Program Overview
Urology Residency Program
The University of Chicago is one of the leading academic institutions in the United States, designated a ‘Top Teaching Hospital’ by leading industry watchdog Leapfrog Group. The Section of Urology shares in this heritage as a result of the work of Dr. Charles Huggins, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1966 for his discovery of hormone therapy for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
Program Overview
The goals of our residency program are to provide excellent comprehensive clinical training in all aspects of urology and to create an atmosphere for discovery. Thus, we endeavor to provide our residents with the best training in clinical urology while enabling them to advance the science of urology through investigation.
Application
To apply for the Urology Residency training program position at the University of Chicago Medicine, applicants must have one of the following qualifications:
- Be a graduate of a United States or Canadian medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)
- Be a graduate of United States osteopathic medicine college accredited by the American Osteopathic Association
- Be a graduate of medical school located outside the United States or Canada
Applicants must also have one of the following:
- Current valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical
- Graduated prior to appointment
- Full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the State of Illinois
- Be a graduate of medical school outside the United States who has completed a Fifth Pathway program provided by an LCME accredited medical school
Interview Process
Applications are accepted through ERAS every September. Each application is rigorously reviewed by faculty members of the resident selection committee. Selected applicants are invited to virtual interviews.
2024 Resident Interviews
2024 Resident Interviews will be taking place on Thursday, December 12th and Friday, December 13th.
Applicants are chosen according to criteria established by the program. These criteria include, but are not limited to:
- Ability
- Aptitude
- Academic credentials/scholarly activity
- Communication skills
- Personal qualities
The Section of Urology shall not discriminate against any person in the selection or promotion process because of race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, civil union status, national origin, ancestry, age, parental status, disabled status, veteran status, or any other legally protected classification, in accordance with applicable law.
Urology Residents
The current residents in the program are:
- Margaret Gannon, MD (PGY-5)
- Adrianna Lee, MD (PGY-5)
- Devki Shukla, MD (PGY-5)
- Joshua Cabral, MD (PGY-4)
- David Kim, MD (PGY-4)
- Gregory Raster, MD (PGY-4)
- Safiya-Hana Belbina, MD (PGY-3)
- Nathan Graham, MD (PGY-3)
- Alexandra Hernandez Perez, MD (PGY-3)
- Erin Hurley, MD (PGY-2)
- Juan Ramirez, MD (PGY-2)
- Quinnlyn Walcott, MD (PGY-2)
- Lauren Hekman, MD (PGY-1)
- Pearce Kudlata, MD (PGY-1)
- Michelle Slinger, MD (PGY-1)
- David Velasquez, MD (PGY-1)
Rotation Schedule
The Urology Residency Rotation Schedule is as follows: | Year in Residency | Rotation | | --- | --- | | PGY-1 | During intern year, 4 months are spent on the adult urology service at the main campus, 1 month at the Jesse Brown VA Hospital, and 7 months are spent rotating through various general surgery services. The focus of this year is the management of the admitted patient. | | PGY-2 | The second year of residency (first year of junior residency) is spent at the main campus. The focus of training during this year is basic endoscopic and laparoscopic, robotic, and open procedures on the adult service. Junior residents also learn the basic management of intra-operative and hospital consults. | | PGY-3 | The third year is split between the main campus, the Jesse Brown VA, and NorthShore Hospital. The focus of training is honing skills in more advanced surgical procedures and the development of increasing independence in caring for patients both in and outside the operating room. | | PGY-4 | Senior residents spend 4 months on pediatric urology at Comer, 4 months at the main campus and 4 months at the Jesse Brown VA. The focus of training during this year is learning how to perform more advanced robotic, laparoscopic, and open surgical procedures, as well as continued independence in the management of patients. | | PGY-5 | Chief residents spend 8 months at the main campus and 4 months at NorthShore where they are responsible for overseeing all aspects of the urology service and become proficient in the most complex urologic procedures. |
Throughout the residency, you will be rotating between 4 campuses:
- UChicago Medicine Hyde Park Campus
- Comer Children's Hospital
- NorthShore Hospital System
- Jesse Brown VA Hospital
Away Rotations
The University of Chicago accepts 4th year visiting medical students. Applications for the Urology Sub-Internship will open on the VSLO portal on March 10, 2025.
The Mission Aligned Trainees to Explore Residency (MATTER) at UChicago Visiting Clerkship Program is co-sponsored by the Pritzker School of Medicine and the UChicago Medicine Office of Graduate Medical Education.
Program Overview
- Stipend of up to $2,000 to support costs associated with participation in the visiting rotation (participants receive their stipend after they complete the visiting rotation)
- Clerkship rotation at UChicago Medicine
- Opportunities to network with University of Chicago faculty, interns, residents, and students
- Welcome session with representatives from GME, Housestaff Diversity Committee, and Co-Directors of GME Diversity Equity & Inclusion
Eligibility Criteria
- Full-time, fourth-year medical students in good standing at LCME-accredited US medical schools.
- Fourth-year US medical students who are under-represented in medicine, have demonstrated a commitment to working with underserved populations, OR have demonstrated a commitment to working with issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, social determinants of health, and health inequities.
Application Process
- Apply through VSLO for your clinical rotation(s) at UChicago Medicine
- Download the UiMVCP application, complete, and upload as part of your application in VSLO to UiMVCP 99000— this is in addition to your clerkship application(s).
- Students can start applying through the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) system on April 1, 2023. Submissions prior to April 15, 2023 will be considered for a priority notification on May 1, 2023.
Research in Urology
Residents are encouraged to pursue projects early on with faculty members and submit work to present at regional, national, and international conferences. Residents also participate in the annual Schoenberg research competition every May.
Section of Urology Clinical Trial Unit (SUCTU)
Mission Statement : Efficiently execute modest-sized, investigator-initiated, clinically-impactful randomized clinical trials (RCT’s)
Goals
- Rigorously evaluate current clinical management strategies or surgical techniques
- Be an incubator for testing novel diagnostic, surgical, or peri-operative modifications
- Provide a platform to augment trainee education, experience, and scholarship
- Infuse a culture of clinical trial accrual within the Section of Urology
- Enhance research productivity/reputation of the Section, Department, and UCM
- Improve quality of urologic care locally, nationally, and internationally
- Be a scalable blueprint for other U of C surgical specialties
Value
- Meaningful trainee/faculty/sectional/department scholarship
- Improvement of clinical care at U of C (and elsewhere)
- Trainee Education
- Opportunity for cost saving at U of C (and elsewhere) by implementing RCT findings
Clinical Trials
The Section of Urology currently have active clinical trials in bladder and prostate cancer.
Townhalls and Information Sessions
The University of Chicago Urology Residents will be hosting a virtual meet and greet at 7:30pm CST. Sign up for one of the following dates:
- August 29, 2024
- September 5, 2024
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
In our Section of Urology within the Department of Surgery, we have developed a training program that draws from diverse backgrounds and experiences. We believe that in order to effectively serve the broad patient population of Chicagoland and particularly the southside of Chicago, that understanding the inequalities in care and perceptions of health and illness of our patients has a real impact on their individual health care outcomes.
Residency Alumni
The residency alumni include:
- 2025: Hernan Lescay, MD - Indiana University Health, Kristina Gam, MD - Pediatric Urology Fellow, Nationwide Children's Hospital, David Nusbaum, MD - Urologic Oncology Fellow, Moffitt Cancer Center, Anjali Shekar, MD - URPS Fellow, Northwell Health
- 2024: Caleb Cooper, MD - Indiana University Health, Jared Fialkoff, MD - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Behdod Katebian, MD - Simi Valley Hospital, Matthew Sloan, MD - Endourology Fellow, University of Minnesota
- 2023: Tanya Kristof, MD - Northwestern Medicine, Clark Judge, MD - Endourology Fellow, Yale-New Haven Health, Steven Sidelsky, MD/PharmD - University of Florida Health
- 2022: Johnny Lindquist III, MD - Urologic Oncology Fellow, Prisma Health, Joel Wackerbarth, MD/MPH - Kaiser Permanente, John (JP) Richgels, MD - Loyola Medicine
- 2021: Brittany Adamic, MD - Robotic Urologic Oncology & MIS Fellow; USC, Joshua Aizen, MD - DuPage Medical Group, Audry Kang, MD - The Oregon Clinic, Craig Labbate, MD - Urologic Oncology Fellow, MD Anderson Cancer Center
- 2020: Richard Fantus, MD - Andrology/Men's Health Fellow, Northwestern Medicine, Mohammad Mahmoud, MD - Urologic Oncology Fellow, Indiana University, Christopher Riedinger, MD - Robotic Urologic Oncology & MIS Fellow, USC
- 2019: Melanie Adamsky, MD - UroPartners, William Boysen, MD - GURS Fellow, Duke University, Joseph Rodriguez III, MD - Urologic Oncology Fellow, Oklahoma University
Wellness at UChicago Urology
Wellness is taken very seriously in the Section of Urology. Wellness doesn't just mean adequate time to rest, but includes ways to actively improve the physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of our team.
Resident Education
The residency program values and prioritizes a robust and engaging educational curriculum that maximizes the time that the residents have in a busy day. To that end, the program has tailored education to be as applicable to urologic practice as possible.
Benefits as a UChicago Urology Resident
Each newly matched resident will receive:
- Personally fitted Surgitel loupes in monogrammed cases
- Personalized thyroid shield
- AUA membership
- Access to SASP question bank and AUA update series
- Financial coverage for AUA Intern Academy (PGY-1 only)
- Board Review Course and $1000 for ABU application (PGY-5 only)
- FreedomPay funds for any UChicago cafeteria (based on number of call shifts)
- Light breakfast and coffee every Wednesday morning for Grand Rounds
- Dinner provided at every Thursday afternoon conference
Explore the Department of Surgery
The Department of Surgery at the University of Chicago is committed to providing excellent patient care, advancing the field of surgery through research, and educating the next generation of surgeons. The department is composed of several sections, including the Section of Urology, and offers a range of educational programs, including residency and fellowship programs.