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Surgery Styles -- "surgery-spaced" class
Endourology and Stone Disease Fellowship
The University of Colorado Division of Urology is proud to announce the creation of an Endourology and Stone Disease Fellowship. This will be an immersive one-year experience for graduates seeking advanced training in complex stone disease and benign prostatic hyperplasia.
For the inaugural 2027 cycle, interviews and offers will take place separately from the AUA/Endourological Society match. Endourological Society accreditation is currently pending. The application deadline for the July 1, 2027 position is April 26, 2026. Check out the how to apply tab for more information.
Heiko Yang, MD, PhD - Program Director
Dr. Heiko Yang serves as the Program Director of the Endourology Fellowship. Dr. Yang’s practice centers on complex kidney stone disease in adults and children. He leads the kidney stone programs at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and at Children’s Hospital Colorado. He performs ~150 PCNL procedures a year. Nearly half of his patients are discharged the same-day without stents or tubes, and over 95% of all stone procedures are completed without using x-rays. He also performs laparoscopic kidney procedures for non-functioning kidneys and polycystic kidneys.
As a surgeon-scientist, Dr. Yang is NIH-funded and his research, which spans clinical stone disease, device innovation, ex vivo kidney biology, organ preservation, and RNA-based therapies, has been recognized internationally. In the Yang Lab, fellows will have the opportunity to engage in wet lab, translational, or clinically oriented research depending on their interests and career goals.
Kerri Thurmon, MD - Assistant Program Director
Dr. Kerri Thurmon serves as the Associate Program Director of the Endourology Fellowship. With over 10 years of experience performing holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP), Dr. Thurmon is one of the country’s foremost educators in this complex procedure. Her expertise spans the full clinical spectrum of HoLEP, including large-gland disease, medically complex patients, and those with a history of localized or advanced prostate cancer. She has been actively engaged in HoLEP education at the institutional, regional, and national levels through invited lectures, hands-on courses, and structured mentorship programs.
As Associate Program Director, Dr. Thurmon leads the development and delivery of the BPH and HoLEP curriculum, integrating simulation, stepwise operative autonomy, and longitudinal learner assessment. Her scholarly work focuses on surgical outcomes, learning curves, and educational innovation in advanced endourology.
Complex Stone Disease
The University of Colorado Endourology and Stone Disease Fellowship provides fellows with high-volume, hands-on training in the surgical management of complex kidney stone disease. Fellows gain comprehensive experience in the full spectrum of endoscopic stone surgery, including ureteroscopy and percutaneous nephrolithotomy as well as laparoscopic kidney procedures such as nephrectomy and cyst decortication. Our program leverages ultrasound guidance, advanced laser platforms, disposable ureteroscopes with in-scope suction, and a stone center environment to ensure trainees develop both technical mastery and sound clinical judgment. Graduates leave with the skills to independently manage the most challenging stone presentations, from staghorn calculi to complex anatomic variants requiring multidisciplinary care.
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP)
Fellows receive dedicated training in minimally invasive surgical therapies for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), with particular emphasis on holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP). Under the mentorship of Dr. Kerri Thurmon, one of the nation’s leading HoLEP educators with over a decade of experience, and Dr. Paul Maroni, fellows are trained across the full clinical breadth of the procedure, including large-gland disease, medically complex patients, and those with prior pelvic surgery or prostate cancer history. The curriculum incorporates stepwise operative autonomy, simulation-based skill development, structured feedback, and deliberate coaching to accelerate competence while maintaining patient safety. Fellows graduate prepared not only to perform HoLEP independently, but to teach and disseminate the procedure within their future practices.
Research Training
A defining feature of this fellowship is its commitment to academic and investigative training. Fellows have protected research time and structured mentorship to engage in projects spanning device development, ex vivo and in vivo models,
early-phase translational studies, and large clinical trials. Under the direction of Dr. Heiko Yang, an NIH-funded surgeon-scientist, fellows will receive hands-on exposure to experimental design, data analysis, manuscript preparation, and grant development.
The program aims to equip fellows with the tools necessary to pursue independent investigative careers, with the expectation that each fellow presents at a national meeting and submits a manuscript for publication during the fellowship year. Fellows
are also embedded in an innovation ecosystem exploring device development and next-generation therapies, positioning them at the forefront of emerging paradigms in urologic care.
Prerequisites:
- Must be a U.S. or non-U.S. citizen qualified to obtain a full medical license in the State of Colorado
- Complete all 3 steps of USMLE
- Completed an accredited Urology Residency program in the United States
- Be board-eligible in Urology
Email the application materials below to [email protected].
- Curriculum Vitae
- Medical School Transcripts
- One (1) Letter of Recommendation from Residency Program Director
- Two (2) Additional Letters of Recommendation