David F. Penson, MD, MPH is the Hamilton and Howd Chair in Urologic Oncology, Director of the Center for Surgical Quality and Outcomes Research and Professor and Chair, Department of Urologic Surgery at Vanderbilt University. He currently maintains a clinical practice in urologic oncology at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. While his general research focus is clinical epidemiology and health services research in across all urologic disease, his specific interests include the comparative effectiveness of treatment options in localized prostate cancer and the impact of the disease and its treatment on patients’ quality of life.