Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center former chief of staff is grateful to donors who support innovations in care.

It was his father who inspired a young Richard Shapiro, M.D., FACS, to pursue medicine. “We had no physicians in the family,” he remembers. “I admired my father and I asked him, ‘If you had it to do all over again, what would you do?’ He told me he would have become a doctor.”

Medicine was a natural fit for Dr. Shapiro. During his surgical residency at UCLA, he rotated through urology and was drawn to its top-rated program. “When you’re figuring out what you
want to do, you look for great people to emulate,” he says. “I had the opportunity to be trained at one of the best urology programs by one of the best surgeons in the country.”

The Chicago native partnered with Leonard Skaist, M.D., in 1983 and soon after joined the staff at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center. “We have the best medical staff in the
Valley,” he says. “It’s always provided best-in-class medical care, and now with Cedars, it’s even better. I’m grateful to be here, and I’ve never felt the need to go anywhere else.”

The next wave

Always a proponent of new technology that improves outcomes and decreases side effects for patients, Dr. Shapiro embraced the transition to minimally invasive robotic techniques. “Since I’ve been practicing, there have been three waves of groundbreaking advances,” he shares.

“First was endoscopy and then robotics. Our newest is the Aquablation System, which has revolutionized how we treat men with enlarged prostates.” 

According to Dr. Shapiro, Aquablation uses a heat-free waterjet controlled by robotic technology to remove prostate tissue with no incision. It combines a camera with ultrasound imaging, giving the surgeon the ability to see the entire prostate in real time.

He’s quick to acknowledge and thank donors whose generosity funds expensive new treatments. “Donors helped us get Aquablation, and it’s completely changed the patient
experience,” he says. “I’m very thankful to our generous donor community that helps Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana provide
our community with access to leading-edge
therapies.”