David Penson

Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery residents pose in a Vanderbilt University Hospital operating room. (photo by Susan Urmy)
October 1, 2024

Urology and Otolaryngology residency programs ranked No. 1 by Doximity for reputation

Each year, Doximity Residency Navigator publishes residency program rankings by specialty which are “powered by peer nominations, ratings and hand-written reviews.”

By Craig Boerner
February 21, 2024

Renovated Urology clinic in TVC features expanded services

Vanderbilt Urology’s newly renovated TVC clinic features a slightly larger and much more efficient space, nitrous oxide in the procedure rooms, a new high definition C-Arm X-ray machine and a urodynamics unit, thereby expanding the range of procedures that can be performed in clinic without having to go to the operating room.

By Craig Boerner
Scott Sullivant is one of the many patients being helped through VUMC’s REACH for Survivorship Clinic.
August 4, 2022

Clinic helps patients prepare to move beyond prostate cancer

Vanderbilt’s REACH for Survivorship Clinic takes a holistic approach to help treat prostate cancer patients.

By Craig Boerner
March 28, 2019

Tool guides decision-making for prostate cancer patients

Prostate cancer patients in Nashville and Los Angeles are benefiting from a computer-based decision aid that implements the latest study results to tailor treatment options to an individual’s quality-of-life priorities.

By Craig Boerner
Longtime colleagues and friends Curt Thorne, left, and Terry Burke enjoyed sailing together.
March 28, 2019

Bladder cancer research fund honors mentor’s lasting influence

The Terry Burke Fund for Bladder Cancer Research at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center is supporting a range of discovery research aimed at improving outcomes for bladder cancer patients, and it is helping train the next generation of bladder cancer physician-scientists.

By Leigh MacMillan
April 5, 2018

Change positions Department of Urologic Surgery for sustained growth

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.

By John Howser
September 7, 2017

Penson named to editorial post of major cancer journal

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).
By VUMC News and Communications
April 24, 2017

My Southern Health: What men should ask about prostate cancer screening

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.
By VUMC News and Communications
April 20, 2017

Prostate cancer screening recommendations altered for some older men

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.
By VUMC News and Communications
March 30, 2017

Penson to chair urology association’s science, quality council

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.
By Craig Boerner
March 21, 2017

Study shows active surveillance preserves quality of life for prostate cancer patients

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).
By Craig Boerner
September 22, 2016

New prostate cancer therapy investigated at VUMC

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.
By Craig Boerner
February 4, 2016

Prostate cancer survivors’ risk of heart disease studied

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.
By Kathy Whitney
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