{"id":2482,"date":"2018-04-20T12:54:05","date_gmt":"2018-04-20T16:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/med.sites.unc.edu\/urology\/?post_type=directory&p=2482"},"modified":"2025-08-26T13:31:41","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T17:31:41","slug":"kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd","status":"publish","type":"directory","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/","title":{"rendered":"Kathryn Hacker Gessner, MD, PhD"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am a urologist who specializes in taking care of patients with genitourinary cancers and runs a translational research lab. With the various treatment options available for patients with urologic cancers, I enjoy working with patients to identify the treatment choice that optimizes both their cancer outcome and personal goals. My research focuses on using genomic analysis of bladder and kidney tumors to learn more about alterations in the tumor and surrounding cells to improve treatment decisions and patient outcomes.<\/p>\n

Specialties<\/h2>\n

Urologic Oncology<\/a><\/p>\n

Publications<\/h2>\n

To View Click Here<\/a><\/p>\n

Education<\/h2>\n

Fellowship: Urologic Oncology, Department of Urology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 2021-2023
\nResidency: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 2016-2021
\nMD: University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 2008-2016<\/p>\n

Schedule an Appointment with Dr. Gessner<\/h2>\n

UNC Urology Medical Center Office<\/a>
\nUNC Urology NC Cancer Hospital Office<\/a>
\nUNC Urology at Hillsborough<\/a><\/p>\n

Refer a Patient to Dr. Gessner<\/h2>\n

Medical professionals interested in referring a patient please visit our Refer a Patient<\/a> page for more information.<\/p>\n

News<\/h2>\n

View All<\/a>
\n

3 weeks ago<\/p>

A Broad Presence on the National Stage: UNC Urology at AUA 2026<\/h3><\/div>

As colleagues gather in Washington this spring, attendees moving from session to session will encounter a consistent presence from UNC Urology. Their participation across the 2026 AUA Annual Meeting reflects the ongoing work taking place within our department \u2013 work that spans clinical care, research, and education and connects UNC Urology to the broader national community of physicians and scientists advancing the field.<\/p>

Read more<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/a><\/article>

4 weeks ago<\/p>

Dr. Kathryn Gessner Selected for AUA Early-Career Investigators Showcase at 2026 Annual Meeting<\/h3><\/div>

Dr. Kathryn Gessner has been selected to present her research at the 2026 Early-Career Investigators Showcase (ECIS) during the American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Dr. Gessner will present a poster titled \u201cSpatial profiling of plasmacytoid urothelial carcinoma reveals therapeutic vulnerabilities,\u201d during the ECIS session on Friday, May 15, 2026, from 3:30\u20135:30 PM ET.<\/p>

Read more<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/a><\/article> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am a urologist who specializes in taking care of patients with genitourinary cancers and runs a translational research lab. With the various treatment options available for patients with urologic cancers, I enjoy working with patients to identify the treatment choice that optimizes both their cancer outcome and personal goals. My research focuses on using … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":11225,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-2482","directory","type-directory","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","odd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKathryn Hacker Gessner, MD, PhD | Department of Urology<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kathryn Hacker Gessner, MD, PhD | Department of Urology\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I am a urologist who specializes in taking care of patients with genitourinary cancers and runs a translational research lab. With the various treatment options available for patients with urologic cancers, I enjoy working with patients to identify the treatment choice that optimizes both their cancer outcome and personal goals. My research focuses on using … Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Department of Urology\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-26T17:31:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/637\/2018\/04\/Kathryn-Hacker-Gessner-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UNCurology\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/\",\"name\":\"Kathryn Hacker Gessner, MD, PhD | Department of Urology\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/637\/2018\/04\/Kathryn-Hacker-Gessner-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-20T16:54:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-26T17:31:41+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/637\/2018\/04\/Kathryn-Hacker-Gessner-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/637\/2018\/04\/Kathryn-Hacker-Gessner-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":2560,\"caption\":\"Dr. Kathryn Gessner\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Kathryn Hacker Gessner, MD, PhD\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/\",\"name\":\"Department of Urology\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UNC Department of Urology\",\"alternateName\":\"UNC Urology\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/637\/2018\/04\/Urology_logo_2c_rgb_h.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/637\/2018\/04\/Urology_logo_2c_rgb_h.png\",\"width\":982,\"height\":151,\"caption\":\"UNC Department of Urology\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/UNCurology\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCH9hLQ7PKZu7UjSMTyxT5IA\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Kathryn Hacker Gessner, MD, PhD | Department of Urology","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Kathryn Hacker Gessner, MD, PhD | Department of Urology","og_description":"I am a urologist who specializes in taking care of patients with genitourinary cancers and runs a translational research lab. With the various treatment options available for patients with urologic cancers, I enjoy working with patients to identify the treatment choice that optimizes both their cancer outcome and personal goals. My research focuses on using … Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/","og_site_name":"Department of Urology","article_modified_time":"2025-08-26T17:31:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":2560,"url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/637\/2018\/04\/Kathryn-Hacker-Gessner-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@UNCurology","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/","url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/","name":"Kathryn Hacker Gessner, MD, PhD | Department of Urology","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/637\/2018\/04\/Kathryn-Hacker-Gessner-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2018-04-20T16:54:05+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-26T17:31:41+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/637\/2018\/04\/Kathryn-Hacker-Gessner-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/637\/2018\/04\/Kathryn-Hacker-Gessner-scaled.jpg","width":1920,"height":2560,"caption":"Dr. Kathryn Gessner"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/directory\/kathryn-hacker-gessner-md-phd\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Kathryn Hacker Gessner, MD, PhD"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/","name":"Department of Urology","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/#organization","name":"UNC Department of Urology","alternateName":"UNC Urology","url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/637\/2018\/04\/Urology_logo_2c_rgb_h.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/637\/2018\/04\/Urology_logo_2c_rgb_h.png","width":982,"height":151,"caption":"UNC Department of Urology"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/UNCurology","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCH9hLQ7PKZu7UjSMTyxT5IA"]}]}},"_upd_display_name":["Kathryn Hacker Gessner, MD, PhD"],"_upd_reverse_display_name":["Hacker Gessner, Kathryn"],"_upd_last_name":["Hacker Gessner"],"_upd_first_name":["Kathryn"],"_upd_sortorder_override":[],"_upd_sortorder":["1"],"_upd_gallery_summary":["Assistant Professor of Urology"],"_upd_no_link":[],"_upd_degree1":["M.D."],"_upd_degree2":[],"_upd_email":[],"_upd_phone":[],"_upd_address":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/directory\/2482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/directory"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/directory"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/directory\/2482\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/urology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}