Michael S. Cookson, M.D.
Professor of Urologic Surgery 
Vanderbilt University

Dr. Michael Cookson completed his medical school training at the University of Oklahoma. He completed his Urology Residency at the University of Texas San Antonio. He then completed a urologic oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York in 1996. He became an Assistant Professor of Urology at the University of Kentucky. In 1998, he came to Nashville and has been on the Faculty at Vanderbilt since that time. 

Dr. Cookson has been active in clinic and basic research with regards to urologic tumors.  His areas of special interest have been in outcomes and surgical management of prostate and bladder malignancies. He has published extensively on the high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, and refinements with respect to intravesical and operative treatment options.  He has also focused on radical cystectomy and urinary diversion as well as quality of life issues following urinary diversion developing and validating the FACT-VCI that is currently used to measure changes in QOL after cystectomy.  In addition, he has been instrumental in the development and implementation of clinical pathways including the use of evidence-based medicine in the perioperative management of surgically treated prostate and bladder cancer patients. He has authored or co-authored over 100 manuscripts.

Dr Cookson has been highly involved in multiple AUA activities both in terms of leadership and education. He is also the Fellowship Director of the Urologic Oncology program at Vanderbilt. Dr. Cookson is the urology specialty editor to Cancer and the SUO appointed oncology representative to the SUO.  Dr. Cookson was a member of the AUA Guidelines for Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer and remains on the Panel currently.   
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