Year in Review: 2024

A Note from Urology Leadership

Colleagues,

I am honored to have been selected to lead one of the nation’s premier urology departments, officially joining at the end of December and succeeding Joel Nelson, MD, who has served as chair of urology for the past 25 years and is now executive vice president and chief clinical officer of UPMC.

Throughout this year, the Department continued to achieve our goals of delivering outstanding patient care, advancing scientific discoveries, and cultivating the next generation of urologic surgeons. As 2024 concludes, we are proud to reflect on a year of impactful progress at the Department of Urology at the University of Pittsburgh.

Excellence in Clinical Care
Our department remained at the forefront of providing comprehensive clinical services and innovative treatment strategies for diseases of the male and female urinary tract and the male reproductive organs. Our multidisciplinary approach continues to ensure that patients receive the very best diagnostic and therapeutic options available.

Innovation and Research
This year, we made significant strides in fundamental research, and our nationally recognized team has been instrumental in advancing therapies for prostate and urologic cancers, offering hope and improved outcomes for patients.

Surgical Expertise
We are particularly proud of our leadership in specialized technologies and minimally invasive surgical techniques. Many of these pioneering approaches were developed or refined by our expert UPMC urologic surgeons, cementing our reputation as a leader in urologic innovation.

We welcome the opportunity to tell you more about some of our efforts in 2024 and hope you'll consider voting for UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report "Best Hospitals" survey.

With gratitude,

Dr. Trinh

Quoc-Dien Trinh, MD, MBA

Chair, Department of Urology

UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside Nationally Ranked for Excellence in Urology

Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside is proud to be nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report for excellence in urology.

Implementing Change Through an Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship Program

Department of Urology and Urology Health Services Research Division faculty published a study online ahead of print in Urology Practice to examine the implementation of a multipronged behavioral intervention to reduce and tailor antibiotic use for two common urologic outpatient procedures.

Review: Controversies in Prostate Cancer Screening

Department of Urology faculty including Benjamin Davies, MD, and Bruce Jacobs, MD , MPH, along with former fellow Daisy Obiora, MD, and former resident Oluwaseun Orikogbo, MD, explored the trends in recommendations and new innovations in adjunctive testing for prostate cancer screening in a recent review published online ahead of print in the Journal of Urologic Oncology. They review Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) testing, shifting recommendations, the impact of active surveillance on patient well-being, and other methods of screening and imaging.

Opioid Use in Bladder Cancer Patients with Radical Cystectomy

UPMC Department of Urology researchers including Christopher J. Staniorski, MD; Michelle Yu, MD; Danielle Sharbaugh, MPH; Michael G. Stencel, MD; John M. Myrga, MD; Benjamin J. Davies, MD; Jonathan G. Yabes, PhD, and Bruce L. Jacobs, MD, MPH, recently published a study in Urologic Oncology titled "Predictors of persistent opioid use in bladder cancer patients undergoing radical cystectomy: A SEER-Medicare analysis."

Suprapubic Superficial Fascial System Reconstruction

UPMC Department of Urology faculty including Roger D. Klein, MD, PhD, John M. Myrga, MD, and Paul J. Rusilko, DO, FACS, along with colleagues from the UPMC Department of Plastic Surgery, recently published a study in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery titled “The Role of Suprapubic Superficial Fascial System Reconstruction During Repair of Adult-Acquired Buried Penis.”

Behavioral Intervention to Standardize Antibiotic Prophylaxis

Faculty from the UPMC Department of Urology including Adam J. Sharbaugh, MD; Michelle Yu, MD; Kelly R. Pekala, MD; Anup Shah, MD; Valentina Grajales, MD, MS; Benjamin J. Davies, MD; and Bruce L. Jacobs, MD, MPH, recently published research Urology that aimed to identify antibiotic prescribing patterns at the time of foley catheter removal after radical prostatectomy and implement a multi-pronged behavioral intervention to standardize antibiotic use.

View more research publications from our faculty on PubMed.

UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh Name New Chair of Urology

Quoc-Dien Trinh, MD, a globally recognized urological surgeon-scientist, has been appointed chair of the Department of Urology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC, effective Dec. 1, 2024.

Dr. Benjamin Davies Featured on NPR Podcast to Discuss "What to Know about Prostate Cancer"

UPMC urologic oncologist Benjamin Davies, MD, talked with NPR about the prevalence of prostate cancer and new treatments. He specifically discusses the different types of prostate cancer, the typical treatment methods of radiation therapy or surgical removal, the barriers around patients wanting to be screened for prostate cancer with a rectal exam, and more.

Nine UPMC Urologists Recognized as Top Doctors by Pittsburgh Magazine

These physicians are part of the Top Doctors^® list, which is compiled by Castle Connolly. The Castle Connolly Top Doctor selection process is entirely merit-based. Castle Connolly’s peer-to-peer nominations and rigorous research process ensure only the most qualified physicians are included.

Innovative Surgery for Patients with Radiation-Damaged Bladders

An interdisciplinary team of researchers and physicians from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC on performed the first in-human adipose-derived stem cell (ADSC) injection into a patient’s bladder for treatment of radiation-induced fibrosis.
Months prior to the surgery, teams from Pitt School of Medicine’s Departments of Urology and of Plastic Surgery worked together to create a protocol and plan for the procedure, conduct pretreatment testing and evaluation, and secure FDA and local regulatory approval. The lead physician named in the FDA expanded-use protocol is Paul Rusilko, MD, associate professor of urology and of plastic surgery, Pitt School of Medicine, and director of reconstructive urology at UPMC. Roger Klein, MD, resident in the Department of Urology, also worked on the project.

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Year in Review: 2024

A Note from Urology Leadership

UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside Nationally Ranked for Excellence in Urology

View more research publications from our faculty on PubMed.

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