That Will Never Do! is a memoir of medical innovation and personal growth, chronicling your journey in urology and pioneering efforts to develop less invasive surgical techniques that transformed patient care. Why was this an important book for you to write?

Coming to the end of a truly fortunate career, I wanted to pass along some of the many things I had learned in hopes that it might be of help to those to follow. Some lessons learned the hard way, which, when explained to others, might save them a similar lengthy/painful learning curve. Then again, I also wanted to acknowledge those who made all the difference in my life and provided me with the privilege to proceed and succeed. Clearly Carol, but also a host of mentors and colleagues who never failed to encourage and support.

How did your mother’s optimism influence your approach to challenges?

There is nothing better in this world than optimism, in my opinion. There is a silver lining somewhere to almost all events, save the loss of a loved one. Roz’s optimism was something special though – regardless of what you wanted to do or your particular aspiration, she had the ability to convince you they would be realized, not maybe, but absolutely. I have yet to meet anyone in my life who had that ability and belief in an individual to realize their dreams. Armed with that kind of support, you understood, in Churchill’s words, that failure is not final and that indeed, there would be another day, and success would be on its horizon.

You openly discuss shortcomings in the preparation for early innovations. What did those experiences teach you?

This is where it is so important to bring in a collaborative group, so you don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Certainly, with the laparoscopic nephrectomy, we needed someone to step out of the enthusiasm and view it at a distance. I think if one person had just said, perhaps you ought to first try this in a cadaver, it would have changed a lot; we would have learned how to perhaps deal with the colon such that our first case, instead of being over 6 hours, may have only been 3 hours. But I think we were so blinded by the success with the porcine kidney, we did not take time to step back and think about how much more complex the anatomy and surrounding tissues of the human kidney might be.

How would you like your legacy as a physician, innovator, and mentor to be remembered?

The people who have done the endourology fellowship are truly my legacy – as they are physicians, innovators, and mentors in their own right. I am so thankful that the vast majority of the fellows have proceeded into an academic setting where they could become both innovators and mentors. Through them, the 5 H’s of honesty, hard work, humility, humor, and heart are passed on to the next generation of surgeons, much to the benefit of the people they treat and to the progress of the specialty.

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