Richard Edward Link, M.D., Ph.D. Photo

Richard Edward Link, M.D., Ph.D.

Carlton-Smith Endowed Chair in Urologic Education
Baylor College of Medicine

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Position

Address

Baylor College of Medicine Medical Center (Clinic)
7200 Cambridge, Suite 10B
Houston, Texas 77030
United States
(713) 798-4001
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Certifications

  • American Board of Urology

Education

  • BS from Yale University
    06/1989 - New Haven, Connecticut United States

  • PhD from Stanford University
    01/1995 - Stanford, California United States

  • M.D. from Stanford University
    01/1997 - Stanford, CA United States
  • Internship at Baylor College of Medicine
    06/1998 - Houston, Texas United States

  • Residency at Baylor College of Medicine
    06/2003 - Houston, Texas United States

  • Fellowship at Johns Hopkins School of Medine
    06/2005 - Baltimore, Maryland United States

Language

  • English

Gender

  • Male

Professional Statement

Richard E. Link, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, is a Board-certified and fellowship-trained urologist specializing in the treatment of urologic disease affecting the kidney, ureter, and prostate. He holds the Carlton-Smith Endowed Chair in Urologic Education at BCM. He focuses on the use of laparoscopic, robotic-assisted, percutaneous, and endoscopic techniques to treat kidney tumors, renal and ureteral obstruction, and urinary tract stones. He directs the BCM Division of Endourology and Minimally Invasive Surgery and is active, nationally, in teaching these techniques to other urologists through the American Urological Association Office of Education. He has also directed the BCM fellowship program in Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery since 2008. Dr. Link has been an early pioneer in the development of laparoendoscopic single-site donor nephrectomy, a less invasive laparoscopic technique in which a donor kidney can be removed via only a single, small peri-umbilical incision for transplantation. He serves as Director of Living Donor Procurement for several major kidney transplant programs in Houston, including Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, Texas Children’s Hospital, and the Houston Methodist Hospital. He also co-directs the BCM Comprehensive Stone Clinic, which provides a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary tertiary referral center for patients with complex kidney stones. Dr. Link completed his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford University. His research laboratory studies the genetic basis for renal cell carcinoma and urinary tract stone disease using a combination of genetically engineered mouse models, stem cell biology, and sophisticated whole genome molecular techniques. His clinical research interests include surgical simulation, decision analysis modeling, and the application of 3D reconstruction and printing techniques to surgical education.

Professional Achievements

  • Fulbright and Jaworski LLP Faculty Excellence Award for Teaching and Evaluation
    01/2013 - Baylor College of Medicine
  • Academy of Distinguished Educator’s Education Grant
    01/2013 - Baylor College of Medicine
  • First Prize Video Award
    01/2004 - Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology
  • First Prize, Ambrose Reed Socio­economic Essay Contest
    01/2004 - American Urological Association
  • Top Doctors 2015
    Houstonia Magazine
  • Distinguished Surgeon of the Year
    01/2009 - Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN)
  • 2015 Rising Star Clinician Award
    Baylor College of Medicine
  • First Prize, Annual Audio Visual Awards
    01/2004 - American Urological Association
  • First Prize, Essay Contest, Clinical Research Division
    01/2005 - American Urological Association
  • Award for Excellence in Educational Program Development
    01/2006 - Scott Department of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine
  • Staff Man of the Year Award
    01/2007 - Scott Department of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine
  • Outstanding Full Time Faculty Teaching Award
    01/2011 - Scott Department of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine
  • Fulbright and Jaworski LLP Faculty Excellence Award for Development of Enduring Educational Materials
    01/2013 - Baylor College of Medicine

Professional Interests

  • Endourology; Minimally Invasive Surgery
  • Kidney Stones
  • Percutaneous Nephrostolithotomy
  • Renal Tumors
  • Renal cell carcinoma
  • Living Kidney Donor
  • Donor Nephrectomy
  • Single Site Laparoscopic Surgery
  • Polycystic Kidney Disease
  • Renal Cysts
  • Kidney Surgery
  • Renal Mass
  • Nephrectomy
  • Ureteral Reconstruction
  • Molecular Biology
  • Ureteral Obstruction
  • Kidney Cancer
  • Robotic Surgery
  • Laparoscopic Surgery
  • Minimally Invasive Surgery
  • Prostate Cancer
  • Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction

Physician Specialties

  • Urology

Professional Specialties

  • Endourology and Minimally Invasive Surgery
  • Urology

Memberships

  • American Urological Association
  • Endourology Society
  • Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons
  • National Residency Review Committee for Urology, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
  • Harris County Medical Society
  • Texas Medical Association
  • South Central Section of the American Urological Association
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science

Websites