Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, announced today that it has established the Department of Urology, marking the establishment of the institution's first new clinical and academic department in a decade.
The Brigham named Adam S. Kibel, MD, thecurrent chief of the division of urologythe DiNovi Family Distinguished Chair in Urology at the Brigham, and the Elliott Carr Cutler Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School to serve as inaugural chair of the new department. In this role, he will lead all clinical, research, and teaching efforts for urology across the Brigham family, including Brigham and Women's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital.
"Historically at the Brigham, urology has been a subspecialty within the Department of Surgery. By evolving the Division of Urology into a Department of Urology, we are enhancing access to urologic care within our local communities as well as improving our patients' experience by creating multidisciplinary centers of excellence tailored to their needs," said Robert S.D. Higgins, MD, MSHA, president of Brigham and Women's Hospital and executive vice president at Mass General Brigham.
In addition to supporting the growth of clinical operations, the transition to a department will help advance research infrastructure in urology at the Brigham, including its translational research laboratory and robust clinical trials program. With an already acclaimed residency program, which is combined with the Massachusetts General Hospital, Kibel and his team will work to develop additional urology fellowships in subspecialty areas and integrate programs across Mass General Brigham.
This transition reflects another notable trend in the field: the growing importance and quality and value of outpatient and community-based care. Providing patients with opportunities to access high-quality, convenient care at the time and place of their choosing is an important part of Brigham and Women's Hospital's priorities.
"Even at our institution, which manages the most complex urologic problems, most of the growth has been at our community-based locations, such as Faulkner and Foxborough," said Kibel. I'm confident that this evolution from division to department is only the beginning, and we will continue to have a growing impact on the lives of our patients and all those we serve."
Brigham and Women's Hospital expansion of urologic care will begin October 2023. Visit www.brighamandwomens.org to learn more about urology and other specialty care at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
