Department of Urology

Welcome to the Academic Home Page for the Department of Urology. Information for patients and the public can be found on the Clinical Home Page.

1112 College Building
1025 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 215-955-6961

Leonard G. Gomella, MD
Chair, Department of Urology

Dear Friend,

Welcome to our web site that provides an overview of the academic programs of the Department of Urology at Thomas Jefferson University. If you are looking for information about our patient care and clinical programs please visit our Thomas Jefferson University Hospital web site at http://www.jeffersonhospital.org/urology/.

Jefferson Medical College is the 5th oldest medical school in the United States and has more living graduates than any other medical school in the United States. A 125-bed hospital, one of the first in the nation affiliated with a medical school, opened in 1877. The Department of Urology is one of the oldest in the United States and was established 1904, with 2004 marking our Centennial year. Jefferson has a rich history in urology and we recently dedicated the "Jefferson Museum of Urology" located in our academic office at 1025 Walnut Street. To learn more about the historical aspects of Jefferson Urology, see the History tab on this web site.

Our full time faculty includes 14 clinicians, 3 researchers and 2 educationally-focused faculty members, making us the largest Urology practice in the state of Pennsylvania and one of the largest academic Departments of Urology in the US. Our affiliate faculty at our outside institutions such as the Pediatric Division at AI DuPont Hospital, our community affiliate located in Bryn Mawr and the Wilmington VA all enhance our overall teaching and research activities. Our faculty includes internationally recognized experts in all major fields of urology including endourology, laparoscopy, oncology, female urology, andrology, pediatrics, infection and neurourology. Unique to our Department is the fact that we have four faculty members who have completed formal fellowship training in either laparoscopic or robotic prostatectomy. An outstanding complement of primary care academic urologists round out the clinical educational experience. We have been consistently listed as one of the Top Urology Departments in the US New and World Report annual listing and many of our clinicians recognized in multiple national and local "Best Doctors" or "Top Doctors" listings.

Our Urology Residency training program is a six year program with two residents accepted each year through the National Urology Match Program. Our program is fully accredited by the ACGME. A formal Endourology/Laparoscopy fellowship is available through the Endourology Society matching program. Additional basic science research and oncology fellowship positions are periodically made available. For detailed information on our formal training programs, see the Residency Program tab on this site.

Medical students are incorporated in all aspects of the Department. Students receive formal didactic lectures on a rotating basis and integrate fully into all inpatient, outpatient, operating room, cancer center activities as well as grand rounds and journal clubs. Students may work at the TJUH main campus or at one of our affiliate hospitals. Students from Jefferson Medical College can choose to participate in the Department activities through the IDEPT elective or as acting interns. Outside students are welcomed with approval through Jefferson Medical College registrar's office. Joanna Bates is our educational coordinator who can assist in student related matters (joanna.bates@jefferson.edu).

Our Department also features a clinical trials division, a basic science program and state of the art facilities for patient care.  Our Basic Science program occupies two modules in the Kimmel Cancer Center.  The basic science emphasis of our lab focuses on genetics and cell signaling in prostate and bladder cancer.  The clinical facilities provide not only outstanding patient care but allow for comprehensive training and includes voice activated laparoscopy suites, a DaVinci surgical robot, dedicated endourology facilities with digital imaging, an extensive laser and endoscopy inventory, cryo and brachytherapy units, two prostate thermotherapy units, a dedicated prostate diagnostic center and in patient and outpatient UDS facilities. An additional laparoscopy and robotic surgery suite was completed in 2007. Our conference room has a state of the art video and telecommunications hub that allows remote access to the OR and long-distance conferencing for teaching purposes.   Residents and students participate in our GU Multidisciplinary Cancer Center. This is part of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson and has been in operation since 1996.  New cancer patients are seen here by Urology, Radiation Oncology and Medical Oncology, with a management conference held immediately afterwards.

We are very proud of our Department. I invite you to learn more by exploring our academic and clinical web sites further.

Sincerely,

Leonard G. Gomella, MD
The Bernard W. Godwin, Jr. Professor of Prostate Cancer
Chairman, Department of Urology
Thomas Jefferson University                                                                                        Associate Director, Kimmel Cancer Center