The Department of Urology residency program at New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH) - Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) is one of the oldest and most accomplished Urology programs in the nation. The goal of our Department is to provide unsurpassed excellence in patient care, research, and residency and fellowship training. This year, NYPH was ranked the best hospital in New York City and among the top urology programs in the nation in the US News and World Report. Our faculty are internationally recognized experts in the fields of Urologic Oncology, BPH, NeuroUrology/Urodynamics, Female Urology, Pediatric Urology, Urolithiasis, Reconstructive Surgery, Male and Female Sexual Dysfunction, and Male Infertility. Our emphasis is on Minimally Invasive Surgery, which permeates all of the above disciplines. The Department of Urology residency program includes three campuses: the main Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) comprised of the Milstein Hospital Pavilion and The Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York (CHONY), our community hospital The Allen Pavilion in northern Manhattan, and Roosevelt-St. Luke's Hospital (RSLH), located in the Upper West Side .

Starting with the 2005 applicants, the Urology Residency Program at CUMC again became a 6 year program. The program is fully accredited having received the maximum 5-year accreditation in January 2005. The program accepts three residents per year. The first 12 months (internship year) are spent in the Department of Surgery at CUMC with monthly rotations through various surgical subspecialties including 2 months as the adult urology intern. The subsequent 5 years are spent entirely in urology training: 4 clinical years and 1 research year. Residents obtain comprehensive training in adult and pediatric Urology through direct interaction with our faculty both in office and hospital settings. Didactic sessions are provided through weekly tumor boards, GU radiology rounds, board review sessions, and grand rounds as well as monthly journal clubs. Residents are able to develop and hone their laparoscopic and robotic skills in our minimally invasive surgery laboratory, which includes laparoscopic and robotic trainers (MIMIC System). It is of note that the CHONY pediatric Urology service has the highest surgical case volume of any non-fellowship program in the country and as a result, affords our residents a unique opportunity.

The PGY-4 year is spent in the Urology research laboratories (Cory Abate-Shen, Ph.D., Carlos Cordon-Cardo, M.D., Ph.D., or Cathy Mendelsohn, Ph.D.), in the laboratories of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (Dr. Riccardo Dalla Favera, Director) or in clinical research with a clinical faculty mentor (Aaron Katz, M.D., James McKiernan, M.D., Jaime Landman, M.D., or Ben Spencer, M.D.). Dr. Abate-Shen is one of the world's experts in mouse models of prostate and bladder cancer and is studying prostate and bladder carcinogenesis and chemoprevention. Dr. Cordon-Cardo is perhaps the world's leading systems pathologist studying prostate and bladder cancer. Dr. Mendelsohn is a world leader in the molecular embryology of ureteral and renal development. Drs. Katz and McKiernan are active in Phase I, II and III clinical trials and Dr. Landman is developing new minimally invasive surgical techniques to facilitate urologic oncology procedures. Dr. Spencer is studying racial health care disparities and holds a joint appointment in the Mailman School of Public Health.

Our program is committed to training the leaders of Urology for today and tomorrow. Many of our residents pursue careers in academic urology and have gone on to competitive fellowship programs at the NCI, UCLA, University of Indiana, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Michigan, Sick Children's in Toronto, M.D. Anderson, North Shore-LIJ Health System and Columbia University.

The entire faculty is dedicated to the training of our residents and believes that there is no finer training program anywhere in the world. We are anxious to have the opportunity to meet you. Applicants are encouraged to learn more about our program and faculty by spending a month as a sub-intern during their fourth-year of medical school. This is not a prerequisite and other applicants who have been unable to do a sub-internship have chosen to spend shorter periods of time on service to get to know our faculty and program better. Medical students may apply for a fourth year elective by contacting Ms. Jacqueline Tavarez at jt328@columbia.edu or (212) 305-1371.

The Department of Urology participates in the ERAS application system. We require 3 letters of recommendation, your medical school Dean's letter, and medical school transcript. Your file should be complete (except for Dean's letter) by September 15th but it is advantageous to have your application complete as early as possible. Successful applicants will be invited for a limited number of interviews in November. Please contact our residency coordinator Ms. Jacqueline Tavarez at jt328@columbia.edu or (212) 305-1371 with any questions.

Sincerely,

Mitchell C. Benson, M.D.
George F. Cahill Professor &
Chairman of Urology
Residency Program Coordinator

Kimberly L. Cooper, M.D.
Associate Residency Program Coordinator