The Transitional Urology Program is a joint effort between 
UCSF Pediatric and Adult Urology to understand and care for young adults with congenital urologic conditions that will require long-term urologic care. The cornerstone is a Transitional Urology Clinic that aims to provide uninterrupted, comprehensive urologic follow-up and healthcare for pediatric urology patients who will require further urologic care as adults.
The program will be directed by pediatric urologist Hillary Copp, MD, MS and adult urologist, Lindsay Hampson, MD whose goal is to provide education about disease conditions and issues that patients will face as they age, promote self-advocacy, self-care, and medical independence, and to maximize patients' quality of life.
Dr. Hampson explains, “Often these patients were managed by pediatric urologists into adulthood. This is not a good long-term solution as there is an age at which they can no longer be seen in a pediatric clinic and thus we are trying to create a smooth transition for them to the adult world. As these patients become adults, they also often have issues that need to be addressed where an adult provider is more appropriate (sexual function, fertility, etc).”
Although similar programs have been launched at several other institutions around the country, UCSF Urology is unique in that it will have both pediatric and adult urology involved. The team will be garnering lessons learned from not only Vanderbilt, Cleveland Clinic, and Gillette Healthcare (in Minneapolis) but also UCSF’s diabetes transition clinic—an international model for the concept of continuity of care.
This clinic will occur at the Parnassus Faculty Practice on the morning of the third Tuesday of the month. Before each clinic, Drs. Copp and Hampson will hold a case conference to discuss newly transitioning patients and review already-transitioned patients with complex management dilemmas, where both pediatric and adult providers will come together to make joint recommendations about the management plan for these patients.
“I am very excited about this program,” says Dr. Copp. “Particularly for our long-term patients whom we have watched grow up. In addition to the details of disorder and schedule of care, it’s a chance to let the new team know who the patient is. This transition clinic gives us the setting and opportunity to discuss the details of care garnered from what could have been over a decade of observation and stay involved.”
A second important component of this program is also to educate trainees and the broader urologic and medical community about how to care for these complex patients. Toward that end, the team will hold ad hoc educational trainings with residents, fellows and colleagues within and beyond UCSF.
For more information about this clinic, please telephone 415.353.2200 and see our web page here.