Newswise — CLEVELAND – University Hospitals has named Lee E. Ponsky, MD, Chair of the Department of Urology at UH Cleveland Medical Center and Director of UH Urology Institute.

“After an extensive national search, Dr. Ponsky emerged as the clear choice for this leadership position,” said Daniel I. Simon, MD, President of UH Medical Centers.  “He is a well-respected academic physician with a strong track record of achievement at UH and a clear vision for the future of our Department of Urology and UH Urology Institute.”

Dr. Ponsky, who served as interim Chair for the past year, is the Leo and Charlotte Goldberg Chair of Advanced Surgical Therapies, Master Clinician in Urologic Oncology at UH Cleveland Medical Center and Professor of Urology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He also serves as Chief of the Division of Urologic Oncology at UH Cleveland Medical Center and Director of Urologic Oncology and Minimally Invasive Therapies Center, UH Urology Institute.

Dr. Ponsky’s clinical interests are urologic oncology, particularly kidney and prostate cancer. He also specializes in advanced laparoscopy and robotics. His research has focused on advanced imaging techniques such as MRI for diagnosing and managing prostate cancer, as well as robotic radiosurgery for kidney tumors. Additionally, he is co-principal investigator on an NIH R01 grant.

Dr. Ponsky has received numerous accolades for his medical contributions and for founding MedWish International in 1993, a non-profit organization that saves and improves lives around the world by repurposing usable discarded medical supplies and equipment to provide humanitarian aid in developing countries. He is also a founding member of MedWorks, which provides medical, dental and vision services to uninsured and underinsured individuals.

His recognitions include: U.S. Congressional recognition, Crain’s Forty under 40 in 2008, recipient of the Golden Doc Award from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, and the Rescuer of Humanity Award from Project Love. He has also been recognized by the Manhattan Institute in New York with the Richard Cornuelle Award for Social Entrepreneurship and by Smart Business as the Nonprofit Board Executive of the Year in 2011.

Dr. Ponsky has also been named one of “Cleveland’s Top Doctors” as well as one of the “Best Doctors in America.”

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About University Hospitals / Cleveland, Ohio

Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 18 hospitals, more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and 200 physician offices in 16 counties throughout northern Ohio. The system’s flagship academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, located in Cleveland’s University Circle, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The main campus also includes University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; University Hospitals MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, a high-volume national referral center for complex cardiovascular procedures; and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopedics, radiology, neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, digestive health, transplantation and urology. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including “America’s Best Hospitals” from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals – part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development. UH is one of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with 28,000 physicians and employees.  Advancing the Science of Health and the Art of Compassion is UH’s vision for benefitting its patients into the future, and the organization’s unwavering mission is To Heal. To Teach. To Discover. Follow UH on Facebook @UniversityHospitals and Twitter @UHhospitals. For more information, visit UHhospitals.org.