Our Story

The Department of Urology has benefited from the distinguished service of many titans of the field. Founded by Dr. John Henry Neff in the 1920s, the nascent department separated from General surgery to specialize in genitourinary disease. Dr. Neff was succeeded by Dr. Edgar Kirby and then by Dr. Samuel A. Vest (1905–1958) in 1941. Dr. Vest described the eponymous Vest sutures used to reapproximate urethrovesical anastomoses in radical prostatectomy.

Under Dr. Jay Y. Gillenwater’s leadership from 1967-1994, the department acquired one of the first extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy systems in the United States and built acclaim as a leading center for research and treatment of urinary stone disease. Dr. Gillenwater is a past president of both the American Board of Urology (1987-88) and the American Urological Association (1991-92).

Dr. William D. Steers led the UVA Department of Urology from 1994-2015 and innovated in the areas of neuro-urology, urinary incontinence and robotic surgery, helping the University of Virginia acquire one of the first robotic surgical systems in the Unites States. He was a pioneer of robotic radical prostatectomy and also served as president of the American Board of Urology,  and as the editor of the Journal of Urology.

Dr. Raymond A. Costabile, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and Bronze Star recipient, as well as former Chief of Urology Service at Madigan Army Medical Center, served as Chair from 2015-2019 and helped to expand clinical outreach in the region.

Dr. Kirsten L. Greene is the current Chair and joined UVA Urology in 2019 after training at the University of California San Francisco. Under her leadership, the department has doubled its size in faculty and increased our trainee complement including students, residents and fellows.

Our storied past lays the foundation for pioneering research, innovative procedures, outstanding patient care, and the development of the next generation of urologists.

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