Q-and-A With Thomas F. Kolon, MD

Thomas Kolon, MD Meet Thomas F. Kolon, MD, the new Chief of the Division of Urology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Dr. Kolon is a worthy successor of the late Dr. Douglas A. Canning, who held the position for 25 years. Dr. Kolon has been at CHOP for 22 years, most recently serving as the Associate Chief of the Division of Urology. He is a Professor of Urology (Surgery) at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and holds the Howard M. Snyder III Endowed Chair in Pediatric Urology.

Dr. Kolon is world-renowned for his expertise in care for patients with undescended testis and varicocele, as well as fertility preservation in oncology patients. With his radiology colleagues, he has also helped develop creative 3-D printing models for planning safe organ-sparing surgery. As the director of the urology fellowship program, he has demonstrated leadership in his commitment to educating the next generation of pediatric urologists to the highest standard.

He recently sat down for an informal Q-and-A session to talk about why he loves working with children, what career he’d choose if he wasn’t in medicine, his vision for the Division of Urology, and much more.

What do you like most about working with children and their families?

I love seeing the smiles on the faces of children and their parents once they realize that they are in good hands and that we will take care of them like they are our own family. Coming to CHOP can be a very stressful and emotional time, even for something that might be considered “minor.” It’s wonderful to bring some peace and joy into their lives.

What advice do you have for families coming to CHOP?

You have your child’s best interests at heart, so I encourage families to ask us everything they want to know about the workup and treatment that we are proposing. No question is too small. We want to ensure that you feel comfortable and very confident that you are receiving the best care in the world for your child from our CHOP Urology team.

Can you describe a personal or professional breakthrough you’ve had in your life?

In 2011, I was ordained a Catholic deacon after four years of training. I feel that I now have a much better listening ear for families and colleagues. I’ve learned to meet families wherever they are along this road to better health in their lives, and to see where I can be of assistance, medically or otherwise.

Who was your hero or role model growing up?

Dr. Edmond Gonzales at Texas Children’s was my mentor in my pediatric urology training. He was an exceptional surgeon; I learned a lot about fine microscopic technique from him. Doug Canning played a similar mentoring role for me during my career here at CHOP. I loved his approach of placing the child at the center of all we do.

What is one of the most valuable things you’ve learned in your 20-plus years at CHOP?

Teamwork. I often tell parents that you’re not coming to CHOP just to see me; the power of CHOP is in the stellar team that I will work with to help heal your child. The collaboration amongst the healthcare teams that we enjoy here at CHOP is the best in the world.

What conditions or treatments interest you the most from a research or clinical perspective?

I especially enjoy the treatment of pediatric uro-oncology. From a surgical standpoint, it challenges me to remove malignant tumors using the latest surgical technology while reconstructing the urogenital system to allow future function. It also requires great teamwork, especially with my colleagues in oncology, general surgery, and radiology, who work together to achieve the best outcomes. We all learn from each other.

Who is your favorite superhero?

It’s probably not a fan-favorite (and the movie was a real flop), but as a kid, I loved the Green Lantern. I really liked being able to harness the power of imagination to create things that help others. Plus, green is my favorite color!

If you could have a superpower, what would it be?

Well, the Green Lantern power of creation solely from your imagination sure would be pretty cool. Think about all the medical breakthroughs we would have!

If you weren't a surgeon, what do you think you'd be doing?

It depends on whether you’re giving me extra talents! Playing in Bruce Springsteen’s band or as a wide receiver for the Eagles would be nice, but I don’t hear either of them knocking on my door! If I’m using my current God-given talents, then I would be a research investigator or a teacher — both of which I do to some extent now.

What are your hobbies?

I’m an avid sports fan, especially the Eagles and Villanova basketball. During time off, you will usually find me with my family, often at the Jersey shore, enjoying the beach, bicycling, or doing puzzles/board games.

What is your favorite way to start and end a day?

I do both with a prayer (and a cup of coffee in the morning). I’m thankful for all the blessings I have each day. I review the past and look forward to improving the next day.

What is your vision for the Division of Urology?

Our vision is to combine expertise, empathy, and ethics in every area of urologic healthcare delivery: in patient care, in research, and in education. Our team is very dedicated and continues to grow, allowing us to sub-sub-specialize in areas that may be rare or unique to the world but not to CHOP. This allows us to bring individualized attention to the needs of others with distinct respect for their unique circumstances and concerns.

What excites you most about the future of Urology?

We take pride in the trailblazers who built this program, and we continue to build. We are making great achievements in kidney stone treatment and prevention, highly successful minimally invasive surgery, improved outcomes in very complex hypospadias reconstruction, and renal salvage surgery for Wilms tumor. Each year, we make wonderful advances in these and many other areas. As the song says, “The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades!”

What makes CHOP’s Division of Urology unique from others in the country?

As a team, we are focused on care for the whole person. We hold dearly our core values of excellence (which is our drive and grit to be the best), integrity (because that is our moral compass), and compassion (which is the soul of our mission). All other values follow these three. We strive to maintain a positive, optimistic attitude that gives us the courage and ambition to succeed and to not fear failure. Finally, we remain humble and hungry and are lifetime learners. It is important to work hard and take advantage of our CHOP talent/Penn educational assets. Every member of our Urology team helps us achieve this excellence.