Dr Ronald James Urry
Specialist Urologist, Accredited Robotic Surgeon
Qualifications
BSc(Hons) Human Genetics from the University of the Witwatersrand
MBBCh from the University of the Witwatersrand
Fellow of the College of Urologists of South Africa – FCUrol(SA)
MMed(Urol) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg Complex
Accredited da Vinci Robotic Surgeon
Completed fellowship in laparoscopic and robotic surgery at Eastbourne District General Hospital in the United Kingdom.
Bio
Dr Ronald James Urry, or James as he prefers to be called, grew up in Johannesburg. He studied at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he received first a BSc(Hons) in human genetics in 2001, followed by a MBBCh in 2004. Internship and community service placements took him from Gauteng to KwaZulu-Natal. He worked for two years at Madadeni Provincial Hospital in Newcastle as an intern and community service medical officer. James jokes that “you don’t leave medical school planning to be a urologist… urology is a specialty that finds you”. During his community service year at Madadeni Hospital, he was allocated to the urology department under the Polish urologist, Andrzej Krysuik. During this year, he not only gained a great deal of clinical and practical experience, but also an appreciation for the many facets and subtleties that urology offers.
In 2006, he was married to Cathrine Dewar, a classmate from university. Cathrine was offered a registrar post in ophthalmology at Greys Hospital in Pietermaritzburg. James joined his new wife in Pietermaritzburg and took up a medical officer post in urology at Greys Hospital. He worked at Greys for the next 10 years. During this time, he became the first registrar in urology to be trained at Greys Hospital, under the guidance of Dr Marius Conradie. James completed his fellowship in urology and achieved the FCUrol(SA) examinations in 2013.
At Greys, under Dr Conradie, James developed an interest in endourology and uro-oncology. He developed a love of endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery. In 2009, he and Dr Conradie co-authored a paper in the Journal of Endourology on the advantages of en-bloc ligation of the renal hilum during laparoscopic extirpative renal surgery. This helped to ignite James’ interest in research, and he became a keen researcher. James completed his MMed in urology through the University of KwaZulu-Natal with a paper title “The Incidence, Spectrum and Outcomes of Traumatic Bladder Injuries in the Pietermaritzburg Metropolitan Trauma Service”. He has a number of other papers and congress presentations to his name, and some currently in press.
After qualifying as a specialist, James took up a consultant post in Urology at Greys Hospital, where he worked as a specialist for four years, including 18 months as the acting head of department. During this time, he supervised clinical work, trained registrars clinically and academically with a number of registrars completing their fellowships under his guidance, and supervised research projects. In 2014, at the South African Urological Association congress, he was awarded the coveted Karl Storz golden cystoscope for excellence in endourology.
At the end of 2015, James embarked on a 6-month fellowship in laparoscopic and robotic surgery. He joined the cystectomy and prostatectomy unit at Eastbourne District General Hospital in East Sussex, United Kingdom, under Mr Peter Rimington. Here he furthered his interest in laparoscopic surgery and uro-oncology. He was also exposed to robotic surgery for the first time, and quickly developed and interest and a knack for operating with the assistance of a robot. Over the 6 months, James worked as a Senior Trainee, and was responsible for teaching and clinical work.
James has now moved back to Johannesburg with his wife Cathrine and their three girls, Olivia, Sarah and Claire. He welcomes general urology referrals but his special area of interest will is uro-oncology and robotic surgery. James is currently serving as the secretary of the South African Urological Association. When not working or being a family man, James enjoys running with his dogs, horse-riding, reading and writing.
LinkedIn
Research
orcid.org/0000-0003-3214-532X
Publications
, 2020. Bioring® gastric banding for obesity in a private South African hospital. S Afr J Surg 58(3):115-121
, 2020. Traumatic renal injury: Five-year experience at a major trauma centre in South Africa. Injury 51(1):39-44
, 2018. Correlation between radiological and histopathological findings in patients undergoing nephrectomy for presumed renal cell carcinoma on computed tomography scan at Grey's Hospital. SA J Radiol 22(1):1339
, 2018. The presentation, management and outcomes of Fournier's gangrene at a tertiary urology referral centre in South Africa. S Afr Med J 108(8):671-676
, 2018. Five year review of open radical nephrectomies at a regional hospital in South Africa: room for improvement. S Afr J Surg 56(1):35-39
, 2018. The effect of a concomitant renal injury on the outcome of colonic trauma. Am J Surg 216(2):230-234
, 2016. The incidence, spectrum and outcomes of traumatic bladder injuries within the Pietermaritzburg Metropolitan Trauma Service. Injury 47(5):1057-63
, 2015. Prostate Cancer at a regional hospital in South Africa: we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. S Afr J Surg 53(3 and 4):57-62
, 2009. Advantages of en bloc hilar ligation during laparoscopic extirpative renal surgery. J Endourol 23(9):1503-7
Publication list retrieved from NCBI using ImpactPubs
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