Education: Urologic Oncology Fellowship: Our Faculty

Our Faculty

Our faculty shares with fellows its broad-ranging backgrounds, interests, and extensive clinical training and expertise, as well as accomplishments in research, medical policy, and representation in journals.

Advanced techniques. Our faculty use, study and advance the most current surgical techniques, including:

  • Laparoscopy 
  • Robotic-assisted laparoscopy 
  • Ablative and thermal techniques 
  • Image guided therapies

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 PhD scientists, produce consistent excellence in grant funding, research publication and training of fellows.

Leadership

Vanderbilt urologic oncology faculty are leaders in the field and are involved at the highest level of organizational urology through national and international committees, such as:

  • Leading American Urological Association (AUA) clinical guidelines on  
    • Advanced Prostate Cancer 
    • Bladder Cancer 
    • Small Renal Masses 
    • Follow-up of Renal Masses 
    • Hematuria evaluation 
  • Leading National Comprehensive Cancer Center (NCCN) guidelines on 
    • Prostate cancer  
    • Bladder cancer  
    • Kidney cancer 
    • Testis cancer 
  • Chairing the American Joint Committee on Cancer’s Genitourinary staging committee
  • Vanderbilt urologic oncology faculty lead (or have led) the:
    • SUO Executive Committee 
    • AUA Health Policy Board  
    • AUA Public Media Committee 
    • SUO Young Urologic Oncologists executive committee 
    • OKAT (Oncology Knowledge Assessment Test) committees
    • American Board of Urology Examination Committee   

Publishing

Our faculty is committed to education and serves as chair or as members of the editorial staffs of several journals, including:

  • Journal of Urology 
  • Urology 
  • Urologic Oncology 
  • Urology Practice 

Fellowship Director

  • Kelvin Moses, MD, PhD

    Associate Professor
    Department of Urology
    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.

  • 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.

  • Sam S. Chang, MD, MBA

    Professor
    Department of Urology
    Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Urologic Surgery
    Chief Surgical Officer
    Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center
    Chief
    Division of Urologic Oncology

    Medical School: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
    Residency: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    Fellowship: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
    Clinical Interests: Prostate cancer, Prostatectomy, Bladder cancer, Kidney cancer, Urologic cancer

    Dr. Chang, the Chief Surgical Officer at the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center and the Urologic Oncology Division Chief, formerly chaired the American Joint Committee on GU Cancer Staging Task Force and the AUA Guidelines on Bladder Cancer and was a member of the AUA Guidelines on Renal Cancer and the SUO Guidelines on Advanced Prostate Cancer.  He currently is the Chair of the American Board of Urology Examination Committee responsible for U.S. board certification.

  • Daniel D. Joyce, MD, MS

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Urology
    Division of Urologic Oncology

    Medical School: Mayo Medical School
    Residency: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    Fellowship: Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN
    Clinical Interests: Kidney Cancer, Testis Cancer, Bladder Cancer, Prostate cancer, Genitourinary cancer

    Dr. Joyce completed a Society of Urologic Oncology fellowship and master’s degree with a concentration in healthcare delivery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN where he also attended medical school. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, graduating with honors, from New York University and completed his urology residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. He is a member of the AOA honor medical society, currently serves as an editor for The Journal of Urology, and formerly served as the Southeastern Section representative for the American Urological Association residents and fellows committee. Dr. Joyce’s clinical practice includes a broad range of both robotic and open approaches to surgical management of genitourinary malignancies. His research interests include improving value in healthcare and mitigating financial toxicity of cancer treatments through use of cost modeling and patient-reported outcome measures, as well as harnessing new technologies to improve physician-patient interactions.

  • Amy N. Luckenbaugh, MD

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Urology
    Division of Urologic Oncology

    Medical Degree: State University of New York at Buffalo
    Residency: University of Michigan
    Fellowship: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    Clinical Interests: Bladder Cancer, Kidney Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Testis Cancer, Urologic Cancer

    Dr. Luckenbaugh is a high-volume surgeon whose clinical focus centers around the comprehensive care of patients with urologic malignancies. She currently serves as secretary for the Society of Women in Urology, and through her research aims to mitigate variation in healthcare delivery.

  • 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 and bladder cancer care and, most importantly, the father of three great kids (all of whom are die-hard Boston Red Sox fans, like their dad).

  • Joseph A. Smith, Jr, MD

    Professor
    Department of Urology
    William L. Bray Professor
    Division of Urologic Oncology

    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.

  • 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.

  • Cary (CJ) Stimson, MD, JD

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Urology
    Senior Vice President of Value Transformation
    Office of Population Health
    Chief Medical Officer
    VUMC and Vanderbilt University Employee Health Plan
    Division of Urologic Oncology

    Medical School: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
    Residency: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
    Fellowship: Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD

  • Jeffrey Tosoian, MD, MPH

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Urology
    Director of Translational Cancer Research
    Division of Urologic Oncology

    Medical School: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Residency: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
    Fellowship: University of Michigan, Urologic Oncology and Translational Cancer Research
    Clinical Interests: Elevated PSA, Prostate Cancer, Kidney Cancer, Bladder Cancer, Testis Cancer

    Dr. Tosoian specializes in the surgical and non-surgical management of urologic cancers. His previous research demonstrated the safety of active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer, contributing to its adoption in clinical guidelines as a first-line management option. His research is currently focused on the development and clinical application of diagnostic and prognostic tools to guide detection and management of prostate and other genitourinary cancers, including blood-, urine-, and tissue-based biomarkers.