WVH da Vinci® Prostatectomy Surgical Team

Shawn D. Blick, M.D.
Dr. Blick graduated from Cornell University with a bachelors degree in biochemistry and continued on to receive his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He did his surgical as well as his urology residency at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York.

Moving to Arizona from New York, he was initially in private practice with Canyon State Urology in Glendale, AZ.

Currently, Dr. Blick has a private practice, Valley Urologic Associates, and is involved in several professional societies including Phoenix Urological Society, American Urological Association, Arizona Medical Association, Maricopa County Medical Society and the American College of Surgeons.

He is also a regular presenter for Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical Speakers Bureau and Merck Pharmaceutical Speakers Bureau.

Pankaj M. Jain, M.D.
As a leader in academics, Dr. Jain completed a combined medical and business program, receiving his medical degree from Northwestern University School Medical School and his masters in business administration in health services management and finance from Northwestern's Kellogg Graduate School of Business. He finished his residency in urology at Northwestern University, a premier urology program within the United States.

Dr. Jain's practice interests include laparoscopy and minimally invasive surgery, oncology, stones, erectile dysfunction, female urology, and benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH).

Most exceptionally, Dr. Jain has a strong training in laparoscopic radical prostatectomies, and he will become a leader in robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomies in the West Valley.

Vi N. Hua, M.D.
Dr. Vi N. Hua completed his Residency in Urology at The McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, one of the nation's leading tertiary academic centers. During his training, he had the privilege of receiving an education by the world's foremost scholars in all aspects of Urology, including Drs. Williams J. Catalona, M.D., Kevin T. McVary, and Anthony J. Schaeffer, M.D. While Dr. Hua is an expert in all areas of urology, his interests include laparoscopy and minimally invasive urology. In his training, he has acquired the distinguishing skills for performing nephron-sparing laparoscopic partial nephrectomies and laparoscopic robotic radical prostatectomies. As one of the "best residents" to graduate Northwestern University, Dr. Hua will be a leader and a pioneer amongst his peers, offering the latest clinical practices and surgical techniques to the West Valley Community.

Most importantly, Valley Urologic Associates is extremely proud to announce the addition of Dr. Hua to our group. He exemplifies our mission statement, "State of the Art with Compassion and Sensitivity", and he will be a valuable asset to our community.

Rahul Thaly, M.D.
Dr. Rahul Thaly completed his six-year residency training at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Thaly went on to further his training in Robotics/Laparoscopy and Minimally Invasive Surgery at The Ohio State University under the guidance of Dr. Vipul Patel--the foremost leader in Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery. He has been involved in more than 400 robotic and laparoscopic surgeries, and his experience in robotic surgery makes him one of the foremost top urologists graduating in 2007. Dr. Thaly’s clinical interests involve urologic cancer and laparoscopy, specializing in the care of patients with prostate and kidney cancer. In addition to robotic surgery for prostate cancer, he also specializes in the treatment of kidney cancer with minimally invasive, kidney-sparing alternatives such as laparoscopic partial nephrectomy and radiofrequency ablation. With his advanced skills, he has worked as an Instructor for courses on Advanced Robotic laparoscopic techniques throughout the country. Dr. Thaly is a member of several professional societies including American Urological Association and the Robotic Surgery Working Group. He has published numerous papers in the Journal of Urology, British Journal of Urology, the Journal of Robotic Surgery, Contemporary Urology and Issues in Urology.

Most importantly, Valley Urologic Associates is extremely proud to announce the addition of Dr. Thaly to our group. He exemplifies our mission statement, "State of the Art with Compassion and Sensitivity," and he will be a valuable asset to our community.