Gary Nicolaisen, MD
“Dr. Nicolaisen distinguished himself as an excellent department chief and APIC who is always willing to share his time, ideas, and innovations.”
San Rafael’s Urology Department has earned a reputation as a model of communication and teamwork. Gary Nicolaisen, MD, made it happen.
Key to the department’s success is Dr. Nicolaisen’s ability to hire and retain outstanding physicians. He encourages teamwork by facilitating collaboration and creating a culture “where urology is a team sport, not an individual event.”
He also helped other departments create supportive cultures to benefit providers and patients alike. He helped implement a region wide nurse-run prostate-specific antigen follow up program, and was instrumental in developing the region’s robot assisted prostatectomy program.
When he became APIC of Surgical Services in 2007, he set three challenging goals – to institute highly reliable surgical teams; improve operating room efficiency; and create a preoperative clinic. He achieved these goals and continues to refine, enhance and expand his initial vision.
A superb clinician, he maintains an active practice and is regularly called to consult on difficult urology cases throughout the region.