On June 21, 2013, the Office of the Provost at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill approved the establishment of the Department of Urology in the School of Medicine at UNC.
The creation of the new Department of Urology will serve to enhance and expand UNC’s commitment to clinical care, education, and research for the people of North Carolina and throughout the country.
In 1952, Dr. Paul Bunce was recruited to become the 6th member of the Department of Surgery and to establish a Division of Urologic Surgery. In 1970, Dr. Bunce was succeeded by Dr. Floyd Fried who developed subspecialty interests and expanded educational programs within urology at UNC. In 1993, Dr. Culley Carson became the 3rd Division Chief of Urology and ushered in an era in which UNC gained national repute for clinical and research work.
In 2011, Dr. Raj Pruthi succeeded Dr. Carson and helped to expand the clinical, education, and research efforts in an increasingly complex environment involving rapidly changing technology and health care policy. With a clinical program of over 20 providers and specialized programs in urologic oncology, robotics, stone disease, and men’s health, the Dean and leadership team of the School of Medicine created a new Department of Urology with Dr. Pruthi serving as the inaugural Chair.
The newly established Department of Urology at the University of North Carolina is committed to providing outstanding and innovative clinical care to the people of North Carolina, the Southeast, and throughout the United States. The Department will extend its patient care activities beyond its Chapel Hill campus with facilities and collaborations in Hillsborough, Alamance, Chatham, and Wake Counties amongst others. We have assembled a team of talented and caring clinicians, scientists, educators, and healthcare professionals dedicated to innovation, education, quality, and cutting-edge clinical care.
Drs. Bunce, Fried, and Carson established the basic philosophy of UNC Urology that drives us to this day: dedication to clinical teaching and patient care with an emphasis on creative thinking and innovation.