Urology Leadership Council

In 2002, I came to the University of California, Irvine as the Professor and Chair of the newly established Department of Urology. For the 40+ years prior to that time, Urology at UC Irvine was a division under the Department of Surgery. With this move to Departmental status, I was provided with resources to begin to build a first-rate Urological service for the Orange County community.

During the initial four years of my tenure at UC Irvine, we were able to recruit internationally renowned faculty, develop an ongoing research program in three areas: prostate and bladder cancer, bladder reconstruction (i.e. tissue bioengineering), and minimally invasive surgery (i.e. laparoscopy and robotics). Also, via a three-year industry grant, we were able to establish the first mini-fellowship program in the country for postgraduate training of urologists in new procedures; this center was recently certified by the American College of Surgeons and awarded with Level I accreditation status thereby making the UC Irvine Education Center one of only 24 in North America to be so recognized. In June 2006, for the first time in its history, Urology at UC Irvine was listed among the top 50 programs in the United States by U.S. News and World Report; at #27, we were fourth on the West Coast, trailing only UCLA, UCSF, and Stanford. My goal is to move into the top 20 programs within the next 3-4 years.

To be sure, this has been a wonderful six years, and I am so very proud of the Department of Urology and the many people who have enabled us to move forward so rapidly and with so much success.

So what are our challenges going forward? They are three in number:

• Maintenance and growth of a world-renowned faculty amidst shrinking resources and reduced payments for medical/surgical care.
• Support for basic and translational research in urological cancer, tissue bioengineering, and robotic/minimally invasive surgery.
• Continuance and expansion of our Urological Surgical Training Center with its teaching programs for medical students, residents, and postgraduate urologists.

These challenges can be met by the establishment of endowments. Endowments are “forever” in that they provide an uninterrupted guaranteed flow of funds for faculty development. The endowed chair usually provides upwards of 10-20% of a faculty’s salary allowing that individual to pursue their interest in research and teaching. As such, an endowed chair in pediatric urology is currently being established and, pending approval of Dean Bailey, similar endowed chairs in oncology and education are in the planning stages. Of note, the creation of the chair in pediatric urology was a key component in the recruitment of Dr. Khoury, a world-renowned pediatric urologist, to UC Irvine. In addition, we are seeking to better endow our research efforts through funding of both a research director and of the laboratory facilities themselves. Lastly, our educational efforts are similarly in need of your support; your kindness to us has in the past helped us to bring in visiting professors for resident teaching and provided the means to purchase texts and create other educational opportunities for our trainees.

Many thanks for your interest. Feel free to call me directly if you have an interest in supporting any of these educational or research efforts. Your support of our efforts to become “the best” is deeply appreciated.

Sincerely

Ralph V. Clayman, M.D.
Chairman, UC Irvine Department of Urology