Professor of Urology & Chairman, Department of Urology
Weill Cornell Medical College
New York, NY
Peter N. Schlegel, MD, FACS is James J. Colt Professor and Chairman of Urology; as well as Professor of Reproductive Medicine at The Weill Medical College of Cornell University; a Staff Scientist at The Population Council, Center for Biomedical Research; and a Visiting Associate Physician at The Rockefeller University Hospital. He is Urologist-in-Chief at The New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Dr. Schlegel is an internationally acclaimed expert in the treatment of male infertility, especially the interface of male factor treatment with assisted reproductive techniques. His work has also clarified the importance of genetic studies in the evaluation of men with infertility. He was awarded the 1996 Established Clinician Award by The European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology. Dr. Schlegel was awarded a fellowship by the Royal College of Surgeons in 1992 for collaborative study with urologists in London, which he performed in 1993. He has been listed as an expert in nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy techniques as well as male infertility by Castle Connolly’s “Best Doctors” Guide since 1999 as well as other national “Best Doctor” lists.
In over 190 published or submitted original manuscripts, as well as numerous book chapters and invited articles, Dr. Schlegel has described the characteristics of men who are candidates for sperm retrieval, designed and described novel techniques for the successful achievement of pregnancy after sperm retrieval. He has also published extensively on microsurgical treatment of infertile men as well as on genetic aspects of infertility. More importantly, the team of scientists, reproductive endocrinologists, nurses and technicians that Dr. Schlegel has worked with at Cornell has achieved one of the highest pregnancy rates in the world for treatment of couples using sperm that were retrieved by Dr. Schlegel.
Early in his career, Dr. Schlegel worked with pioneers in the field of urology and male reproductive function. With Dr. Fray Marshall and Dr. Patrick Walsh at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, Dr. Schlegel worked as a resident in general surgery and urology. During that time, Dr. Schlegel established some of the anatomical basis that was necessary to develop the contemporary procedure of radical prostatectomy that is used to cure localized prostate cancer. Dr. Schlegel continues to be active in the surgical treatment of prostate cancer because of his advanced understanding of this anatomy.
Dr Schlegel was granted a research scholarship from the American Foundation for Urological Disease/American Urological Association in 1989 and completed his fellowship in the area of male infertility and reproductive function with the guidance of Dr. Marc Goldstein ad Dr. Wayne Bardin at The Population Council, Center for Biomedical Research, and Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Microsurgery, Department of Urology, The New York Hospital – Cornell Medical Center in 1991.
His expertise in urology has been recognized by national and international authorities by invitations from the National Institutes of Health, The American Urologic Association, Austrian, Australian, Brazilian, British, Costa Rican, French, German, Hungarian, Irish, Israeli, Indonesian, Japanese, Jordanian, Mexican, Saudi Arabian, Turkish, Venezuelan urologic or reproductive societies to speak on issues of male infertility treatment. He has been listed in Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the East, Who’s Who in Education, Who’s Who in Healthcare and Medicine, and Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. He received the John K. Lattimer Award from the Kidney and Urology Foundation in 2010.
Dr. Schlegel is a former co-editor of the Journal of Andrology and currently or has previously served on editorial boards of the medical journals, AUA Update Series, British Journal of Urology-International, Fertility & Sterility, Journal of Urology (Investigative Section), Techniques in Urology, Journal of Andrology, and FertiliText. He was the Edwin A Beer Program award recipient of The New York Academy of Medicine, 1996-98, and received a New Investigator Award from the American Foundation for Urologic Diseases, 1993-95. Dr. Schlegel serves or has served in a leadership role of several national infertility organizations, including as a Council member for the American Society of Andrology, on the Board of Directors, a former President of the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology as well as former President of the Society for Reproductive Surgery and President of the Fertility Preservation Special Interest Group of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, as well as servicing as Secretary, Vice President, and President of the Society for Study of Male Reproduction of the AUA. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the American Society and Chair of its Finance Committee.
Dr. Schlegel is the father of three children. He is an active sailor. He enjoys engaging in team sports and is an active sports fan, especially when his children are playing!
Dr. Schlegel is a board-certified urologist who is a Trustee of the American Board of Urology. He is currently licensed to practice medicine in the state of New York, and graduated near the top of his class from The University of Massachusetts Medical School.