UC San Diego - Kaiser Endourology Fellowship

About the Fellowship

The UC San Diego Department of Urology and Kaiser Permanente Endourology/Laparoscopic Fellowship offers the opportunity to complete four major goals:

Mastery of Routine and Complex Kidney Stone Procedures

Fellows will gain a complete surgical experience and mastery of both routine and complex kidney stone procedures, such as ureteroscopy, shock wave lithotripsy, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, urinary diversion stone disease surgery, laparoscopic stone surgery (including robot-assisted) and on rare indications, open stone surgery. They will also gain mastery of percutaneous access without the need for interventional radiology assistance. Ultrasound assisted percutaneous techniques are also highly encouraged as part of the training. Benign pathology will be covered, including ureteral stricture and ureteropelvic junction obstruction. Nephron-sparing endoscopic techniques will also be implemented for transitional cell carcinoma.

Robotic-assisted and Laparoscopic Surgery Techniques at Kaiser

They will perform robotic assisted and pure laparoscopic surgery with our Kaiser Permanente surgeons, led by Dr. Marc Chuang, a board-certified urologist who routinely performs a high volume of minimally invasive surgeries, such as: robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, robotic-assisted radical cystectomy, robotic partial and radical nephrectomy, robotic or laparoscopic pyeloplasty, and open oncologic surgery. Robotic surgeries will be performed with the da Vinci Si surgical system at a new state-of-the-art hospital.

Clinical Training at UC San Diego Comprehensive Kidney Stone Center

Fellows will participate in the metabolic clinic at the UC San Diego Comprehensive Kidney Stone Center, which is a multi-disciplinary clinic incorporating dieticians, endocrinologists, and nephrology subspecialties. Dr. Roger Sur is a board-certified urologist who completed an Endourology Society fellowship, and who has a comprehensive understanding of metabolic derangements that underlie nephrolithiasis. Fellows will train directly under him during the clinic/outpatient phase of the fellowship. Fellows will understand how to identify risk factors in stone disease and offer patients strategies on prevention, where recurrence is 50% at 5-10 years without prevention.

Clinical and Basic Science Research

The fellowship provides a wide range of opportunities for both clinical and basic science research. There are numerous IRB-approved clinical studies evaluating kidney stone disease from all different facets. The Kidney Stone Center also benefits from local collaborations with institutions such as Naval Medical Center San Diego. Basic science is available as we have access to laboratory facilities at the UCSD School of Medicine. We currently have an IRB-approved study to evaluate the role of Tamm-Horsfall Protein abnormalities and the role of THP in kidney stone formation.

How to Apply 

Interested candidates should send a cover letter, CV, and two letters of recommendation to:

Roger L. Sur, MD
Program Director, Endourology/Laparoscopic Fellowship
c/o Adela Lopez
Department of Urology, UC San Diego Health
200 W Arbor Dr #8897
San Diego, CA 92103-8897
Tel: (858) 249-0894
rlsur@ucsd.edu