Gerald W. Chodak

Dr. Gerald Chodak received his M.D. degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975 and completed his training in Urology at the University of Chicago in 1982. From 1982-1999 he was a full time faculty member in the Department of Surgery/Urology at the University of Chicago, reaching the rank of Professor in 1989. In 1999 he formed the Midwest Prostate and Urology Health Center in Chicago, and remained its director until 2008 when he closed his clinical practice. Dr. Chodak is credited with performing the first laparoscopic lymph node operation for prostate cancer in Japan, Sweden, Finland and Norway, the first urinary diversion for bladder cancer in Illinois in which patients do not need to wear a bag, and the first operation that removed both kidneys using a laparoscope. He has published over 150 original peer-reviewed medical articles, mostly on prostate cancer and has been invited to speak throughout the United States and in more than 14 countries.

Dr. Chodak has been very committed to education. He helped form the first chapter of Us TOO, the international support group for men and their significant others with prostate cancer. He created the first video education website (www.ProstateVideos.com) that contains over 100 free videos for the public on every aspect of prostate health and prostate disease including cancer. Currently, he is the Director of Medical Media for Answers TV and has appeared on “Say Ahhh” on the LiveWell Network. He does a weekly video blog for MEDSCAPE entitled, “Controversies in Urology.”