McMaster Department of Urology
- ldougla@mcmaster.ca
- (905) 522-1155 x 33380
McMaster Department of Urology
Meet our 2023 Residents. The McMaster Urology residency program prides itself on the collegiality between faculty, residents, nurses and other allied health colleagues.
Why MacUro: Mac strikes the perfect balance of friendly faces and excellent training.
Favourite part about living in Hamilton: Good mix of things to do. Lots of activities and outdoor stuff. Great restaurant selection!
What do you like to do in your spare time: I love watching movies and history documentaries. I also like some history podcasts like the History of Rome and Blowback. I try to catch every Manchester United game.
Who is your main role model and why: Dr. Mohamad Hammoud. I hope to be able to grow my hair like his one day.
What advice do you have for students interested in McMaster Urology: Reach out to the resident group! I think we’re all very friendly and happy to chat if you have any questions or just generally want to learn about the program.
Why Mac Uro: I spent lots of elective time at Mac and found the team to be incredibly tight knit and supportive. The work hard play hard culture is just right for making excellent surgeons while maintaining a balance in life.
Favourite part about living in Hamilton: Hamilton has a spectacular amount of nature to offer that can be explored. Finding new trails to hike has been really exciting. The food scene is also great!
What do you like to do in your spare time: In my spare time, you can find me in the gym, running outdoors, spending time with family, or hanging out with my boys. I may occasionally be playing video games on my PC.
Who is your main role model and why: My father is my main role model. He has been the earliest and most influential example in my life of the need to make sacrifices to achieve your goals and ensure those you care about are well taken care of.
What advice do you have for students interested in McMaster Urology: Come do an elective! No amount of reading or research will replace coming by and seeing for yourself how you fit into the team and its workflow.
Why MacUro: Judging by the quality of surgeons who’ve been through MacUro, to me it only seems like a very logical step towards the career I one day aspire to have.
Favourite part about living in Hamilton: Definitely the trails and weather.
What do you like to do in your spare time: Video gaming, long walks and playing soccer.
Who is your main role model and why: Dr. Ayman Raees. As someone who has also been in McMaster’s urology program, he gave me the blueprint to becoming an outstanding urologist one day. He has not only helped out our home hospital through direct patient care, but helped introduce tons of innovative urology techniques and procedures that are now instrumental in providing the best quality care back home.
What advice do you have for students interested in McMaster Urology: Work hard to get here, and once you’re here enjoy it!
Medical School: McMaster
Why MacUro: Coming from McMaster, I got to witness firsthand the supportive culture amongst the residents and staff. Staff were quick to offer advice, get you hands on exposure and help you out as a student. Our resident group is very supportive as a group and we really are a team both in the hospital and outside – something I value very highly! Secondly, hands on exposure early in junior years in the program builds confidence that carries through.
Favorite part about living in Hamilton: Living downtown, you are walking distance to a number of good restaurants, bars, friends and St. Joesph’s Hospital. There is no shortage of social activities (such as axe throwing and escape rooms) and living close to everything makes it that much easier.
What do you like to do in your spare time: Baseball (Go jays go) and rock climbing!
Who is your main role model and why ? My late grandmother – she had the mindset that if you had the desire to learn something and was willing to work hard, you could do anything (she learned piano at age 60 and played until she was 80)
What advice do you have for students interested in McMaster Urology? Make the most out of every experience! There is always something to learn from or enjoy and you never know when that is going to come in handy. Reflect on your values and find where you can best achieve that (hopefully Mac Urology!)
Medical school: McGill University
Why McMaster Urology: Multiple training sites reflecting a broad scope of urologic practice, excellent clinical/surgical exposure in all years of residency, supportive group of residents
My favourite part of Hamilton: food scene
Spare time: spending time with family and friends, basketball/golf, trying out new restaurants
Role model: Kobe Bryant. Daily hard work and marginal improvements pay dividends in the long term.
Advice: reach out to residents and staff, come for an elective, work hard and have fun.
Med school: McMaster
Why MacUro: From working with the group during medical school, I knew Mac had a friendly and supportive resident group that would allow me to thrive. We work hard and play hard. The high volume exposure to subspecialities such as Oncology, transplant, endourology and pediatrics was a big draw as well.
Favourite part of living in Hamilton: Its a friendly mid sized city that is close enough to the GTA to be close to the amenities but far enough away to have its own identity with interesting festivals like SuperCrawl and great food.
Role model: My older brother. He is a natural leader, thoughtful, reflective and kind. I aspire to those traits.
Spare time: I like to enjoy the hamilton food scene with friends and jog on the rail trail.
Advice: Be a team player.
Medical School: McMaster
Why MacUro: I chose MacUro because the team here, including the residents and staff, were so supportive and amazing to work with. We are really lucky to have such a great group. I was also intrigued by the independence and skills gained at such an early stage!
Favorite part about living in Hamilton: My favourite parts about living in Hamilton are the wide variety of what it has to offer in terms of amazing restaurants and breweries as well as activities including hiking trails, and easily accessible outdoor sport facilities. I also enjoy being so close to my family in Guelph!
What do you like to do in your spare time: Spending time with friends and family, trying out new restaurants, baking, playing/coaching basketball and trying out new sports like pickleball!
Who is your main role model and why? My mom is a former engineer, now a teacher, and her career as a woman in STEM and now as a teacher has always been inspiring to me in my own career in medicine.
What advice do you have for students interested in McMaster Urology? Come learn more about our program through open houses and/or electives. Don’t be shy and reach out to residents to chat and learn more about us and our program!
Medical School: McMaster University
Why MacUro: The people. We have such a great group of residents and staff. You’re always very well supported at work, and we probably hang out too much outside of work.
Favorite part about living in Hamilton: Great food and bars (shout-out Odds).
What do you like to do in your spare time: Anything sports related. I’ve also gotten really into cooking since the end of medical school, having friends over for nice food and drink is so great.
Who is your main role model and why ? My grandfather. He’s lived such an amazing and impressive life. He is such an intelligent, thoughtful man who was always so determined, and hard working. I know I can turn to him for advice anytime, and I strive to be like him as I grow older.
What advice do you have for students interested in McMaster Urology? Come in and be your genuine self. We love hard working dedicated students who fit well with our group (which isn’t that hard). Urology is a tough residency, and we need to be able to lean on each other. Ultimately, you’re here to get a feel of our program so enjoy the time and let us know what we can do for you.
Medical School: University of Toronto
Why MacUro: Mac exposes us to many subspecialties in urology with lots of volume and hands on experience. The residency group, staff, and admin are all great to work with and very supportive.
Favorite part about living in Hamilton: There are lots of great neighbourhoods with cafes, boutiques, and restaurants in Hamilton. Most of the residents live close together downtown and it’s very easy to get together with your friends and explore!
What do you like to do in your spare time: I love anything arts and crafts related and am always on the lookout for a fun DIY project.
What advice do you have for students interested in McMaster Urology? Reach out to the residents and come do an elective with us! We are always happy to chat and get to know potential applicants.
Medical School: University of Toronto
Why MacUro: Mac exposes us to many subspecialties in urology with lots of volume and hands on experience. The residency group, staff, and admin are all great to work with and very supportive.
Favorite part about living in Hamilton: There are lots of great neighbourhoods with cafes, boutiques, and restaurants in Hamilton. Most of the residents live close together downtown and it’s very easy to get together with your friends and explore!
What do you like to do in your spare time: I love anything arts and crafts related and am always on the lookout for a fun DIY project.
What advice do you have for students interested in McMaster Urology? Reach out to the residents and come do an elective with us! We are always happy to chat and get to know potential applicants.
Medical School: University of Ottawa
Why MacUro: Great exposure to a wide variety of urologic cases, major urologic subspecialties and early operative experiences for open, laparoscopic, endoscopic and robotic surgery.
Favorite part about living in Hamilton: Great food and entertainment in and around Hamilton and it’s a quick drive to Toronto to see a Raptors or Jays game or you can go to Niagara and see all the wineries!
What do you like to do in your spare time: Spend time with my family & friends (cooking, playing music or travelling) and bringing our crazy dogs to competitions, on hiking adventures or training them to stop stealing my phone
Who is your main role model and why? John Kim: urology resident extraordinaire. Because he makes the greatest avocado toast in the city.
What advice do you have for students interested in McMaster Urology? Excellent program with a great group of residents and staff with an exceptional amount of opportunity to improve clinically and surgically.
Why MacUro: I thought Mac Uro had the perfect mix of warmness & collegiality, excellent teaching, and great operative exposure. Despite being from another school, I felt super supported by both the residents and staff during my 2 weeks (and even beyond)!
Favorite part about living in Hamilton: Coming back after 4 years in Ottawa, it’s amazing how things have changed and are still changing – the food scene keeps getting better and there are always cute nature nooks & crannies to explore (did you know Hamilton is the waterfall capital of the world!)
What do you like to do in your spare time: I am an avid crocheter and am always searching for a new pattern for my next wearable. Love pumping iron in the gym while blasting metal. Or sitting back and enjoying a new episode of the latest action/thriller anime.
Who is your main role model and why? My mom – don’t know how she managed to immigrate twice in 10 years, learn 2 new languages from scratch, and be a parent at the same time. Outside of family, Yuzuru Hanyu for his tenacity, discipline, and drive to push forward the sport of figure skating.
What advice do you have for students interested in McMaster Urology? Come do an elective at Mac to witness first-hand how great the program is. Don’t be afraid to reach out to residents at any time, whether it’s in person or online – we’re here to help you shine! It’ll be lots of fun 🙂
Why MacUro: The MacUro training program offers a fantastic combination of operative exposure, clinical experience, and teaching/research opportunities. What I love most about the program, though, is the people—from the staff to the residents, everyone truly does their best to make you feel welcomed and a part of the team.
Favorite part about living in Hamilton: I’m not sure yet! During my elective, I really enjoyed the downtown food scene. As an Albertan, I’m also looking forward to the warmer winters 🙂
What do you like to do in your spare time: If I’m not in the hospital, you can probably find me at the gym. I started powerlifting during medical school and hope to continue throughout residency!
Who is your main role model and why? My fencing coach, Jujie Luan, has been a major inspiration in my life. She was one of the first people to win an Olympic gold medal for China and served as a key mentor to me growing up—not just as my coach, but also as a second mom. She is the hardest worker I know and one of the most compassionate people.
What advice do you have for students interested in McMaster Urology? Come do an elective with us! We love working with students. Urology is an incredible field that attracts amazing people. CARMS can be a daunting process, but I truly believe everyone ends up where they are meant to be. Have faith and believe in yourself!
Why MacUro: The amazing culture, great volume, broad scope, early independence, and constant jokes! Loved my time here as a med student and couldn’t see myself anywhere else.
Favorite part about living in Hamilton: The food scene, proximity to nature, and having a big city feel without all the traffic issues.
What do you like to do in your spare time: I love to go to concerts, workout, and travel! Machu Picchu is next on my bucket list!
Who is your main role model and why? All my senior residents of course! Jokes aside, my grandmother; she worked as a pediatrician till she passed and truly showed me what it means to love what you do. I hope to have as much vitality when I’m her age.
What advice do you have for students interested in McMaster Urology? Come visit us! Be hardworking, reach out to residents, ask questions and most importantly be yourself. We are a small community so don’t be a stranger, you’ll find that anyone is approachable and fun to be around.
Why MacUro: I chose McMaster Urology because of its strong emphasis on hands-on learning, supportive faculty, and the program’s commitment to fostering well-rounded urologists. The collegial environment and the opportunity to work with a diverse patient population in Hamilton were also major draws. Plus, the program’s reputation for innovation and research aligns perfectly with my career goals.
Favorite part about living in Hamilton: Even though I haven’t had the chance to live in Hamilton yet, I’ve heard so many great things about the city! People always talk about the stunning natural beauty, especially the waterfalls and hiking trails. I’m really looking forward to exploring places like Webster’s Falls and the Bruce Trail.
What do you like to do in your spare time: In my spare time, I love diving into video games—it’s my go-to way to relax and unwind after a busy day. When I’m not gaming, I’m usually in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes or cooking up old favorites. There’s something so satisfying about sharing a home-cooked meal with family and friends. Speaking of which, spending quality time with loved ones is my absolute favorite way to recharge, whether it’s hosting game nights, having dinner together, or just hanging out and catching up.
Who is your main role model and why? My main role models are my parents. They’ve always been my biggest supporters and have taught me the importance of hard work, resilience, and kindness. Growing up, I saw how they balanced their careers, family life, and personal passions with such grace and determination. They’ve shown me that success isn’t just about achieving your goals but also about lifting others up along the way. Their unwavering belief in me has been a constant source of motivation, and I strive to embody their values in both my personal and professional life.
What advice do you have for students interested in McMaster Urology? My advice would be to focus on building a strong foundation in general surgery and urology during your clerkship rotations. Seek out opportunities to get involved in urology research or projects, as McMaster values candidates who are passionate about contributing to the field. Most importantly, be yourself during the application process—let your genuine interest in urology and your unique experiences shine through. And don’t forget to reach out to current residents or faculty to learn more about the program—we’re always happy to help!