David Penson

H. Rodes Hart and Patricia Ingram Hart, whose generous gifts continue to advance the mission of Vanderbilt University, have endowed a second chair in urologic surgery. Dr. Melissa R. Kaufman will be the inaugural chair holder. Read More

Beginning July 1, Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Department of Urologic Surgery, which is currently housed within the Medical Center’s Section of Surgical Sciences, will become an independent department. Read More

David Penson, M.D., MPH, Paul V. Hamilton, M.D., and Virginia E. Howd Professor of Urologic Oncology and chair of the Department of Urologic Surgery, has been named an associate editor for The Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI). Read More

In 2012, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended that men of all ages should not be routinely screened for levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). That group now recommends that men ages 55 to 69 should talk with their doctors and make well-informed individual decisions about the potential harms and benefits of PSA screening, and treatment if cancer is found. Read More

In 2012, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended that men of all ages should not be routinely screened for levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). These are the blood tests to detect the possibility of prostate cancer. Read More

A federal task force has changed its recommendation about prostate cancer screening for some older men. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) now recommends that men between the ages of 55 to 69 consult with their physicians about getting routine screening blood tests to detect prostate cancer. Read More

David Penson, M.D., MPH, Paul V. Hamilton, M.D., and Virginia E. Howd Professor of Urologic Oncology and chair of the Department of Urologic Surgery, has been selected to chair the American Urological Association (AUA) Science & Quality Council, according to an announcement from the AUA Board of Directors. Read More

Faced with the negative quality-of-life effects from surgery and radiation treatments for prostate cancer, low risk patients may instead want to consider active surveillance with their physician, according to a study released Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is the world’s first site to treat a patient in the TULSA-PRO Ablation Clinical Trial (TACT), which employs an emerging therapy that uses MRI guidance and robotically driven therapeutic ultrasound to obtain precise prostate cancer tissue ablation. Read More

The 3 million prostate cancer survivors in the United States are likely to die from something other than cancer, thanks to early detection, effective treatment and the disease’s slow progression. Read More

Beginning this week, Vanderbilt men will have a good excuse to ignore their razors and let their facial hair grow. November has been dubbed “Movember,” a time when men are encouraged to grow a moustache to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer. Read More

The Vanderbilt Cardio-Oncology program has fostered a collaborative relationship combining the expertise of cardiologists and oncologists to understand effects of cancer therapy on the heart. Read More

David Penson, M.D., the Paul V. Hamilton, M.D. and Virginia E. Howd Professor of Urologic Oncology, will become chair of Vanderbilt’s Department of Urologic Surgery, effective Jan. 1, 2015. Read More

Patient-centered outcomes research is the focus of a $3.3 million, five-year, institutional K12 training grant awarded to Vanderbilt University Medical Center by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Read More

Nine Vanderbilt University faculty members named to endowed chairs were honored for their academic achievements during a celebration Jan. 22 at the Student Life Center. Read More

David Penson, M.D., MPH, professor of Urologic Surgery, has received a $2 million research award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study localized prostate cancer, the second leading cause of death among American men. Read More

A new study comparing outcomes among prostate cancer patients treated with surgery versus radiotherapy found differences in urinary, bowel and sexual function after short-term follow-up, but those differences were no longer significant 15 years after initial treatment. Read More

Racial differences exist in quality surgical care, new research from VICC finds. Read More

Heart disease is still the leading cause of death for men in Tennessee and cancer deaths continue to move further away from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Healthy People 2020 goal, according to the 2012 Tennessee Men’s Health Report Card. Read More