John Phillips, M.D., FACS, has been named chair of the Department of Urology at New York Medical College (NYMC) School of Medicine (SOM) and director of the Department of Urology at Westchester Medical Center. He succeeds Muhammad Choudhury, M.D., who has led the department as chair at NYMC since 2001 and the director of the Department of Urology at Westchester Medical Center since 1989.
A national leader in robotic surgery, residency training, and the basic science of urologic diseases, Phillips joined the Westchester Medical Center medical staff as section chief of urologic oncology and robotic and laparoscopic surgery, and the NYMC faculty in 2007. In addition to his continued role as section chief, he currently serves as program director for the Westchester Medical Center Residency Training Program in Urology as well as professor of urology and executive vice chair of the NYMC Department of Urology.
An expert in kidney cancer and minimally invasive ‘kidney-preserving’ surgery for small renal masses, Phillips has performed over 2,000 Da Vinci robotic surgeries and is a pioneer in MRI-based fusion prostate biopsy, which has markedly lowered infectious complication rates of prostate biopsies.
In 2020, Phillip’s lab was selected as a three-year award recipient in the Empire State Clinical Research Training Program, which has led to the pre-clinical evaluation of nanoparticle therapy in bladder cancer.
He is the founder and editor-in-chief of the “International Journal of Urologic History,” a past member of the Leadership Class of the American Urological Association, and a past president of the New York State Urologic Society. In 2024, he began a three-year term as the historian of the American Urologic Association.
Board-certified in urology, Phillips received his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine. He completed a residency in general surgery and urology at Yale-New Haven Hospital and a fellowship in urologic oncology at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health.
Phillips succeeds Dr. Choudhury whose academic and clinical leadership has been marked by significant advancements in urological care and education. His dedication to patient care, innovative research and mentoring future urologists has left a lasting legacy.
Founded in 1860, New York Medical College (NYMC) is one of the oldest and largest health sciences colleges in the country with nearly 2,000 students, 475 residents and clinical fellows, more than 2,100 faculty members and 26,280 living alumni.
