Education: Residency: Our Faculty

Our Faculty

Our faculty share with residents its wide-ranging experience, interests, and clinical and research expertise.  They train residents in the use, study and advancement of the most current surgical techniques, including:

  • Advanced laparoscopy
  • Endoscopy
  • Female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery
  • Pediatric urology
  • Robotic surgery
  • Urologic oncology

Research.  Each faculty member actively engages in clinical and/or translational research as evidenced by the impact of Vanderbilt publications and grants awarded to our faculty. Three Department of Urology research laboratories run by independently funded Ph.D. scientists produce consistent excellence in grant funding, research publication and training of residents and fellows.

Leadership. Many of our faculty hold leadership positions in:

  • National urologic, surgical and oncologic organizations
  • National and international medical journals
  • Changing public medical policy related to urology care

Publishing. Our faculty, fellows and residents are prolific in sharing their study findings, research outcomes and ideas to improve and advance all aspects of urology through publications and presentations.

Faculty Prospective on Residency Program

Residency Program Leadership

  • Kristen R. Scarpato, MD, MPH

    Associate Professor
    Department of Urology
    Residency Program Director
    Department of Urology
    Vice Chair of Education
    Department of Urology
    Division of Urologic Oncology

    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.

  • Abby Taylor, MD, MPH

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Urology
    Fellowship Director
    Pediatric Urology Fellowship
    Assistant Residency Program Director
    Department of Urology
    Director of Medical Student Education
    Department of Urology
    Division of 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 program director for the pediatric urology fellowship program, assistant program director of the urology residency program, and director of medical student education in urology.

Departmental Leadership

  • David F. Penson, MD, MPH, MMHC

    Professor and Chair
    Department of Urology
    Hamilton and Howd Chair in Urologic Oncology
    Division of Urologic Oncology

    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).

  • Daniel A. Barocas, MD, MPH, FACS

    Professor
    Department of Urology
    Executive Vice Chair
    Department of Urology
    Division of Urologic Oncology

    Medical School: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Residency: New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center
    Fellowship: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    Clinical Interests: Genitourinary Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Kidney Cancer, Bladder Cancer, Laparoscopy and Robotics

    Dr. Barocas is an accomplished researcher, focusing on quality of life, quality of care, healthcare disparities and comparative effectiveness. He is the principal investigator of a multi-center study on the effectiveness and side effects of different treatments for prostate cancer.

Fellowship Directors

  • Nicole L. Miller, MD, FACS

    Professor
    Department of Urology
    Fellowship Director
    Endourology and Laparoscopic Surgery Fellowship
    Division of Endourology and Stone Disease

    Medical School: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
    Residency: Univeristy of Virginia Health Sciences Center
    Fellowship: Indiana University School of Medicine
    Clinical Interests: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, Endourology, Kidney Stones, Percutaneous Kidney Stone Surgery

    Dr. Miller is an internationally recognized clinician specializing in the treatment of kidney stone disease and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) with particular expertise in Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP).  Her research focuses on the investigation of pathophysiologic pathways in BPH and new laser technologies for kidney stone and BPH treatment.  She is also a founding member of the Endourology Disease Group for Excellence (EDGE) Research Consortium which conducts multi-center trials to advance clinical excellence in the treatment of kidney stone disease.  

  • Kelvin Moses, MD, PhD

    Associate Professor
    Department of Urology
    Joseph A. Smith Directorship in Urologic Oncology
    Fellowship Director
    Urologic Oncology Fellowship
    Division of Urologic Oncology

    Medical School: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
    Residency: Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
    Fellowship: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
    Clinical Interests: Advanced Prostate Cancer, Advanced Kidney Cancer, Testis Cancer, Penile Cancer, Adrenal Cancer

    Dr. Moses is the Director of the Comprehensive Prostate Cancer clinic and Director of the Urologic Oncology Fellowship. He is the Chair of the NCCN Guidelines Panel on Early Detection of Prostate Cancer. His surgical practice focuses on advanced kidney cancer, including complex IVC thrombectomy and cytoreductive nephrectomy, and advanced testis cancer via retroperitoneal lymph node dissection.  He has research interests in health literacy and cancer outcomes, advanced prostate cancer clinical trials, optimal surgical resection for advanced Urologic cancers, and health disparities in Urologic cancers.

  • Medical School: Pennsylvania State University, Milton S. Hershey College of Medicine
    Residency: University of Chicago Medical Center
    Fellowship: Vanderbilt Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship
    Clinical Interests: Urinary Incontinence, Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Pelvic Organ Prolapse, Urinary Fistulas, Neurogenic Urinary Tract Dysfunction, Urogynecology

    Dr. Reynolds is an expert in functional urology and women’s pelvic health, with specialty certification in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS), and the Director of the Vanderbilt FPMRS Fellowship Program. His research focuses on understanding functional bladder disorders, such as overactive bladder and incontinence, to improve the lives of those affected by these conditions.  As a recognized leader in the field, he serves as Member-at-Large on the Executive Committee of the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine, and Urogenital Reconstruction (SUFU).

  • Abby Taylor, MD, MPH

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Urology
    Fellowship Director
    Pediatric Urology Fellowship
    Assistant Residency Program Director
    Department of Urology
    Director of Medical Student Education
    Department of Urology
    Division of 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 program director for the pediatric urology fellowship program, assistant program director of the urology residency program, and director of medical student education in urology.