Leonard G. Gomella, MD, FACS
The Bernard W. Godwin Jr. Professor of Prostate Cancer
Chairman, Department of Urology
Associate Director of Clinical Affairs, Kimmel Cancer Center
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Leonard G. Gomella, MD, FACS, is the Bernard W. Godwin Jr. Professor of Prostate Cancer and Chairman of the Department of Urology at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Originally from New York, Dr. Gomella completed medical school, general surgery and urology training at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. After a Urologic Oncology Fellowship in the Surgery Branch of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, he joined the faculty of Jefferson Medical College in 1988 and was appointed Chair in 2002.
Dr. Gomella is involved in both basic science and clinical research in the development of new diagnostic techniques and treatments for prostate, bladder, and kidney cancer through Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center. Dr. Gomella's team was first to use RT-PCR to detect micrometastasis in patients with prostate cancer, a discovery that led to a new field of investigation in this disease. He serves as Associate Director of Clinical Affairs for Kimmel Cancer at Jefferson and Urology Chair for RTOG, serving as lead Urology investigator on multiple national trials. Dr. Gomella is also recognized as a contributor to urologic laparoscopy, initiating the program at Jefferson in 1990.
Dr. Gomella has given over 400 presentations at local, national, and international meetings and written over 300 papers, chapters, and monographs in the field of urology. Journal appointments have included serving on the editorial board of the investigative section of the Journal of Urology, as co-editor in chief of Techniques in Urology, and on the boards of several journals including Urologic Oncology, Clinical Genitourinary Cancer, and Journal of Laparoendoscopic Surgery. He is a consultant to 2 dozen journals in the field of urology and oncology and is Associate Editor of the Canadian Journal of Urology
Dr. Gomella has authored and edited 50 books for medical students, residents, and practicing physicians, many of which have been translated into foreign languages. He is the editor of the 5 Minute Urology Consult and co-editor of Laparoscopic Urologic Surgery, the fields' first color atlas, and laparoscopy section editor for Glenn's Urologic Surgery. Dr. Gomella authored Recovering From Prostate Cancer, the first book for the public dedicated to this topic. In the field of medicine, he is known for the Clinician's Pocket Reference, now in its 11th edition, a widely used reference for medical students and health care providers. He is the series editor for McGraw-Hill's On Call resident series.
Best Doctors in America, Top Doctors for Cancer, and Philadelphia Magazine's Top Doctors have recognized Dr. Gomella for many years for urologic oncology and prostate cancer. In 2007, Men's Health Magazine listed him as one of the 20 top urologists in the US. Awards received have included the American Cancer Society Pennsylvania Chapter "Volunteer Achievement Award" and a "National Cancer Institute Achievement Award". In 2005-2006, he served as President of the Mid-Atlantic Section of the AUA.