involved with resident and medical student education.  Our fellowship experience provides an excellent way to transition from the role of trainee to independent practice in whatever setting the fellow may choose.  There will be no primary call for the fellow. The fellow will take attending-level call in a shared pool with other faculty members.

Training Resources:

Fellows will have 24/7 access to our simulation center which includes laparoscopic and DaVinci robotic training simulators. 

Research:

Research requirements as laid out by the Endourological Society will be required for all fellows.  The fellow is welcome to join with faculty members on their research projects or initiate projects of their own design and choosing.  The fellow will be expected to present this research at academic meetings. Access to local and national databases are provided as is access to statistical analysis, a medical illustrator, video editing assistance, and poster/document printing. 

Application Process and Requirements:

Applicants must be US citizens or green card holders.  In addition, they must complete an accredited urology residency in the U.S. This fellowship participates in the Endourological Society fellowship match program and will typically perform interviews at the AUA Annual Meeting.  Unfortunately, due to the mechanism of payment, we are unable to accept any applicants who will be coming on any form of visa.

Previous Alumni:

Jenne Myers (Garrett) – 2006 – Private Practice – Tuscon, AZ

Eric Gerber – 2007 – Private Practice – San Diego, CA

Chad LaGrange – 2008 – Chair, Department of Urology, University of Nebraska

Jay Page – 2010 – Private Practice – Sandy, UT

Jeremy Johnson – 2015 – Private Practice – Lafayette, IN

Jason Bylund – 2012 – Vice Chair, Department of Urology, University of Kentucky

Amul Bhalodi – 2017 – Private Practice – Lexington, KY

Andrew Harris – 2019 – Associate Chief of Staff Operative Care, VAMC Lexington

Nicholas Freidberg – 2022 – Private Practice – Austin, TX

Miguel Rodriguez-Homs – 2024 – Private Practice – Portland, OR