Ralph Clayman, MD

Dr. Ralph V. Clayman completed his undergraduate education at Grinnell College and subsequently received his medical degree from the University of California - San Diego. He completed his urology residency at the University of Minnesota in 1979; he then completed a two year American Urological Association Scholar’s program at Southwestern Medical School in Dallas studying cholesterol metabolism in renal cancer. In 1984 he moved to Washington University in St. Louis and rose to the rank of Professor of Urology and Radiology. In 1990, he and his team performed the world’s first laparoscopic removal of a tumor-bearing kidney, and proceeded to perform numerous other “firsts” in laparoscopic minimally invasive urologic surgery; he holds 14 patents on devices/instruments used in minimally invasive surgery and is a named author on over 400 peer reviewed manuscripts. While at Washington University, he established the first fellowship program in minimally invasive Urology (i.e. Endourology); graduates of this program have become members of the faculty at over 15 academic institutions. In January 2002, he became Chair of the newly formed Department of Urology at the University of California – Irvine which over the ensuing 6 years became one of the top 20 Urology programs in the country. He is a founder of the Endourology Society for which he served as President (2011) and a founding co-editor of the Journal of Endourology. In February 2010, he was appointed Dean of the School of Medicine at UC Irvine. In July 2014, he completed his term as Dean and transitioned back to Professor of Urology at UC Irvine.