Manoj Monga, MD, Named New Chair of the Department of Urology

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After a national search, Manoj Monga, MD, recognized as an international authority in endourology and stone disease, has been named chair of the Department of Urology at University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

“UC San Diego is delighted and deeply fortunate to have successfully recruited Dr. Manoj Monga to lead the Department of Urology,” said Steven Garfin, MD, interim dean of UC San Diego School of Medicine. “We are honored to welcome Dr. Monga back to San Diego and look forward to his exceptional leadership in pursuit of our tripartite mission of groundbreaking research, inspired teaching and outstanding clinical care.”

In his new role, Monga brings with him a fresh perspective on leadership, teaching and clinical management to oversee the Department of Urology’s 23 faculty, 15 residents and five accredited fellowships. He will further build on the academic and clinical success of a department that has contributed to innovations in urologic oncology, women’s pelvic medicine, urinary stone disease, men’s health and infertility, pediatric urology, reconstructive urology and more.

Manoj Monga, MD, Joseph D. Schmidt MD Presidential Chair in Urology.

“Dr. Monga is a triple threat in academic medicine. As an active and productive scientist, a recognized leader of education programs, and an accomplished surgeon, he brings years of management experience to this role. He is an authentic leader who operates with the highest level of integrity and will further elevate the success of the department in the years to come,” said Christopher Kane, MD, who stepped down as chair of the Department of Urology to focus on his duties as CEO of UC San Diego Health Physician Group, dean of clinical affairs, professor of urology, researcher and surgeon.

Monga began his career in academic medicine as an assistant professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine, following his residency in urology at Tulane University School of Medicine. In 2004, Monga joined the University of Minnesota, where he was Joseph Sorkness Professor and vice chair of urology and the residency program director. In 2010, he accepted a position as the director of the Stevan B. Streem Center for Endourology & Stone Disease at Cleveland Clinic’s Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute, where he also served as professor of surgery/urology and worked as the associate residency program director for the Department of Urology.

Monga is recognized as an international authority in endourology (minimally invasive urologic surgery) and stone disease. His clinical areas of expertise in urology include the medical and surgical management of kidney stone disease and endoscopic management of upper tract transitional cell cancer and benign strictures.

Monga has served as the principal investigator or co-investigator for more than 45 research studies funded by the National Institutes of Health and other organizations. His research focuses on endourology and stone disease, including understanding why stones form, analyzing endourologic medical devices and therapies used in treatment options, and examining patient-centered approaches to surgical therapies for stone disease. He has published more than 400 peer reviewed manuscripts on topics such as kidney stone management and treatment, innovated and developed several medical devices, and lectured on endourology and stone disease around the world.

As secretary of the American Urological Association, he established common goals and managed diverse expectations of a 22,000-member organization, while also advocating for racial and gender diversity and shared governance within the field and organization.

“San Diego is home to a rich intellectual community and a diverse urology community,” said Monga, who became Joseph D. Schmidt MD Presidential Chair in Urology on April 1, 2020. “Joining UC San Diego provides me with wonderful opportunities to continue the Department’s tremendous growth and forward momentum in research, education and clinical excellence that has occurred over the last decade. The faculty of the Department of Urology represent the best in academic urology: innovative researchers, talented clinicians and passionate educators. It is an honor to join their ranks.”

As a leader in research and patient care, UC San Diego Health urologists provide care at locations throughout the San Diego region, including UC San Diego Health hospitals in Hillcrest and La Jolla, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System and Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks the urology program at UC San Diego Health as one of the best in the nation.