David I. Lee, MD, is Chief of the Division of Urology at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and assistant professor of surgery, Division of Urology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Lee was Director of Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgery with Urology Associates of North Texas, the largest urology private practice group in the country. During this time, and having performed over 1,800 procedures, he became one of the most experienced physicians in the world with robotic prostatectomy.

Dr. Lee's academic training and experience have resulted in a successful surgical career. His clinical interest is in laparoscopic urology and stone disease, including laparoscopic nephrectomy, partial nephrectomy, pyeloplasty and ureteroscopy. He specializes in robotic surgery including robotic prostatectomy. Fellowship-trained and having served as an instructor for many physicians across the country in robotic prostatectomy, he is one of the nation's foremost practitioner's of the procedure. He is a frequently invited lecturer on the topics of advanced laparoscopy and new frontiers in endourology.

After receiving his medical degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California, David I. Lee, MD, completed his general surgery internship and residency in urology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He also completed a minimally invasive urology fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis and was a clinical instructor and endourology fellow at the University of California at Irvine. Dr. Lee currently serves as an active member of the American Urological Association, the Endourological Society and the American Medical Association. He holds editorial positions with a number of medical publications, including Journal of Endourology, Urology and European Urology. He has published over 100 articles, abstracts and book chapters in the field of minimally invasive urology.

Areas of Special Interest: Laparoscopic surgery, Robotic prostatectomy, Stone disease

Professional Memberships:

• American Medical Association
• American Urological Association
• Endourological Society
• American College of Surgeons
• Society of Urologic Oncology
• AUA Mid-Atlantic Section
• Pennsylvania Medical Society
• 2005-2007 Chair, Scientific Committee, Working Group of Urologic Robotic Surgery
• 2008-2009 Secretary, Society of Urologic Robotic Surgery

Editorial Positions:

• Reviewer, Journal of Endourology
• Reviewer, Urology
• Reviewer, European Urology
• Reviewer, Journal of Urology
• Reviewer, British Journal of Urology
• Contributing Editor, Journal of Robotic Surgery
• Contributing Editor, Survey Section on Robotics, Journal of Endourology
• Section Editor: Controversies in Robotic Surgery, Journal of Robotic Surgery
• Member of Editorial Board, Journal of Endourology

Selected Publications:

• The role of vacuum erection devices in penile rehabilitation after radical prostatectomy


• Dendritic cell vaccines for the treatment of prostate cancer


• Virtual reality-assisted robotic surgery simulation


• Racial differences in medical mistrust among men diagnosed with prostate cancer


• Robotic equipment malfunction during robotic prostatectomy: a multi-institutional study


• Multi-institutional external validation of seminal vesicle invasion nomograms: head-to-head comparison of Gallina nomogram versus 2007 Partin tables


• Nomenclature of robotic procedures in urology


• Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy during pregnancy: case report and review of the literature


• Virtual reality-assisted robotic surgery simulation


• Comparison of basic elements of human performance scores between urologists with various extents of experience


• Determination of cell viability after laparoscopic tissue stapling in a porcine model


• Comparison of flexible ureteroscopes: deflection, irrigant flow and optical characteristics


• What happens to hemostatic agents in contact with urine? An in vitro study


• Fibrin glue-oxidized cellulose sandwich for laparoscopic wedge resection of small renal lesions


• Effect of urine specific gravity on effectiveness of shockwave lithotripsy


• Impact of a double-pigtail stent on ureteral peristalsis in the porcine model: initial studies using a novel implantable magnetic sensor


• Current trends in urologic laparoscopic surgery


• Robotic radical prostatectomy: a technique to reduce pT2 positive margins


• Anatomic guide for port placement for daVinci robotic radical prostatectomy


• In vitro comparison of burst tension and puncture pressure in commonly used organ retrieval bags


• Laparoscopic mid sagittal hemicystectomy and bladder reconstruction with small intestinal submucosa and reimplantation of ureter into small intestinal submucosa: 1-year followup


• Robot-assisted versus open radical prostatectomy: a comparison of one surgeon's outcomes


• Hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease


• Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: Washington University initial experience and prospective evaluation of quality of life


• Prospective comparison of the immunological and stress response following laparoscopic and open surgery for localized renal cell carcinoma


• Needle-based ablation of renal parenchyma using microwave, cryoablation, impedance- and temperature-based monopolar and bipolar radiofrequency, and liquid and gel chemoablation: laboratory studies and review of the literature


• Ureteroscopes: flexible, rigid, and semirigid


• Intraoperative catheter management during laparoscopic excision of a giant bladder diverticulum


• Sealing percutaneous nephrolithotomy tracts with gelatin matrix hemostatic sealant: initial clinical use


• Evaluation of synchronous twin pulse technique for shock wave lithotripsy: determination of optimal parameters for in vitro stone fragmentation


• Successful transfer of open surgical skills to a laparoscopic environment using a robotic interface: initial experience with laparoscopic radical prostatectomy


• Laparoscopic cyst decortication in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: impact on pain, hypertension, and renal function


• Evaluation of overall costs of currently available small flexible ureteroscopes


• Renal hypothermia achieved by retrograde endoscopic cold saline perfusion: technique and initial clinical application


• Hemostatic laparoscopic partial nephrectomy assisted by a water-cooled, high-density, monopolar device without renal vascular control


• Characterization of intrapelvic pressure during ureteropyeloscopy with ureteral access sheaths


• Novel approach to minimizing trocar sites during challenging hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery utilizing the Gelport: trans-gel instrument insertion and utilization


• Retroperitoneal laparoscopic cryoablation of small renal tumors: intermediate results


• Combined percutaneous and retrograde approach to staghorn calculi with application of the ureteral access sheath to facilitate percutaneous nephrolithotomy


• Comparison of intrarenal pressure and irrigant flow during percutaneous nephroscopy with an indwelling ureteral catheter, ureteral occlusion balloon, and ureteral access sheath


• Current management of urolithiasis: progress or regress?


• Bare naked baskets: ureteroscope deflection and flow characteristics with intact and disassembled ureteroscopic nitinol stone baskets


• Totally endoscopic management of upper tract transitional-cell carcinoma


• Long-term effects of ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy on glomerular filtration rate in the face of mild to moderate renal insufficiency

Lectures by Invitation:

• 2009, February: Invited Speaker, Excellence in Urology Seminar, The Canyons Resort, Park City, UT
• 2009, January: Faculty Member, AUA Robotic and Advanced Laparoscopic Urologic Oncology Course, UCI Medical Center, Irvine, CA
• 2009, January: Live Surgery Moderator, “Robotic Prostatectomy,” International Robotic Urology Symposium, Las Vegas, NV
• 2009, January: Invited Speaker, “Approaches to the Dorsal Venous Complex.” International Robotic Urology Symposium, Las Vegas, NV
• 2008, November: Invited Speaker, “Take Home Message: Simulation,” Plenary Session, World Congress of Endourology, Shanghai, China
• 2008, October: Invited Speaker, “Robotic Prostatectomy” Surgery Grand Rounds, York Hospital, York, PA
• 2008, October: Invited Speaker, “Robotic Prostatectomy: Tips for Efficiency.” Penn Robotic Urology Course, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
• 2008, October: Live Case Demonstration, “Robotic Prostatectomy,” Penn Robotic Urology Course, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
• 2008, August: Invited Speaker, “Robotic Prostatectomy, Where We Have Come and Where are We Going” and Live Surgery Moderator, Unifying Concepts in Minimally Invasive Surgery, MIS Conference Society of Sentara Healthcare, Williamsburg, VA
• 2008, July: Invited Speaker “Robotic Prostatectomy, Where We Have Come and Where are We Going” and Live Surgery Demonstration of robot prostatectomy, “Yonsei Live,” Yonsei University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
• 2008, June: Invited Speaker, “Robotic Prostatectomy Technique,” 2008 Robotic Prostatectomy: Expert Panel Review Course, University of Chicago Division of Urology, Chicago, IL
• 2008, May: Course Chair and Speaker, “Robotics: Getting Started” AUA National Meeting, Orlando, FL
• 2008, April: Invited Speaker, “Accelerating the Learning Curve for Robotic Surgery,” Penn Gyn Surgery Grand Rounds, Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
• 2008, April: Invited Speaker, “Surgical Treatments for Prostate Cancer,” Abington, PA
• 2008, March: Invited Speaker, “Surgical Approaches to Ligation of the Dorsal Venous Complex.” Third Annual World Robotic Urology Symposium, Orlando, FL
• 2008, March: Invited Speaker, “Robotic Prostatectomy, the New Gold Standard?” CME talk, Capital Health System, Trenton, NJ