Michael Coburn, MD, FACS

Michael Coburn, MD, FACS

Baylor College of Medicine

Houston, Texas

Michael Coburn, MD, FACS, is Professor and Chairman of the Scott Department of Urology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Coburn is a graduate of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and he earned his medical degree in 1982 from New York University School of Medicine. He completed an internship and his residency at Baylor College of Medicine and then pursued fellowship training at Baylor as an American Foundation for Urologic Disease Scholar.

​Dr. Coburn served as Chief of Urology at Ben Taub Hospital from 1990 until 2012, focusing his clinical and research interests in the areas of urologic trauma, genital and urethral reconstructive surgery, and sexual and reproductive dysfunction.
He was the urology representative on the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, where he served as chair of the Advocacy & Health Policy Committee and a member of the Executive Committee from 2014-2020. Dr. Coburn is a past president of the Society of Genito-Urinary Reconstructive Surgeons and is a former chair of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Residency Review Committee for urology. He currently serves as Vice President of Education at Baylor’s St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston, Texas.

Dr. Coburn is the recipient of many awards for his educational and clinical work, including the Robertson Presidential Educator Award for lifetime achievement in educational leadership at Baylor College of Medicine.

Talks by Michael Coburn, MD, FACS

Evidence-based Management of Renal Trauma

Evidence-based Management of Renal Trauma

Posted by | Oct 2024

Michael Coburn, MD, FACS, delves into the complexities of kidney trauma management, emphasizing the challenges associated with limited high-level evidence and reliance on expert consensus.

In this 26-minute presentation, Coburn reflects on decades of experience in urologic trauma. Guidelines for trauma have seen revisions, with updates in 2017 and 2020 by the AUA and more forthcoming. He sees a shift towards non-surgical management in hemodynamically stable patients, reflecting a growing emphasis on observation rather than immediate intervention. He shares images illustrating different levels of renal injury.

Coburn relates that follow-up imaging is advised for high-grade injuries to monitor for hematoma expansion, potentially preventing severe complications. Angioembolization has emerged as a valuable tool for controlling bleeding in stable patients, reducing the need for nephrectomy. Specific injuries, such as pseudoaneurysms, often require immediate embolization, while surgical intervention is recommended when substantial kidney tissue is damaged.

Pediatric injuries are highlighted for their unique management needs. Coburn’s presentation concludes with a call for careful patient selection, especially in cases of severe vascular trauma or concomitant visceral injuries, where early intervention can mitigate future complications.

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Urological Emergencies in the Pregnant Patient

Urological Emergencies in the Pregnant Patient

Posted by | Dec 2023

Michael Coburn, MD, FACS, explores the complexities and management strategies of urological emergencies in pregnant patients. He highlights the anatomical and physiological alterations during pregnancy, such as increased renal blood flow and ureteral dilation, which predispose pregnant patients to specific urological emergencies.

One primary focus of the lecture is urinary tract infections (UTIs), renal colic, and obstructive uropathy and their impact on both maternal and fetal health. Dr. Coburn also delves into rare but serious conditions like urological trauma and acute urinary retention. He underscores the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach, involving obstetricians, urologists, and neonatologists, to optimize outcomes.

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Priapism: A Management Enigma

Priapism: A Management Enigma

Posted by | Nov 2020

Michael Coburn, MD, FACS, Professor and Russell and Mary Hugh Scott Chair of the Department of Urology at Baylor College of Medicine, discusses priapism and the American Urological Association’s (AUA) guidelines on managing the illness. He gives an overview of priapism, outlining differences between ischemic, non-ischemic, recurrent, primary, and secondary priapism, and discusses a range of contributing risk factors. Next, Dr. Coburn reviews study data on the different qualities of ischemic and non-ischemic priapism, explaining that the latter often is chronic and characterized by less rigidity in the penis, while ischemic priapism tends to be characterized by a fully rigid, very painful erection which contains abnormal cavernous gases. He then discusses treatment recommendations for various forms of the disease, ranging from oral medication for intracavernosal-caused priapism to complex specialty treatment for priapism related to underlying medical conditions. Dr. Coburn concludes by recommending that physicians use the AUA guidelines to create a treatment algorithm for priapism, making sure that if a deviation is made that it is well documented and explained.

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Pediatric Urologic Trauma: Kids Are Different

Pediatric Urologic Trauma: Kids Are Different

Posted by | Sep 2019

Michael Coburn, MD, FACS, clarifies the unique anatomic risk factors and physiological responses present in cases of pediatric trauma. He details the management and clinical assessment of trauma in the kidney, ureter, bladder, urethra, and genitalia in the pediatric patient, using unique case examples, and also emphasizes the importance of properly reporting suspicions of abuse.

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