About the Department
Located on the MCV Campus in downtown Richmond, the Department of Urology is home to a community of passionate and dedicated researchers, educators and emerging leaders in the field of urology.
Department History
Urology has a long, proud history at VCU, dating back to 1932 when Austin Dodson M.D., the first chair, was appointed. Over the decades, VCU Urology evolved through many iterations, guided and supported by influential chairs including Warren W. Koontz Jr. M.D., and supported by a strong program at the Richmond Veterans Affairs Health System led by R. Carl Bunts, M.D. and Robert H. Hackler, M.D. VCU Over the decades, VCU Urology pioneered paradigm-shifting work in renal transplantation, bladder cancer diagnosis, multidisciplinary care, neuro-urology and spinal cord injury, which helped to shape not only the foundation of urology here at VCU, but the practice of urology on a national scale.
Built on a three-pronged mission of providing compassionate patient care, training the next generation of urologists and conducting cutting-edge research, VCU Urology has grown in both scope and impact. In 2022, in an effort to help address the national shortage of board-certified urologists, we expanded our residency program from two trainees to three trainees per year. Starting in July 2026, all five classes in the program will be fully enrolled.
In early 2025, we reached an exciting milestone and officially became a standalone unit as the Department of Urology. We look forward to expanding our impact across all three pillars of our mission. We recognize the power of discovery to transform the field and change lives, not only for the patients we serve today, but for generations to come.
Chairs through the years
Austin I Dodson, M.D.
1932 – 1959
George Prout, Jr., M.D.
1960 – 1969
Warren W. Koontz, Jr., M.D.
1970 – 1993
Kinloch Nelson, M.D.
1993 – 1997
Robert H. Hackler, M.D.
1997 – 1999
Unyime Nseyo, M.D.
2000 – 2003
Harry Koo, M.D.
2003 – 2011
Lance Hampton, M.D.
2012 – 2024
Adam Klausner, M.D.
2024 – present
Urology Faculty
Adam P. Klausner, M.D.
Professor and interim department chair
Adam P. Klausner, M.D.
Professor and interim department chair
Department of Urology
Warren W. Koontz M.D., Jr. Professor of Urologic Research
Endeavour Legacy Foundation Distinguished Chair in Urology
Specialty: Neuro-urology and voiding dysfunction
Email: adam.klausner@vcuhealth.org
John D. Edmondson, M.D.
Assistant professor
John D. Edmondson, M.D.
Assistant professor
Department of Urology
Pediatric urologist, Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU
Specialty: Pediatric urology
Email: john.edmondson@vcuhealth.org
B. Mayer Grob, M.D.
Professor
B. Mayer Grob, M.D.
Professor
Department of Urology
Specialty: Urologic oncology
Email: baruch.grob@vcuhealth.org
Georgi Guruli, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
Georgi Guruli, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Urology
Specialty: Urologic oncology
Email: georgi.guruli@vcuhealth.org
Lance J. Hampton, M.D.
Professor
Lance J. Hampton, M.D.
Professor
Department of Urology
Barbara and William Thalhimer Professor of Surgery
Director of strategy and innovation
Specialty: Robotic and minimally invasive urology
Email: lance.hampton@vcuhealth.org
C.D. Anthony Herndon, M.D.
Professor
C.D. Anthony Herndon, M.D.
Professor
Department of Urology
Chief, Division of Pediatric Urology
Surgeon-in-chief, Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU
Specialty: Pediatric urology
Email: claude.herndon@vcuhealth.org
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Pratik Kanabur, M.D.
Assistant professor
Pratik Kanabur, M.D.
Assistant professor
Department of Urology
Associate residency program director
Email: Pratik.Kanabur@vcuhealth.org
Alexander Kenigsberg, M.D.
Assistant professor
Alexander Kenigsberg, M.D.
Assistant professor
Department of Urology
Director of urologic oncology
Specialty: Urologic oncology
Sarah Krzastek, M.D.
Associate professor
Sarah Krzastek, M.D.
Associate professor
Department of Urology
Chief of urology, Central Virginia VA Health System
Specialty: Men’s reproductive health and sexual medicine
Email: sarah.krzastek@vcuhealth.org
Eric D. Nelson, M.D.
Associate professor
Eric D. Nelson, M.D.
Associate professor
Department of Urology
Pediatric urologist, Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU
Specialty: Pediatric urology
Email: eric.nelson1@vcuhealth.org
John Pearson, M.D.
Chief of urology, VCU Community Memorial Hospital
John Pearson, M.D.
Chief of urology, VCU Community Memorial Hospital
Department of Urology
Chief of urology, VCU Community Memorial Hospital
Email: John.Pearson@vcuhealth.org
John T. Roseman II, M.D.
Associate professor
John T. Roseman II, M.D.
Associate professor
Department of Urology
Residency program director
Specialty: Reconstructive Urology
Email: John.rosemanii@vcuhealth.org
Luriel Smith-Harrison, M.D.
Associate professor
Luriel Smith-Harrison, M.D.
Associate professor
Department of Urology
Director of clinical operations
Specialty: Men’s reproductive health and sexual medicine
Rebecca Zee, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate professor
Rebecca Zee, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate professor
Department of Urology
Pediatric urologist, Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU
Specialty: Pediatric urology
Email: rebecca.zee@vcuhealth.org
Affiliated Faculty
Linda Burkett, M.D.
Affiliated faculty
Linda Burkett, M.D.
Affiliated faculty
Department of Obstetrics and gynecology
Specialty: Urogynecology
Ashley Carroll, M.D.
Affiliated faculty
Ashley Carroll, M.D.
Affiliated faculty
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Specialties: Pelvic health, urogynecology, obstetrics and gynecology, female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery
Email: ashley.carroll@vcuhealth.org
Laura Carucci, M.D.,
Affilated faculty
Laura Carucci, M.D.,
Affilated faculty
Department of Radiology
Section chief, Abdominal imaging director
Professor of radiology, VCU School of Medicine
Email: laura.carucci@vcuhealth.org
Steven Smith, M.D., Ph.D.
Affiliated faculty
Steven Smith, M.D., Ph.D.
Affiliated faculty
Department of Pathology
Specialties: Urologic pathology, soft tissue pathology
Email: steven.smith@vcuhealth.org
John Speich, Ph.D.
Affiliated faculty
John Speich, Ph.D.
Affiliated faculty
Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
Professor in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
Specialty: Mechanourology
Email: jespeich@vcu.edu
Julie Suyama, M.D., Ph.D.
Affiliated faculty
Julie Suyama, M.D., Ph.D.
Affiliated faculty
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Specialty: Pelvic health, female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery
Email: Julie.Suyama@vcuhealth.org
Jinxing Yu, M.D.
Affiliated faculty
Jinxing Yu, M.D.
Affiliated faculty
Department of Radiology
Specialties: Abdominal CT, abdominal and prostate MRI, oncology imaging
Email: jinxing.yu@vcuhealth.org