Changes in the Department of Urology

The Department of Urology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University continues to maintain and expand subspecialty activity in all areas of Urology, including Urologic Oncology, Management of benign prostate problems, Pediatric Urology, Men's Health incouding male infertility and impotence, minimally invasive surgery including laparoscopy, female urology, and voiding problems in men, women and children. Dr. Peter Schlegel was named as chairman of the Department in November, 2003, replacing E. Darracott Vaughan, Jr., M.D., Chairman Emeritus and former President of the American Urological Association (AUA). Read his address from the Annual AUA meeting in Anaheim, California when he was President.

In July of 2001, Dr. Vaughan stepped down as Chairman of the Department, a position he held for over 20 years. During that time, Dr. Vaughan expanded the Department, brought urologic research to the forefront, and maintained Cornell as one of the best urology centers in the country.

Dr. Peter N. Schlegel was named as Chairman after a national search, during which he served as acting chair, and began further expansion of the Department with recruitment of Drs. Joseph Del Pizzo [an expert in laparoscopy and minimally invasive surgery], Mark Horowitz [specialist in Pediatric Urology with experience in management of voiding problems in children], John Mulhall [nationally known expert in sexual dysfunction], David Staskin [an innovator in the treatment of female urology and voiding problems], Douglas Scherr [an expert in urologic oncology], Rosalia Misseri [an expert in Pediatric Urology], and Ash Tewari [an early expert and innovator in the field of robotic radical prostatectomy.] In the past year, the Department of Urology has been ranked as the number 6 Urology Hosptial in the country, higher than prior ratings. Future development in the Department of Urology at Weill Cornell is planned in the areas of Men's Health, urologic oncology, pediatric urology and voiding dysfunction. Continued renovation of facilities is planned in conjunction with major programs in the Weill Medical College of Cornell University as well as New York Presbyterian Hospital. Research development including renovation of over 4,000 spquare feet of space followed by an additional 5,000 square feet of modern research activities is planned in the near future. This major research expansion within the Department is expected to maintain the Cornell Urology group as a leader in this field in the United States.

Guided Video Tours of the Cornell Facility

Join Dr. Schlegel, Chairman of the Department of Urology at Cornell, in a video series on infertility. Dr. Schlegel answers several common infertility related questions in an interview format. This is the first in a series of videos featuring Cornell physicians discussing conditions and treatment options.

Some of the questions answered in this video series:

• Can Vitamins Make men More Fertile?
• What Is The History of Modern Infertility Practice?
• What Causes Infertility?
• Is There A Link Between Sex Drive and Infertility?

Urology as a field in medicine:
Its importance to patient care
Urology continues to be a very popular choice as a surgical field, but the health of urology as a specialty is perhaps best depicted in the 1996 article by Miller et al. (1996). In this article, the authors demonstrated that all residents seeking a job in urology were able to find such positions, whereas up to 10% of other residents were not successful in their specialties. The aging population makes urologic health care needs a priority. Although urology is often considered a small subset of medical care, it is important to remember that almost 45% of men in their 60s are affected by erectile dysfunction (Johannes et al., 2000), nearly 30% of all men will require intervention for benign prostatic disease during their lifetime and prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer in men (Carter & Coffey, 1990). A high proportion of women are affected by urinary problems, including incontinence. All of these fields and others fall within the domain of urologic specialists.

Prenatal Hydronephrosis
The term prenatal hydronephrosis refers to dilation of the renal collecting system. The collecting system is the structure that collects urine directly from the kidney tissue and routes it by way of the ureter to the bladder. Hydronephrosis is also known as "swelling of the kidney." Routine use of maternal ultrasound has become more prevalent during the past decade, allowing urologists and pediatricians alike to be informed of possible kidney defects before birth. CONTINUE

Understanding Male Infertility
Infertility affects one in every six couples who are trying to conceive. In at least half of all cases of infertility a male factor is a major or contributing cause. This means that about 10% of all men in the United States who are attempting to conceive suffer from infertility. Historically, infertility has been considered a women's disease. It is only within the last fifty years that the importance of the male factor contribution to infertility has been recognized. The mistaken notion that infertility is associated with impotence or decreased masculinity may contribute to this fear. The good news is that the rapid research advances in the area of male reproduction have brought about dramatic changes in the ability to both diagnose and treat male infertility. The majority of couples suffering from infertility can now be helped to conceive a child on their own. CONTINUE