Joel Gelman

Dr. Gelman is a Board Certified Urologist, the Director of the Center for Reconstructive Urology, and a Clinical Professor in the Department of Urology at the University of California, Irvine. He has performed over 1,400 urethral-penile reconstructive surgeries, and his practice is limited to his area of expertise in male urethral and penile/genital reconstructive surgery. Dr. Gelman completed his Urology Residency at the UCLA Medical Center in 1995 and a Fellowship in Adult and Pediatric Male Genitourinary reconstruction at the Devine Center in Norfolk, Virginia, under Dr. Gerald Jordan.

Dr. Gelman is listed by U.S. News and World Report as one of America’s Best Doctors, a distinction based on peer nomination, and is also listed as one of America’s Top Doctors (Castle Connoly list) and one of America’s Top Surgeons (Consumer Research Council).

When Dr. Gelman arrived at UC, Irvine, located in Orange County, California, in 1998, there were no doctors in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, or surrounding areas in Southern California or adjacent states who were Fellowship trained or exclusively specialized in the treatment of conditions affecting the male urethra, penis, and scrotum. Once at UCI, Dr. Gelman developed a Center for Reconstructive Urology exclusively devoted to the treatment of male urethral and penile disorders, including urethral stricture disease and trauma, Peyronie's Disease and other disorders of penile curvature, erectile dysfunction with an emphasis on penile implant surgery, hypospadias, scrotal lymphoma, hidradenitis, and complications of prostate cancer treatment including radiation strictures, bladder neck contractures, urethral-rectal fistulas and incontinence (artificial urinary sphincter placement).

Under the leadership of Dr. Gelman, the Center for Reconstructive Urology is now a regional, national, and international referral center, treating patients who travel from many states outside of California and other countries specifically to receive their care from Dr. Gelman. To date, over 300 Urologists, including faculty at all other major University Medical Centers in Los Angeles and other areas of Southern California have referred patients to Dr. Gelman for his expertise. Patients have traveled from all regions of the United States and other countries, including South Africa, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Thailand, and Canada, to receive care at our Center, with the majority seeking treatment after failed surgery elsewhere.

In addition, Dr. Gelman’s interests include teaching and clinical and laboratory research. He has presented and published numerous papers on the subject of male reconstructive urethral and penile surgery, developed new and improved surgical techniques for urethroplasty, pioneered the development of improved instrumentation for surgery, and is the principal investigator of the Tissue Engineering Laboratory at UC, Irvine Medical Center. This laboratory is devoted to the development of new biomaterials for use in urethral and penile reconstructive surgery.

Dr. Gelman is a Diplomate of the American Board of Urology, a reviewer for the Journal of Urology, Urology, and the Journal of Endourology, and served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Society for Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons.