The Department of Urology commends its beloved Chief Residents, Drs. Carissa Chu, Claire de la Calle and Yi Li. Six years ago, they matched in the UCSF residency program, arriving from alma maters; University of California, San Francisco, Emory University School of Medicine and Baylor College of Medicine, respectively. “The faculty are incredibly proud of Carissa, Claire and Yi,” said Dr. Benjamin Breyer, Residency Program Director. “We are thrilled to have seen them develop into exceptional surgeons, educators and researchers. I know they will make significant contributions to urology and I’m excited to watch their careers unfold.”
Each of these leaders epitomize UCSF’s culture of excellence through their compassion for people, drive and commitment to advancement in the field of urology.
Their residency marked by hospital rotations, patient care, fine tuning their skills in a multitude of surgical procedures, robotics, imaging and a year devoted to their research. Also marked by the COViD pandemic, in which even with the impacts on research and education the urology team came together and created innovative ways to continue programs and build stronger relationships in a time that could be more isolating.
Drs. Chu, de la Calle, and Li were actively involved the daily Urology COViD lecture series, led by Dr. Lindsay Hampson, to bring together urologic experts across the nation to continue education during the pandemic. They work to increase inclusion in urology through their mentorship in the UReTER mentorship program, which focuses on reaching out to underrepresented populations including, Black, Latinx, and Native American/Indigenous people.
Dr. Chu’s research focuses on urologic cancers, such as bladder and prostate cancer, with particular focus on molecular subtyping and translational methods. She plans to continue her research at Memorial Sloan Kettering fellowship program in New York. Similarly, Dr. de la Calle’s research focuses on urologic cancers, such as prostate cancer. Her recent talk at the grand rounds discussed prostate cancer biomarkers. This fall she will be joining the urologic team in Johns Hopkins fellowship program in Maryland. Dr. Li’s research focuses on pediatric urology, including human gonadal development and embryology. He will continue his research here at UCSF as urologic pediatric fellow.
“It’s inspiring to see where these incredibly talented urologists will go. It’s clear that they have a level of knowledge and thought process that’s ideally suited for career in academics. In addition to being outstanding physicians and surgeons, Carissa, Claire, and Yi are wonderful people and forever UCSF Urology.” Says Dr. Raj Pruthi, Professor of the Dept. of Urology
Watch the Chief Residents present their research at the Urology Grand Rounds by clicking here.
Message from the Chiefs:
We are all so incredibly thankful for everything UCSF has given us in the past 6 years. All three of us have grown so much! UCSF has molded us into confident, compassionate, well-rounded surgeon scientists. We have been surrounded by wonderful mentors, teachers, co-residents and have made lifelong friends. We have also expanded our families! We have gotten married, had babies, and adopted the most adorable puppy. Getting to the finish line feels like an enormous accomplishment but it is bittersweet as we have to say farewell to the place we have called home for the last 6 years. UCSF is a unique place that we will never forget. We are now ready for the next steps in our professional and personal lives and hope to continue to make UCSF proud wherever we go!