While one of the most common cancers among men, prostate cancer can often be treated successfully, especially if found early. Start the conversation around prostate cancer prevention and early detection today. Talk to your doctor about your family history and risk factors – and ask if a PSA test is right for you.
Michael Cookson, M.D. is Professor and Chairman of Urology at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and Chief of Urology at the Stephenson Cancer Center. He is board certified in Urology by the American Board of Urology and is one of the states only fellowship trained Urologic Oncologists, having completed his training at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
Before moving to Oklahoma in 2013, he was the Vice Chair of Urology at Vanderbilt University. He is one of the nations most experienced surgeons and is an internationally recognized leader in Urologic Cancer serving as the President of the Society of Urologic Oncology. Dr. Cookson is the Donald B. Albers Chair of Urology and serves at the Director of Robotic Surgery at OU Health University of Oklahoma Medical Center.
He has a busy clinical practice, that includes diagnosing and managing and treating patients with prostate cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer and other urological cancers. For localized prostate cancer detection, he is a champion of MRI-guided fusion biopsy, and in addition to robotic assisted radical prostatectomy he is experienced in minimally invasive treatments including cryotherapy and HIFU.
He is also an advocate for men with advanced prostate cancer and works in a multidisciplinary clinic to treat men with androgen deprivation therapy in combination with AR targeted therapies, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
For bladder cancer patients, he helped pioneer blue light cystoscopy and offers a range of intravesical therapy and immunotherapy for patients with noninvasive bladder cancer. For patients with invasive bladder cancer, he has performed more than a thousand radical cystectomies with urinary diversions that include neobladder, both open and laparoscopic robotic assisted. For kidney cancer treatment, partial nephrectomy and radical nephrectomy are performed both open and laparoscopic robotic assisted. He also has access to clinical trials and actively enrolls eligible patients at Stephenson Cancer Center.
He is a world-leading urological surgeon and has performed thousands of robotic-assisted laparoscopic procedures using the da Vinci Surgical System. He is recognized as a world-renowned expert on urologic oncology with over 250 peer reviewed published papers to his credit; he is on such lists as America's Top Doctors, Oklahoma’s Best Doctors. He is one of only 75 U.S. Urologists elected to membership in the prestigious American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons. He was given the American Urologic Association’s Presidential Citation for outstanding contributions to the field of urologic oncology.
Dr. Cookson is often featured as an expert in local and national media. Read a recent article on Prostate PSA by 405 Magazine.
Tyler Gunter, M.D. is a radiation oncologist at Stephenson Cancer Center, assistant professor and associate residency program director of the department of radiation oncology at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. An Oklahoma native, Dr. Gunter completed his undergraduate, medical degree and residency at the University of Oklahoma.
He specializes in a variety of radiation therapy options for thoracic, genitourinary and central nervous system malignancies, as well as proton and palliative radiation therapy. As an active researcher and educator, Dr. Gunter is passionate about serving Oklahomans through increasing the quality of care, advancing cancer treatment options and educating future physicians.
Abhishek Tripathi, MD is an assistant professor of medicine in the section of hematology/oncology. Dr. Tripathi specializes in the treatment of prostate and urologic cancers.
His research interests include clinical trials focusing on novel therapeutic strategies in kidney, bladder and prostate cancer.
Dr. Tripathi completed medical school at the University of Delhi in New Delhi, India. He subsequently completed his Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Massachusetts Medical School followed by a hematology/oncology fellowship at the University of Massachusetts-Baystate Medical Center. During his final year of fellowship he was awarded the honor of Chief Fellow. He is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology.
He is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and has served on their Professional Development Committee and Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee.
Dr. Sanjay Patel is assistant professor of Urology at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center. He is board certified in Urology by the American Board of Urology and is one of the state's only fellowship trained Urologic Oncologists, having completed his training at University of Chicago Medical Center. Prior to his fellowship, he completed his undergraduate training in Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University. He proceeded to complete medical school at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN and urologic surgery training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Dr. Patel treats all urologic cancer (adrenal, kidney, ureter, bladder, urethra and testicular cancer) utilizing open, laparoscopic and robotic surgery techniques. He has a particular interest in the use of minimally invasive robotic approaches to treat urologic malignancy and has extensive robotic surgery experience. He oversees the bladder instillation clinic where patients are given immunotherapy and chemotherapy directly into the bladder to treat superficial bladder cancer. He also is developing techniques to perform intracorporeal robotic urinary diversions, where he is using the minimally invasive robotic techniques to create bladders out of the intestinal tract. Dr. Patel works with the department of engineering to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic technology to treat urologic disease. He also has an interest in genetic and molecular profiling of cancers and its use to guide treatment of urologic cancer.
He is a recognized, national, expert urological surgeon and has performed thousands of robotic-assisted laparoscopic procedures using the da Vinci Surgical System. Dr. Patel is an accomplished researcher and is the author of over 70 peer-reviewed journal publications and five chapters of various textbooks in urology and urologic surgery. He has been nominated as one of Oklahoma’s best doctors for the field of urology.
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Kelly L. Stratton, M.D., FACS is an assistant professor of Urologic Oncology in the OU Department of Urology and serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medical Oncology at the Stephenson Cancer Center. Prior to joining the OU Urology team in 2014, he completed his fellowship training in the Department of Surgery (Urology Service) at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and his residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center Department of Urology. He completed his MD with special distinction here at the OU College of Medicine in 2007.
Dr. Stratton brings experience with state-of-the-art imaging for the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. He is interested in the application of new technology capable of blending MRI images with real-time ultrasound to improve prostate biopsy and cancer detection. Using these techniques he can assist patients considering prostate cancer treatment options including those who are candidates for active surveillance. He also utilizes genomic testing to help provide personalized treatment plans for patients diagnosed with urologic cancer. Dr. Stratton is the Clinic Director of the Prostate and Urologic Cancer Clinic, he also serves as the Chair of the Stephenson Cancer Center Data Safety Monitoring Board, Disease Site Chair for Urologic Cancers is a member of the Oklahoma TSET Phase I Clinical Trials Program, and is the Director of research of the Department of Urology. Dr. Stratton is involved in several clinical trials that provide the most advanced treatment options currently available.
Dr. Stratton holds memberships in the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Society of Urologic Oncology and the American Urological Association. He serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Urology and was recently awarded the Best Reviewer in Oncology. He is a contributor to the Practical Reviews in Urology with an emphasis on urologic oncology. Dr. Stratton is also an author of numerous publications and abstracts, as well as of a book chapter for the American Cancer Society regarding inherited predisposition to cancer.
Dr. Heinlen is a board-certified Urologist with fellowship training in Urologic Oncology and minimally invasive surgery. He specializes in treatment of urologic cancers, with a particular focus on prostate and kidney cancer. In addition to cancer, Dr. Heinlen offers minimally invasive solutions for complicated urinary stone disease and benign prostatic hypertrophy.
After a career in business consulting and information technology, Dr. Heinlen elected to pursue medical training at the University of Oklahoma and continued on in urology residency in Oklahoma. He then trained at the City of Hope National Cancer Center in Los Angeles prior to returning and beginning practice in Oklahoma City. After a short time with the outstanding Urology Associates group, Dr. Heinlen returned to the University of Oklahoma to focus on cancer care at the Stephenson Cancer Center.
Dr. Heinlen has a particular interest in improving the way physicians interact with their patients to create better healthcare outcomes. This includes a focus on cost-efficiency, patient-centered decision making, and evidence-based practice. Dr. Heinlen has ongoing research studies in urologic clinical practice and also participates in multiple cancer trials.
Brian W. Cross, MD, is board certified by the American Board of Urology. He is an assistant professor of Urologic Oncology in the OU Department of Urology. Following undergraduate and graduate degrees in Charlotte, NC, Dr. Cross earned his M.D. from Saint Louis University School of Medicine. He then completed his residency in urologic surgery at Emory University in Atlanta, GA., and his urologic oncology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Dr. Cross treats all urologic cancers (adrenal, kidney, ureter, bladder, prostate, urethra, penile, and testis) utilizing both open and minimally-invasive techniques. He has a particular interest in complex open surgery for advanced retroperitoneal and pelvic malignancies, including complex renal tumors, locally-advanced kidney cancer, and re-operative abdominal surgery.
Dr. Cross holds memberships in the Society of Urologic Oncology and the American Urological Association, and serves as a reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals. He has authored numerous publications, abstracts, and book chapters, including chapters on molecular markers in kidney cancer, and surgical atlas chapters on open radical prostatectomy.
At OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Center, you’ll collaborate with a nationally renowned, multidisciplinary team of urologic cancer experts for accurate diagnosis, innovative treatment and effective management of prostate cancer. You benefit from the latest advanced imaging technology to support the precise diagnosis that helps identify and treat your condition as early as possible.
