Duke Robotic Surgery & Minimally Invasive Urologic Oncology Fellowship Program Structure

The Fellowship is structured to encompass a combination of clinical/surgical (80%) and research (20%) training over a one-year period. Research opportunities are numerous and include image-guided ablative cancer therapies, advancements in prostate and kidney cancer treatment and AI in education and robotic surgery.  Upon successful graduation of the fellowship, the fellow receives a certificate from Endourology Society and from Duke University. Our goal is to provide trainees with opportunities to develop the clinical, surgical, and research skills needed to be leaders in their fields.

Fellows will primarily work with Drs. Polascik, Morgan, and Gahan to gain a broad experience in the minimally invasive treatment of urologic cancer as well as some benign disease with enhanced exposure to upper and lower tract ureteral reconstruction. The fellow will have the opportunity to learn focal therapy techniques for image-targeted cancer treatment in a safe and effective gland-preserving manner. There is a wide array of research opportunities in these arenas as well. 

The Fellow is also an important part of the Endourologic training program for our residents including assisting in teaching and contributing to journal clubs and resident teaching conferences. The Fellow will be employed as a junior faculty member and will be responsible for 3-4 weeks of faculty call per year.

Surgical Volume

Approximate number of procedures per year:

  • Robotic nephrectomy/nephroureterectomy- 30-50/year 
  • Robotic partial nephrectomy/nephrolithotomy- 40-60/ year 
  • Robotic cystectomy/other-15-20/year 
  • Robotic radical prostatectomy- 90-110/year 
  • Robotic simple prostatectomy- 60-80/year 
  • Ureteral reconstruction (pyeloplasty, ureteral reimplant, buccal ureteroplasty, ileal ureter, U-U)- 30-50/year