Overview

Dr. Issa received his medical degree and completed his general surgery training at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He did his urology residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and Stanford University Medical Center in California, after which he served on the faculty at Stanford from 1993-1996 before coming to Emory. Dr. Issa is a diplomate of the American Board of Urology and a fellow of the American College of Surgery.

In 2004, Dr. Issa obtained his executive MBA degree from Emory University's Goizueta Business School, and was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the exclusive international business honor society.

Dr. Issa is a recipient of multiple honors and awards, including Goizueta's W. Cliff Oxford Executive MBA Decision and Information Analysis Distinction Award (2004); the Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2005), which recognizes Americans of diverse origins for their outstanding personal and professional contributions to the United States (recipients' names are listed in the Congressional Record); and being named one of the "Fifty-Five Most Influential Foreign-Born Atlantans" in the October 2007 issue of Atlanta magazine. At the request of federal judges Steven C. Jones and Amy Totenburg, Dr. Issa delivered the keynote speech and presented certificates to 159 new U.S. citizens from 54 countries at a U.S. Citizenship Naturalization Ceremony in August 2011.

Dr. Issa is the director of medical communication for the Emory Department of Urology, and also serves on the department's Committee of Faculty Appointments and Promotions and its Search Committee for Chair of Urologic Research. At the Atlanta VAMC, he serves on the Executive Committee of the Medical Staff, the Physician Compensation Review Board, and the Physician Professional Standards Board.

Dr. Issa served as president of the Atlanta Urological Association in 2005; chaired the Financial and Business Operation Committee (2004-2005), the Committee for Operative and Invasive Procedures (2008-2010), and the Search Committee for Chief of Anesthesia (2012-2013) at the Atlanta VAMC; and was a member of the International Scientific Committee of Radionuclides in Nephrourology (ISCORN), which developed the 2012 International Guidelines on Diuresis Renography. Dr. Issa is the 2017 vice president and president-elect of the Urological Society for American Veterans.

Dr. Issa's primary clinical and research interests include urological oncology, stones, endourology, minimally invasive surgery, clinical outcomes, healthcare economics, and operational strategies. His research in tele-urology has received best poster awards at the 2015 and 2016 annual meetings of the American Urological Association, a 2015 best research award from the Georgia Urological Association, and the prestigous Montague Boyd Award from the American Urological Association (Southeast Section) in 2016. He has lectured both nationally and internationally; is the author of numerous book chapters, scientific journal articles, and the book Contemporary Diagnosis and Management of Prostatic Diseases; and holds 10 U.S. patents. He is highly dedicated to teaching and mentoring medical students, urology residents, post-graduate fellows, and faculty members.

Dr. Issa's extracurricular interests interests include American presidential history and generational differences (1900 to current), with particular interest in the millennial workforce. He also serves as a member on the Board of Directors of Fugees Family, Inc., a non-profit organization devoted to assisting and educating children survivors of war.

Academic Appointment

• Senior Faculty Member, The Emory Clinic, Emory Health Care System Affiliated Hospitals

Education

Research