Submitted on October 5, 2026
Education is at the heart of the UCSF Department of Urology’s mission. Our commitment extends beyond providing outstanding clinical training: we aim to develop compassionate physician experts, advance the next generation of leaders in urology, and continually improve how we teach, learn, mentor, and grow together.
In September, faculty, residents, fellows, and educational leaders came together for our Department-Wide Education Retreat, a dedicated day to reflect on the current state of education at UCSF Urology and, importantly, to shape where we go next. The day began with Grand Rounds from visiting professor Kate H. Kraft, MD, MHPE, focused on preparing trainees for independent practice, followed by our State of Education presentation and collaborative breakout sessions. Faculty and trainees worked side-by-side to generate ideas around various aspects of training.
The retreat highlighted both the strength of our educational programs and our commitment to continuous improvement. Over the past decade, 75% of our residency graduates have held faculty appointments at academic institutions. We continue to invest in a dedicated resident research year, structured mentorship and research support, pathways for medical students interested in urology, and an expanding clinical training program.
At the same time, we are embracing new approaches to how we teach and assess. Innovations underway include a robotic surgery curriculum with longitudinal tracking, Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs), the UCSF AI Feedback Coach, redesigned faculty and trainee evaluations, and continued refinement of our Clinical Competency Committee process. These tools are intended to make feedback more timely and actionable, better assess progressive autonomy, and give trainees and faculty a clearer picture of development over time.
Importantly, innovation in education also means investing in our educators. Faculty sessions addressed supporting struggling learners, teaching procedural skills and giving feedback in the operating room, teaching across generations, and integrating competency-based assessment into clinical practice. Trainee programming similarly focused on culture, peer teaching, mentorship, and conflict management. Importantly, the retreat helped us shape a broader vision for the future of education across UCSF Urology for us to refine over time:
- Strengthen the pipeline
- Strive for clinical and research excellence
- Foster the “UCSF culture”
- Develop leaders in urology
- Integrate alumni and faculty leaders
This framework recognizes that education extends well beyond the years of formal training. We want to strengthen pathways into urology, create an exceptional environment for developing clinical and research excellence, intentionally cultivate the mentorship, collaboration, high standards, a growth mindset, and support that define our UCSF culture, train and support our trainees to become leaders in urology, and more meaningfully integrate our faculty and alumni as educators, mentors, role models, and partners in this work. Together, these priorities provide a roadmap for our future in education – and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that education remains fundamental to excellence in patient care, discovery, and leadership.