Dr. Hal Scherz and Dr. Andrew Kirsch of Georgia Urology

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This week we’re discussing pediatric urology with Dr. Hal Scherz and Dr. Andrew Kirsch of Georgia Urology.

Dr. Hal Scherz of Georgia Urology

Dr. Scherz completed his undergraduate degree magna cum laude at State University of New York at Buffalo. He then earned his Master of Science degree in Immunology from Roswell Park Memorial Institute in Buffalo, New York. He went on to earn his medical degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Dr. Scherz was a surgical resident at the University of California San Diego before completing his urology residency there. Following his residency, Dr. Scherz completed a fellowship in Pediatric Urology at the Children’s Hospital of San Diego and UCSD.

Dr. Scherz is a former president of the American Association of Pediatric Urology. He is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics – Urology Section, Society for Pediatric Urology, Society for Fetal Urology, American Association of Pediatric Urology, American Urological Association, Genitourinary Reconstructive Society, UROPAC, American Association of Clinical Urologists, American College of Surgeons, Medical Association of Georgia, and the Greater Atlanta Pediatric Society. He has acted as program chair for the Society for Pediatric Urology annual meeting, and for the AAPU annual meeting. He has authored over 90 peer-reviewed articles and written eight book chapters. Dr. Scherz is a reviewer for The Journal of Urology and Urology. He has been a principal or co-investigator in numerous FDA clinical trials. He has served on a number of specialty committees on a national level. Dr. Scherz is the Founder and President of Docs 4 Patient Care- a national physician and patient advocacy organization. Atlanta Magazine has recognized Dr. Scherz as one of the Top Doctors in Atlanta every year since 2007.

Dr. Scherz is an associate clinical professor of urology at Emory University. He is an original member of the board of directors for the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Ambulatory Surgery Center. He has served several terms on the board of directors for The Children’s Healthcare Network. Dr. Scherz has been active at CHOA at Scottish Rite, serving on numerous committees. He is the managing partner of Georgia Pediatric Urology, and a former president of Georgia Urology.

Dr. Scherz is a native of Bronx, New York. He and his wife, Jeri Salit, who is a pediatric ophthalmologist, have three children.

Dr. Andrew J. Kirsch of Georgia Urology

Dr. Kirsch earned his medical degree from SUNY Health Science Center in New York, where he received two NIH Research Fellowship Awards and was inducted into Sigma Xi Research Society. In 2006, he was honored by his medical school as the Master Teacher in Urology.

He completed both a residency in general surgery and urology at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. He then completed his fellowship in pediatric urology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where he was an American Foundation for Urological Diseases Scholar.

Dr. Kirsch is a past president of the Society for Fetal Urology, and is a member of the American Urological Association (AUA), American Association of Pediatric Urologists (AAPU), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and Society of Pediatric Urology (SPU). He has written extensively in the field of pediatric urology, with emphasis on vesicoureteral reflux, cryptorchidism, and magnetic resonance urography, publishing over 200 journal articles and book chapters.

Dr. Kirsch has invented a surgical device and developed an endoscopic technique to correct urinary reflux in children that has become the standard of care for children worldwide. He has personally trained over 200 physicians on the procedure worldwide, and has lectured throughout North America, South America, and Europe.

He has served on the advisory committee to the American Board of Urology and was sub-specialty editor of the Journal of Urology. He also serves as a reviewer for The Journal of Urology, Urology, Journal of Pediatric Urology, and Pediatrics. He also serves as the membership liaison to the Section of Urology of the American Academy of Pediatrics and has co-directed courses on fetal hydronephrosis and urinary tract infection at the AAP. He has served on the executive committee of the AAP Section of Urology.

Currently, Dr. Kirsch is clinical professor and chief of pediatric urology at Emory University School of Medicine and a partner at Georgia Urology. He is on staff at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta where he serves as the Medical Director of Robotic Surgery and is on the Clinical Operations Committee, Clinical Research Oversight Committee, and Operative Services Peer Review Subcommittee.

Dr. Kirsch was recently awarded a grant from Children’s Center for Pediatric Healthcare Technology Innovation Pilot Grant Program for “Wireless Sensing for Monitoring Enuresis in Children”.

Dr. Kirsch has a special interest in urinary tract reconstruction for patients with complex urinary tract disorders, including Spina Bifida, Bladder Exstrophy, Disorders of Sexual Differentiation, and Prune Belly Syndrome.

He is also participating in a program, which you can view by clicking here.