Gerald L. Andriole
Urologist combats prostatic diseases
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Gerald L. Andriole Urologist combats prostatic diseases |
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Urologic surgery's
'real deal' A 'true professional and gentleman,' Gerald L. Andriole, M.D., is an elite surgeon and a superb leader By Nicole Vines Colleagues of Gerald L. Andriole, M.D., professor of urologic surgery in the School of Medicine, pay him one of the highest compliments that one physician can bestow on another -- they call him a "doctor's doctor." "Gerald Andriole is a pro on all fronts," said David G. Mutch, M.D., the Ira C. and Judy Gall Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology, whose father and father-in-law both were patients of Andriole's. "His combination of masterful technique and a warm, witty demeanor puts both patients and students at ease." Andriole prides himself on giving the best care possible to his patients.
But Andriole also relishes immersing himself in academic medicine. He appreciates how fortunate he is to work in an environment surrounded by top-notch scientists, residents and medical students. "You tend to ask more of yourself," he said. And as chief of the Division of Urology, he has asked for more -- from his fellow surgeons, his residents and especially himself. Andriole grew up with three brothers and one sister in Hazelton, Pa., a small coal-mining town in the Pocono Mountains. The grandson of Italian immigrants and the son of a urologist, Andriole was taught the value of an education from an early age. "I grew up watching my father practice medicine and hearing my grandparents' opinions about the benefits of a good education," he said. "Pursuing medicine seemed very natural." His siblings followed suit; today three are physicians and one, an attorney. "We still let him come to family gatherings, though," Andriole joked. As a junior in Scranton (Pa.) Preparatory School, Andriole decided to pursue an accelerated medical program at Pennsylvania State University and Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, whereby he would go to college for one year and medical school for four. "Some people spend their whole life trying to get to the next thing, whether it's law school or medical school," he said. "With the accelerated program, you already know you're in medical school, and you can actually concentrate on enjoying your courses and learning."
After graduating from medical school in 1978, Andriole headed to the University of Rochester to study as a surgical intern. It was a busy program, requiring house staff to be on call every other night. Andriole recalls one of his first rotations in the surgical intensive care unit as being especially hectic. "I was so busy that I didn't go to my car for most of a month," he said. "When I finally did go check on it, I discovered it had been stolen." In 1980, Andriole went to Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School as a surgical resident. While there, Andriole became convinced that he wanted to pursue a career in academic urology. He decided to spend two years researching at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, Md. He and his colleagues studied kidney cancer and immunotherapy, specifically use of interleukin-2, a protein produced by immune cells that helps protect against dangerous cells, including tumors. Their preliminary work in mice served as the foundation to begin human trials in melanoma patients just a few years later, and eventually in patients with renal cell carcinoma. And while Andriole says it was very gratifying to be part of this kind of ground-floor research, he cites his most important discovery at the NCI as his wife, Dorothy. She was in the middle of her general surgery residency at New York University when she also took two years off to do research in the NCI surgery branch. One year happened to overlap with Andriole; the two met, hit it off and decided to marry. The nuptials took place at Windows on the World at the World Trade Center in 1985. The newlyweds were faced with selecting an institution where Dorothy Andriole, M.D., could finish the final two years of her general surgery residency and where Gerald Andriole could find a faculty position in urology. Washington University School of Medicine fit the bill, and the couple headed west in 1985. "It was a little bit of a leap of faith to move to the Midwest, and there were more than a few friends whose jaws dropped when we told them about St. Louis," Andriole said. While he admits the first St. Louis July was a real eye-opener, he feels quite strongly that it was the best move they could have made. Today, the couple has three "absolutely magnificent" boys -- Gerald III, Nicholas and Philip. The threesome keep him and his wife, now an assistant professor of surgery, running from soccer to baseball to school activities. Andriole's research has focused largely on prostatic diseases. After the prostate-specific antigen test was first developed, Andriole realized there were many questions about the test's accuracy in predicting prostate cancer early and in a curable time.
After months of negotiating, the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial was started in 1993. Today, 150,000 Americans are participating nationwide, and the trial is expected to continue for 10 more years. Andriole is excited about the surgery field's rapid movement toward using minimally invasive surgical techniques. His team is on the verge of perfecting laparoscopic radical prostatectomy -- a procedure allowing the removal of the prostate with instruments placed through tiny incisions. The traditional operation requires a large incision and an intensive amount of recuperation time. "For a successful program in minimally invasive surgery, you need surgical expertise both in traditional and laparoscopic techniques," Andriole said. "With a collaborative team of faculty talented in both areas, our medical center is uniquely poised to be a national leader in this field." Andriole gets even more excited about the future possibilities of eliminating cancers without even making an incision. He describes theoretical techniques where an X-ray would locate the exact coordinates of a tumor in the right kidney, for example, and, in simplest terms, a special device would transmit heat to that exact point, heat the tumor and kill it. What happened to the surgeon with the scalpel? Andriole says it's even more tantalizing to think about destroying cancer tissue sans the knife. "If the skills you learned 15 years ago are no longer applicable, you better move on," he said. "Education is a lifelong proposition, and you have an obligation to do what's right for your patient." Andriole never has forgotten the physicians and teachers who served as mentors throughout his education and training. Today, he works to pay back the time and attention given to him by doing the same for the residents and medical students he trains. "Every resident I work with may potentially be impacted -- either positively or negatively," he said. "Hopefully, it's positively." Fourth-year medical student Alan Shindel said Andriole's example strongly influenced his decision to enter the field of urology. "He spent a great deal of time with me going over what a career in urology is like, as well as which programs I should consider in order to get the best training," Shindel said. "It has been a pleasure to learn from him." Gregorio A. Sicard, M.D., professor and head of the Division of General Surgery, summarized Andriole best. "Jerry is a true professional and gentleman," he said. "He's an elite surgeon and a true academic urologist. His leadership qualities are superb, and he's making his mark as a great educator. He's the real deal." |
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