Undergrad: Lincoln Land Community College
Nursing School: Illinois State University
Clinical Interests: GU/Urologic cancer; Male urology/men’s health; Elevated PSA; Kidney stones
M.D. Degree: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Residency: Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Fellowship: Vanderbilt Pediatric Urology Fellowship, Nashville, TN
Clinical Interests: Reconstructive Urology, Spina Bifida, Pediatric Stone Disease, Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgery
Dr. Thomas is the Chief of Staff at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt and serves in leadership roles in numerous state-wide and national organizations focused on pediatric urology.
Medical School: Northeastern Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, Ohio
Residency: Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, Jacksonville, FL
Fellowship: Vanderbilt Pediatric Urology Fellowship, Nashville, TN
Clinical Interests: Pediatric Urology, Genitourinary Reconstruction
Dr. Taylor is heavily involved in medical education and quality improvement. She is the program director for the pediatric urology fellowship program, assistant program director of the urology residency program, and director of medical student education in urology. Outside of work, Dr. Taylor enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband, two children, and animals.
Medical School: University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA
Residency: University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA
Fellowship: Vanderbilt Pediatric Urology Fellowship, Nashville, TN
Medical School: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
Residency: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
Fellowship: Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
Medical School: University of Tennessee School of Medicine
Residency: University of Texas Southwestern Medical School/University of Utah
Fellowship: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Clinical Interests: Bladder cancer, Prostate cancer, Prostatectomy, Urologic Cancer, Genitourinary Cancer
Dr Smith's career has been focused on innovative surgical treatment for urologic cancer. He has transitioned from his surgical practice at Vanderbilt and now is Director of Global Surgery for the Department. He oversees and participates in humanitarian surgical efforts throughout the world and coordinates the participation of residents, fellows, and other faculty at Vanderbilt.
Medical Degree: Tufts University School of Medicine
Residency: University of Connecticut Health Center
Fellowship: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Clinical Interests: Bladder Cancer, Genitourinary Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Prostatectomy, Ultrasound Fusion Biopsy/Artemis
Dr. Scarpato, MD, MPH, is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Urology Residency Program and Vice Chair of Education. She has interests in resident and medical student education, surgical simulation, and mentorship. She remains committed to advancing the field of urology through education and maintains a strong interest in both patient and resident education. She enjoys collaborating on educational endeavors with numerous local and national organizations. Dr. Scarpato’s clinical practice focuses on the diagnosis and management of bladder and prostate cancer. She has a particular interest in focal therapy and salvage prostate ablation, as well as advanced prostate cancer.
Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH
Residency: Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
Fellowship: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Dr. Jennifer Robles, MD MPH is an Assistant Professor of Urology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee and is the Surgical Quality Officer and Chief of Urology of the Tennessee Valley (VA) Healthcare System. Her training includes a Urologic Surgery residency at Washington University in Saint Louis, clinical fellowship in Endourology and Laparoscopic/Robotic Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and research fellowship in Quality Improvement via the Veterans Affairs Quality Scholar program. Dr. Robles served as the American Urological Association (AUA) Science and Quality Fellow from 2018-2020 and is a current member of the AUA Quality Improvement and Patient Safety committee. Her professional goal is to achieve meaningful systems-based improvements in the quality of surgical patient care. Her primary clinical interests include minimally invasive surgical management of kidney masses, kidney stones, hydronephrosis, ureteral abnormalities and obstruction.
Medical Degree: University of Tennessee School of Medicine, Memphis TN
Residency: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
Fellowship: James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, IN
Clinical Interests: Pediatric Urology, Reconstructive Surgery, Spina Bifida, Pediatric Stone Disease, Laparoscopic Surgery
Dr. Pope is the Division Chief of Pediatric Urology and serves as Associate Surgeon-in-Chief and Surgical Director of Perioperative Operations. As a nationally recognized leader in pediatric urology, Dr. Pope has held prominent roles including President of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Urology, Executive Committee Member of the Society of Pediatric Urology, and Oral Board Examiner for the American Board of Urology. He has served on editorial boards for leading journals and contributed to national curricula and guidelines. Dr. Pope’s clinical expertise includes complex congenital anomalies, neurogenic bladder, and reconstructive surgery. He has mentored over 20 pediatric urology fellows and numerous residents, many of whom now lead academic programs across the U.S. His research has been supported by NIH and other national organizations, with a focus on bladder fibrosis, congenital anomalies, and spina bifida outcomes.
Dr. Penson is the Director of the Center for Surgical Quality and Outcomes Research in the Vanderbilt Institute for Medicine and Public Health and maintains a keen interest in health policy and improving the quality of care in the U.S. He obtained his MD from Boston University, completed his urology residency at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, and then completed the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar fellowship at Yale University, while obtaining his MPH degree. He currently maintains a clinical practice in urologic oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.Dr. Penson is also very active in the field of health policy. In addition to serving as Chairman of the American Urological Association's Public Policy Council, Dr. Penson has served on various committees in the National Quality Forum, the Ambulatory Quality Alliance, the AMA Physician Consortium for Quality Improvement and AHRQ's National Advisory Council.
Dr. Penson's research is focused on the comparative effectiveness of treatments for localized prostate cancer. He is the Principal Investigator (PI) of the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study (PCOS), a large population-based study of prostate cancer survivors funded by the NCI that includes the longest longitudinal patient-reported follow-up in the field. Dr. Penson was the original PI of the CEASAR study (which is now led by Dr. Dan Barocas), a comparative effectiveness study of surgery vs. radiation for localized prostate cancer, funded by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Over 3600 men have been enrolled in the CEASAR study that will determine "what works, in which patients and in whose hands." Dr. Penson's work has been published in a variety of journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Health Affairs and JNCI.
Medical School: Boston University School of Medicine
Residency: University of California, Los Angeles
Fellowship: Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, Yale University
Clinical Interests: Prostate cancer, Bladder cancer, Prostatectomy, Elevated PSA
Dr Penson serves as Chair of the Department and oversees all Departmental activities. He is also a well-known health services researcher, a urologic oncologist who focuses primarily on clinical prostate cancer care and, most importantly, the father of three great kids (all of whom are die-hard Boston Red Sox fans, like their dad).