Dr. Michael Whalen was selected as a Top Doctor Award for Top Urologic Oncologist in Washington, D.C. in 2018 and 2019.
WASHINGTON, DC, March 25, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Dr. Michael Whalen has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
With more than 10 years of experience in Urology to his credit, Dr. Whalen serves as Assistant Professor of Urology at the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Science. Dr. Whalen's specialty focus involves treatment of urological cancers, with expertise in major open, minimally invasive, and robotic surgery. He serves as the Director the GU Multi-Disciplinary Clinic and the Site-Director for the National Cancer Institute Society of Urologic Oncology Fellowship Program. At GW, he has worked fervently with the GW Cancer Center to encourage participation in cooperative group and industry-sponsored clinical trials, has developed a working Tissue Bank Biorepository, and seeks to align his clinical practice with cutting edge trends in personalized and precision medicine.
Prior to medical education, Dr. Whalen commenced his academic efforts at Harvard University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in neurobiology, graduating magna cum laude in 2004. He also received a foreign language citation in French and was able to study French language and civilization at Paris-Sorbonne University in 2002. He pursued his medical education at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2008, graduating with a Doctor of Medicine. During his final months of medical school he pursued work with the Millennium Villages Project through Columbia University's Earth Institute, traveling to Ghana to engage in clinical work and conduct a multi-cluster symposium on infectious disease. He served as a resident in urology at the NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center from 2009 to 2014, and served as Chief Resident in his final year of training. He worked as a clinical fellow at the Mount Sinai Hospital from 2014 to 2015, where he worked with world-renowned surgeons Dr. Ash Tewari and Dr. Ketan Badani to hone his skills in robotic and minimally invasive surgery. He then pursued additional fellowship training in Urologic Oncology at Yale-New Haven Hospital from 2015 to 2016. Following these accomplishments, Dr. Whalen was appointed Assistant Professor at GW and obtained his certification from the American Board of Urology in 2018. Commensurate with his expertise in Urologic cancers, he was elected into the Society of Urologic Oncology in March 2018 and into the American Society of Clinical Oncology in 2019.
Dr. Whalen is actively involved in clinical outcomes research focusing on cancer of the prostate, bladder, and kidneys. He has published numerous original research articles in peer-reviewed journals, including Urologic Oncology, Urology Practice, Prostate, Journal of Laparoendoscopic & Advanced Surgical Techniques, and BJU International. These projects have utilized several national databases including SEER, the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), and the National Cancer Database (NCDB). His previous research projects have allowed him to become proficient in statistical analysis and he works closely with biostatisticians to perform the data analysis and statistical calculations for his research endeavors.
Dr. Whalen is also involved in resident and medical student education at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, serving as guest lecturer for bladder, kidney, prostate, and testis cancer; faculty mentor for the Clinical Apprenticeship Program; and Principle Investigator as part of the Gill Summer Research Fellowship program. His students have gone on to present research at the national level, as part of the American Urological Association national meeting and the American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. He has also been honored to participate in the annual "Hooding Ceremony" during the GW commencement exercises for graduating medical students. Dr. Whalen has multiple active IRB-sponsored research projects at GW, including a prospective, ongoing database of GU Cancers as part of the Tissue Biorepository Project to foster collaboration between the clinical faculty, medical school, and other researchers in the university. He also serves as a research mentor for urology residents with whom he has worked on many abstracts, manuscripts, book chapters, and quality improvement projects. This investment in resident education along with dedication to instruction in the clinic and the operating room helped to earn Dr. Whalen the resident-elected "Outstanding Clinical Instruction" award in 2019. Dr. Whalen also seeks to foster quality improvement at GW Hospital as physician liaison of the cancer outreach committee.
With a plethora of knowledge at his disposal, Dr. Whalen has presented his work at the World Cancer Congress in Shanghai, China, Society of Interventional Radiology, and the American Urological Association's National Conference, where he also has served as a moderator for original research sessions on kidney cancer. He has also utilized his considerable knowledge as a reviewer for the medical journal Current Urology and has served as a reviewer and statistical consultant for the Journal of Urology. In addition to his primary vocation, Dr. Whalen remains affiliated with various organizations in relation to his areas of expertise. He has maintained his involvement with the American Medical Association, the American Association of Clinical Urologists, the American Urologic Association, and the Endourological Society.
In light of his exceptional undertakings, Dr. Whalen has accrued several accolades throughout his impressive career, beginning with the honor of Valedictorian of his Taconic High School class in 2000 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. During residency his research work was selected for presentation at the annual the Ferdinand C. Valentine essay contest for New York area Urology programs in 2012 and 2013. He was also recognized as the Chief Resident Debate Runner-Up by the New York section of the American Urological Association, and went on to win the National Chief Resident Debate at the American Urological Association in 2014. More recently, Dr. Whalen was selected as an Honored Member by Continental Who's Who in 2018, along with the Top Doctor Award for Top Urologic Oncologist in Washington, D.C. in 2018 and 2019. Equally invested in his bedside manner as he is in his academic pursuits, Dr. Whalen was even celebrated as the MFA Role Model of the Week by the George Washington University in 2018.
Moreover, outside of his dedication to medicine, Dr. Whalen has further flourished with athletic ventures, competing every season in the DC District Sports Soccer League, as well as several races including Savage Race, the Spartan Race, the Rock & Roll Half-Marathon, and the Navy-Air Force Half-Marathon. He finds recreation in movies and music, including playing the piano. His mentorship extends into the community as an interviewer for applicants to Harvard University.
Attributing his success to the stellar role models he has encountered throughout his tenure in academia, including the former chairman at Columbia, Dr. Mitchell Benson, and current chairman, Dr. James McKiernan, Dr. Whalen is proud to have focused his work on understanding and optimizing the treatment of Urologic cancers. Committed to perpetually evolving and improving as a medical practitioner and educator, he cites as his ethos to never become complacent about past achievements. He seeks use his skills and experience to elevate and propel the students that he is privileged to teach and to improve the lives of the patients he is privileged to treat. Given that three of the seven most common cancers in men are Urologic in nature, he has poised himself to have a great impact on the lives of those that seek his care. Looking toward the future, Dr. Whalen hopes to continue mentoring and teaching the next generation of clinicians and surgeons while increasing his institution's participation in collaborative clinical trials and institutional quality improvement. He is eager to contribute to the ongoing international dialogue that strives to advance the threshold of knowledge and ameliorate the lives of his patients.
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