In memoriam: Dr. Donald G. Skinner

The field of urology has lost one of its true giants. Dr. Donald Skinner was more than a pioneering surgeon—he was a teacher, a leader, and a deeply principled man whose influence touched countless lives in and far beyond the operating room.

Dr. Skinner graduated from Yale Medical School before completing his general surgery training at Massachusetts General Hospital, where early mentorship from Dr. Wyland Leadbetter and Dr. John Donohue sparked his lifelong interest in urology. After serving as an Air Force general surgeon, he returned to MGH to complete his urology residency, gaining the technical breadth and confidence to operate not only in the pelvis and retroperitoneum but also into the chest cavity. He joined UCLA in the 1970s, where Dr. Joe Kaufman and Dr. Willard Goodwin supported his early growth as a urologic oncologist. There, Dr. Skinner began performing life-saving post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissections for testicular cancer—at a time when many of these patients were still considered incurable.

In 1980, Dr. Skinner moved to USC and began building what would become one of the most respected urology departments in the country, later endowed as the Catherine and Joseph Aresty Department of Urology. He recruited talented faculty, grew a vibrant fellowship program, and played a leading role in planning and fundraising for the opening of the NCI-designated USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1983. At that time, the department had no federal funding, few faculty members, and little infrastructure. Under his leadership, it grew into a world-class academic and clinical powerhouse. His vision for a scientifically rigorous, academically vibrant, and patient-centered cancer center was foundational to what USC Urology is today.

Dr. Skinner’s surgical contributions were as bold as they were transformative. In 1982, he performed one of the first continent urinary diversions in the United States. He quickly adapted the Kock pouch into an orthotopic neobladder—performing over 1,000 such procedures and forever changing the landscape of care for bladder cancer patients. He strongly advocated for meticulous pelvic lymph node dissection during radical cystectomy and demonstrated that node-positive bladder cancer patients—once presumed incurable—could achieve long-term survival, challenging and redefining conventional wisdom.

He revolutionized testicular cancer surgery through complex post-chemotherapy RPLND, and he fearlessly managed renal cell carcinoma with extensive tumor thrombus—extending into the atrium—reflecting his broad surgical mastery and willingness to confront the most challenging cases. He was known to play classical music while operating—calm, deliberate, focused. On occasion, he would orchestrate the removal of massive retroperitoneal tumors to the climactic, cannon-filled grandeur of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. It was choreography, performance, and mastery—a moment no one in the room would forget.

Dr. Skinner was acutely aware of the importance of clinical and translational research. He championed the use of meticulously maintained, prospectively collected clinical databases that enabled landmark outcomes studies. One of these formed the basis for a 2001 Journal of Clinical Oncology paper (led by his protégé, the late Dr. John Stein) on the first 1,054 cystectomy patients—now one of the most cited articles in the field.

He partnered with molecular biologist Dr. Peter Jones and ensured that tissue from every bladder cancer surgery contributed to groundbreaking genetic and epigenetic studies. Together, they were the first to link p53 mutations to bladder cancer outcomes and helped uncover the biological basis for aggressive disease.

Those who had the honor of working alongside Dr. Skinner knew him not just for his surgical precision, but for the elegance with which he carried himself—a consummate gentleman who commanded respect and expected excellence. He taught by example that true leadership comes from consistency, integrity, and unwavering dedication to patients and trainees alike.

Current esteemed faculty who also trained with him, including Drs. Anne Schuckman and David Ginsberg, remember the formal daily morning rounds, where the entire urology team of fellows, residents, students, and nurses followed Dr. Skinner from patient to patient. He would sit at the foot of the bed, hold the patient’s hand, and speak with clarity, calm, and empathy. He listened carefully, expected precision, and demanded the best—not for his own reputation, but for the patients in our care. Dr. Lieskovsky, who served as Vice Chair of the department for many years and was a dear friend, embodied the same philosophy for decades.

As one of his many former fellows, I carry his teachings with me—on daily rounds with trainees, in the operating room, and when making difficult decisions for cancer patients in need. His legacy is etched not only in the thousands of lives he directly touched but in the generation of urologic oncologists he trained, many of whom reached national prominence in academic urology. These include Dr. E. David Crawford, former Head, Urologic Oncology, University of Colorado, and Chair of the Genitourinary Cancer Committee at SWOG; Dr. Jerome Richie, former Chair of the Harvard Program in Urology; Dr. Tom Ahlering, former Chair at University of California, Irvine; Dr. Peter Scardino, former Chair, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC); Dr. James Eastham, Chief of Urology, MSKCC; Dr. Eila Skinner, Thomas A. Stamey Research Chair of Urology, Stanford University; Dr. Bernard Bochner, Sir Murray F. Brennan Endowed Chair in Surgery, MSKCC; Dr. Seth Lerner, Beth and Dave Swalm Chair in Urologic Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine and GU Committee Chair, SWOG; and Dr. Peter Clark, Chair of Urology, Atrium Health/Levine Cancer Institute and Chair, AUA Science and Quality Council.

As Bernie Bochner reflected, “He taught us to step up and take on the problem no matter how difficult.”

Dr. Eila Skinner wrote in her 2025 International Urology Journal article:

“He was transparent, completely fair and honest, and he listened carefully to the other faculty before making decisions that affected them and the department. He modeled the behavior he expected of all of us, and we became a very tight-knit group of faculty members.”

In a 2011 article in the Canadian Journal of Urology, Dr. Skinner reflected on his life’s work with characteristic humility:

“Over the course of my 39-year career, I believe my legacy … will be the many medical students, residents and fellows I have trained, emphasizing surgical technique, total commitment to their patients … attention to detail, and taking time to communicate with their patients.”

His family’s words upon his passing echo this sentiment:

“It is difficult to put into words the positive and loving impact he had as a father, grandfather, husband, gifted surgeon, and educator. He embodied a famous quote from Winston Churchill: ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.’ Just as ‘attention to detail’ was his calling card in the operating room, he was the same on the home front—as a very supportive father of five children and ten grandchildren—and always made sure to recognize his wife, Shirley, for being the ultimate teammate during their sixty-two-year journey together. A man that was truly ‘built different,’ coming from modest beginnings in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to have such a positive impact on the world.”

Dr. Skinner’s legacy lives on in all of us who were shaped by his mentorship, in the care we provide to our patients, and in the standards we uphold. He will be remembered not just for the groundbreaking procedures he pioneered, but for the strength of his character and the deep respect he showed for those afflicted with cancer.

He was a master surgeon and a visionary leader—but perhaps most profoundly, he was a mentor who shaped the lives of others so they could achieve their potential. He leaves behind not only trained fellows, who have passed on his skills to a new generation of trainees, many of whom are now professors and academic leaders, but a generation instilled with his values. At USC, we continue to uphold this legacy and remain at the forefront of urologic cancer care—recognized worldwide for the standards and innovation he set into motion.

Rest in peace, Dr. Skinner. Your hands may be still, but your reach continues to grow—through all of us, every day, as we strive to preserve and carry forward your clinical and surgical legacy.

—
Dr. Sia Daneshmand
Professor of Urology and Medicine (Oncology) – Clinical Scholar
Director of Urologic Oncology
USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
Former Fellow and Forever Student of Donald Skinner