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P ATIENTS WITH A variety of urologic illnesses, including kidney stones, pelvic floor disorders, erectile dysfunction, benign prostatic hyperplasia and urinary tract infections, will find a wide range of medical, mini- mally invasive and open-surgery therapies at UT Medicine Urology. The Department of Urology possesses particular expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of genito- urinary cancer, including malignancies of the bladder, testes, prostate and kidneys. They coordinate care with the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) and see patients across the street at the Medical Arts & Research Center (MARC) on Floyd Curl Drive as well as at the hospital-based clinic at the Robert B. Green Campus downtown. Building a Center of Excellence for a Rare Type of Kidney Cancer Ronald Rodriguez, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Urology, completed residency and fellowship training in general surgery and urology at Johns Hopkins University and then remained at the university as a faculty member for 15 years before joining UT Medicine in 2013. During his time at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Rodriguez honed his expertise in treating genitourinary cancers, particu- larly those of the kidneys and prostate. O n e u n c o m m o n c o n d i t i o n Dr. Rodriguez saw with some frequency while at Johns Hopkins — he treated more than 40 cases during his tenure — was inferior vena cava tumor thrombus resulting from renal cell carcinoma. "In the years to come, two areas of focus for the Department of Urology are to better understand the urologic impact of diabetes, particularly on kidney dysfunction and voiding dysfunction, and investigate the urologic health disparities we see in San Antonio. Our department members serve patients at various clinics, and we see a much higher amount of high-grade, advanced prostate, kidney and bladder cancers that are out of proportion to what we'd expect for the number of individuals we treat. The higher stages and grades of these cancers suggest these individuals might not be seeking care as others would." — Ronald Rodriguez, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Urology at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio M D N E W S . CO M ■ MD NEWS San Antonio | 7