Lee Richstone, MD, is the chairman of The Smith Institute for Urology at Lenox Hill Hospital. He is also director of laparoscopic and robotic surgery at Lenox Hill, Vice Chairman for Urology Education for Northwell Health, and Director of Urology for Northwell’s Western region spanning from Connecticut, Manhattan, western Queens and Brooklyn, and Staten Island. He is a full Professor of Urology at Northwell-Hofstra Zucker School of Medicine. He is currently the president-elect of the Society of Academic Urologists (SAU), the nation’s premier society for urologists at academic medical centers.

While completing medical school at Cornell University Medical College in New York City, he won early acceptance into Alpha Omega Alpha, the prestigious national medical honor society. He pursued his urologic training and chief residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill-Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, then completed his fellowship training in minimally invasive and robotic urologic surgery at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Dr. Richstone completed his fellowship with the surgeon who literally performed the very first laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (kidney removal) and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (prostate removal) in the world, making him uniquely trained and incredibly experienced. Before becoming chair of urology at Lenox Hill, he served as chief of urology for North Shore University Hospital and chief of urology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center.

Dr. Richstone is an internationally recognized urologic surgeon who has helped pioneer laparoscopic and robotic surgery for cancer of the prostate, kidney and bladder, as well as for various forms of urinary obstructions requiring urologic reconstruction. He has over 100 peer-reviewed publications in leading national and international journals including The Journal of Urology, Urology, The British Journal of Urology, The Journal of Endourology, Cancer and Cell. He is a member of the Society of Urologic Oncology and the America Urological Association and is an executive board member of the Endourological Society and the Society of Academic Urology.

A leader in robotic single-port surgery where entire operations are performed through a one-inch incision in the navel, Dr. Richstone was one of the first three surgeons in the world to perform single-port radical prostatectomy in 2008.

“Having performed well over 3,000 operations for prostate, kidney and bladder cancer, and complex neobladder reconstructions completely robotically, my focus has always been on preserving urinary continence and sexual function,” he says. In addition to obtaining the very best possible outcomes, Dr. Richstone takes time to get to know his patients, develop a relationship with them, and ensure they understand their urologic issues. “As many of my patients will attest, it is not uncommon for me to greet my patients with a hug, not a handshake.”