James McKiernan, MD, the John K. Lattimer Professor of Urology, is the interim dean of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. VP&S was founded in 1767 as the nation’s second medical school but the first in the nation to award an MD degree. He is also CEO of ColumbiaDoctors, where he leads the growth of the faculty practice and works to meet the future needs of clinicians and patients. Dr. McKiernan engages clinical leadership in strategic planning for ColumbiaDoctors with an emphasis on managing the growth of our regional network to produce greater patient accessibility and a more equitable health care system.

Dr. McKiernan graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a BA in biology and received his MD from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his training in urology and general surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, followed by a urologic surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. McKiernan’s clinical practice is focused on urologic oncology and particularly on surgical therapy in high-risk patients with bladder and kidney cancers. His research, funded by NIH and biotechnology industry grants, focuses on developing novel therapeutics for bladder cancer treatment as well as comparative effectiveness research in urologic oncology. In the management of kidney and bladder cancer, he has special expertise in organ preservation and reconstructive surgery to maximize quality of life. Dr. McKiernan’s research has been published in Cancer, Cancer Research, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, JAMA Oncology, Journal of Urology, Urologic Oncology, and Urology. He has authored and co-authored more than 220 scientific articles and book chapters on urologic cancer and related issues.