Columbia University Irving Medical Center

161 Fort Washington Ave
11th Floor, New York, NY 1002

Laura Z. Vargas

The Department of Urology residency program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Irving Medical Center is one of the oldest and most accomplished Urology programs in the nation. The goal of our Department is to provide unsurpassed excellence in patient care, research, and residency and fellowship training.

New York-Presbyterian has consistently ranked in U.S. News and World Report as the best hospital in New York City and has one of the top urology programs in the nation. Our faculty are internationally recognized experts in the fields of Urologic oncology, BPH, neurourology/urodynamics, female urology, pediatric urology, urolithiasis, reconstructive surgery, male and gemale sexual dysfunction, and male minfertility.

A Six-Year Residency

Starting with the 2005 applicants, the Urology Residency Program at Columbia Urology became a six-year program. The program is fully accredited, and received the maximum five-year accreditation in July 2010. Presently we accept three residents per year. The first 12 months (internship year) are spent on various general surgery rotations in the Department of Surgery at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, with monthly rotations through various surgical sub-specialties including four months in Urology. The subsequent five years are spent entirely in urology training: four clinical years and one research year. Residents obtain comprehensive training in adult and pediatric urology through direct interaction with our faculty in office and hospital settings. Didactic sessions are provided through weekly tumor boards, grand rounds, and core curriculum lectures, as well as monthly journal clubs. Residents are able to develop and hone their laparoscopic and robotic skills in our minimally invasive surgery laboratory, which includes laparoscopic and robotic trainers (MIMIC System).