Hackensack University Medical Center Department of Urology Achievements Demonstrate Leadership in Urological Care

Urologists lead the way through prestigious appointments, education of other urologists, and missions abroad

Hackensack University Medical Center’s Department of Urology team — New Jersey’s only Urology Department to earn national ranking by U.S. News & World Report — is celebrating several achievements in the first six months of 2023. From urologic oncology and pediatric oncology to single-port robotic surgery, the Department of Urology team is leading the way in urological care across the U.S. and abroad.

• Thought Leader of the Future. Nitin Yerram, M.D., Co-Director of Urologic Oncology at John Theurer Cancer Center and Director of Urologic Research, received an invitation to participate in the Prostate Cancer Foundation’s “Thought Leaders of the Future” Academy, which convened in Los Angeles in August 2023. The academy provides a select group of recent fellowship graduates in medical oncology, radiation oncology and urology with opportunities for genitourinary cancer research.
• Sharing Single-Port Robotic Surgery Expertise. Members of the Urology team have been sharing their single-port robotic surgery expertise at home and abroad. Michael Stifelman, M.D., Chair of Urology and Director of Robotic Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center, and Professor and Founding Chair of Urology at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, has served as Visiting Professor at prestigious institutions in Texas and Sweden – and was the keynote speaker at the Michigan University Surgery Improvement Collaborative (MUSIC) Conference. Mutahar Ahmed, M.D., Director of the Center for Bladder Cancer, Hackensack University Medical Center, Associate Professor of Urology, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, and Director, Robotic Fellowship Program, New Jersey Urology, traveled to Seoul, Korea, to demonstrate single-port robotic surgery techniques to urologic surgeons. And in June, Dr. Georg Schoen, Chief Physician of Robotic Urosurgery at the Urological Clinic at Munich Planegg in Germany, visited Hackensack University Medical Center to learn about single-port kidney and prostate surgery from the team.
• Second Annual National Single Port Symposium. To provide the next generation of urologists the opportunity to experience single port surgery and understand its value, Dr. Stifelman, Dr. Ahmed, and urologist Mubashir Shabil Billah, M.D., hosted their Second Annual National Single Port Symposium at Hackensack University Medical Center on September 9-10, 2023. The event — which includes faculty members from Hackensack University Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic and Mount Sinai — is centered around senior urology residents and fellows and funded by grants from the Urology Foundation and Intuitive Surgical. The comprehensive course utilized pre-course learning, didactics, panels, four live surgery cases and hands-on teaching with hydrogel models to teach fundamental and advanced single port surgical techniques.
• Medical Missions Expand Urology Care Across the Globe. Richard Schlussel, M.D., Director of Pediatric Urology at Hackensack Meridian Health network, uses his expertise to give back, participating in 10 mission trips to Africa, the Dominican Republic, Armenia, China and Ecuador. In October, the New Jersey Chapter of Healing the Children will host a benefit gala honoring Dr. Schlussel for his humanitarian work.

“Whether inside our hospital’s walls or across the globe, our team is at the forefront — continually pushing the envelope to deliver outstanding urological care,” said Dr. Stifelman. “We use the latest, most innovative technology here at home to promote outcomes that exceed national standards of excellence — and by working closely with our national and international colleagues, we can expand access to leading-edge urological care to even more patients.”

Learn more about innovative urological care at Hackensack University Medical Center.