Message from the Office of the SOM Dean

July 29, 2024

 

 

Message sent on behalf of Sandra L. Wong, MD, MS, Dean, Emory School of Medicine, and Joon S. Lee, MD, CEO, Emory Healthcare

 

 

Dear colleagues: 

 

After more than 11 years of dedicated service, Martin G. Sanda, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Urology, has announced that he will step down as chair. He will remain on faculty in the department and continue his active clinical practice, along with his leadership role as chief of urology service at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital and faculty lead for the Prostate and Genitourinary Cancer Team at Winship Cancer Institute.

 

Recruited from Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in 2013, Dr. Sanda has held continuous NIH funding for more than 20 years as Principal Investigator of studies evaluating prostate cancer detection, immunotherapy and quality of life, including his work as PI of the NCI-funded Prostate Cancer Biomarker Center.

 

We are grateful for Dr. Sanda’s leadership. Among his key accomplishments as chair are:

  • The growth of the urology faculty from 13 to 30, including the highest proportion of female faculty in urology nationwide, and senior faculty appointments to five new endowed professorships.
  • A five-fold increase in annual NIH funding to the department through faculty recruitment, mentorship and collaboration.
  • Expansion of the urology residency program and the addition of two fellowships.
  • Increased urology patient care from 19,000 to 59,000 encounters annually by expanding Emory urology teamwork from Emory University Hospital, Grady Memorial Hospital and the Atlanta VAMC to also include Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Emory Johns Creek Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown.

Dr. Sanda has graciously agreed to continue to serve as chair while an internal search is completed for this important leadership role. Join us in thanking him for his leadership as chair and wishing him the best in his next chapter.

 

 

Sandra and Joon 

 

Sandra L. Wong, MD, MS

Dean, Emory School of Medicine

Chief Academic Officer, Emory Healthcare

 

Joon S. Lee, MD

CEO, Emory Healthcare