Department of
Urology

Message from the Chair

Founded in 1962, the former chairs for the Department of Urology at West Virginia University Hospitals have included Franklin Milam, Donald Lamm, Stanley Kandzari, and Stanley Zaslow.  All contributed substantially to the development of the Department and to the Residency, which was accredited in 1973. I am honored to serve as Chair and will apply my background and experience to work with the team for further growth and innovation in Urology.

The Department is based almost exclusively on our main Morgantown campus, where adult and pediatric urologists work in a fully connected clinical environment.

Residents also remain on campus full-time, allowing for seamless integration across patient care, surgery, and academic training.

West Virginia’s population of 1.7 million are very loyal to the state, the university, and to our health system. Similarly, many of our faculty are proud alumni of our residency program.  Our culture includes solid work ethic and teamwork, which allows us to meet the challenges of providing strong tertiary care to a substantial volume of patients. We serve a large and diverse patient base, with a steady stream of acute referrals from across the state and surrounding regions.

The Department now comprises 10 physicians, including 2 full-time Pediatric Urologists.  Every major subspecialty is represented by fellowship-trained physicians, except for FPMRS, a faculty position we are actively recruiting for. Our volume will readily support 12-15 full-time urologists, and recruitment is underway in Urologic Oncology and General Urology.

J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital has been thriving with strong financial performance for the last several years, solidly in the green each year. This has been stimulated by growth that has included expansion from 350 beds to 850 beds over the past 12-14 years.  During this period of growth, WVU Medicine has invested in new facilities for Neurology/Neurosurgery, and Neuroscience, Cardiology/Cardiac Surgery, and, over the last couple of years, the opening of a wonderful new pediatric hospital. Current significant investments include the ongoing construction of a state-of-the-art Ophthalmology Center and plans for a 10-floor Cancer Center expected by 2030.

Our top priority is strong general and subspecialty efforts for patient care and surgery. The hospital has provided us with the resources to do this in a state-of-the-art manner, including eight robots and access to other helpful diagnostic and therapeutic assets. 

Our ACGME-accredited Urology Residency Program, and teaching in general (residents, medical students, other allied health care professionals) is also a key focus.  The residency has been the lifeblood of the department, and we remain strongly dedicated to this mission.

Research to move the field forward is also extremely important to us, particularly in ways that can improve patient care with special focus on the unique challenges that come with a substantially rural patient population. 

Supporting staff and resident wellness is critically important, and we want all our colleagues to enjoy their dedicated efforts. It is wonderful to be able to help our patients and each other, and we will strive to keep this at the forefront of our efforts each day.

We look forward to the future and what we will accomplish in the Department of Urology here at West Virginia University Medicine.

Steven Campbell, M.D., PhD

Chair and professor

WVU Department of Urology