Urology Residency

Program Overview

The Tripler Urology Residency Program provides a strong foundation in the art and science of urology to train residents to become excellent, competent, and compassionate urologists. The residents develop a comprehensive fund of urological knowledge of the etiology, pathogenesis, presentation, natural history, treatment options and outcomes for disorders of the genitourinary system. The graduates will be well prepared to pass the American Board of Urology (ABU) qualifying examination.

The goal of the Tripler Residency faculty is to enable each of our finishing residents to become professionally competent urologists. Epstein defines competence as “the habitual and judicious use of communications, knowledge, technical skills, clinical reasoning, emotions, values and reflection in daily practice for the benefit of the individual and the community being served.” (Epstein, R. JAMA 287(2): 226-235, 2002)

Scope of the Residency

The program consists of a total of five years of postgraduate education with progressively increasing levels of responsibility each year. A categorical urology intern is selected each year from the first year graduate medical education (FYGME) applicant pool to become the urology intern at Tripler. That person is expected to continue on through the program without re-application

For further information about requirements and qualifications for participating in graduate medical education within the U.S. Army, please contact the GME Office in Washington, D.C., or log on to their website by clicking on the Army Medicine link https://www.mods.army.mil/medicaleducation/.

ACGME Accreditation

The Tripler Urology Program is fully accredited by the ACGME.

Program Strengths

• Close working relationship among attending staff and house staff.


• Diverse patient population (> 750,000, including active duty military and other beneficiaries from the Pacific Basin).


• Unique patient care opportunities in various island nations in the Pacific Basin through the Pacific Island Health Care Project and Southeast Asia.


• Highly trained faculty providing a broad range of fellowship-trained expertise.


• State-of-the-art technology for treating patients including the DaVinci Robot System, a Medstone lithotripter, two new digital fluoroscopic imaging-equipped cystoscopy tables, and Holmium lasers.


• Active academic environment drawing on strengths of consultant faculty from the community.


• Affiliated with the world famous Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Our Residents rotate at Memorial for 7 of their 48 urology months.


• Outstanding resident learning experience at nearby Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. Seven fellowship-trained Kaiser attendings participate in resident education.


• Operate with and learn from many internationally acclaimed urologists who come for visiting professorships.


• State-of-the-art conference room with integrated PACS radiology monitors and built-in projection equipment.

Location and Facilities

• Located on the beautiful Moanalua hillside overlooking the Honolulu International Airport and the deep blue Pacific Ocean, Tripler truly affords one the feeling of living and working in Paradise.


• The Urology Clinic is situated in the A-Wing (Oceanside of the hospital), 2nd floor of the hospital.


• There are three fluoroscopy/cystoscopy suites with digital fluoroscopic and video-urodynamic capability.


• Full complement of equipment to manage all urinary stones: Medstone lithotripter, Holmium laser, and the entire spectrum of ureteroscopic instrumentation.


• The Urology Service runs six operating rooms per week (2 on Tuesdays, 2 on Thursdays, and 2 on Fridays).


• The hospital utilizes the MDIS system of digital radiographic imaging providing desktop accessibility to users in their individual offices.


• Affiliate hospitals in Honolulu provide excellent off-site training. Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, located one mile from Tripler, hosts a 4-month rotation during the PGY-2 year. Residents also rotate at Kapiolani Hospital for Women and Children for 2 months during their PGY-4 year. For this reason, residents are expected to obtain an unrestricted Hawaii State medical license. Residents rotate at MSKCC for 3 months during their PGY-3 year and for 4 months during the PGY-4 year.


• The Department of Clinical Investigation, adjacent to the hospital, affords staff and residents the opportunity to participate in basic science projects and animal research in a state-of-the-art facility.