Dr. Stephen Taylor received his bachelor's degree in psychology from UCLA, where he graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He received his medical degree from the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF), and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, awarded to the top 10 graduates in each class.

Following graduation he completed two years of general surgery residency, followed by four years of urology residency at the University of California Hospitals (UCSF, San Francisco General Hospital, and Fort Miley Veterans Administration Hospital). Dr. Taylor's areas of research were in prostate cancer, renal trauma, and urodynamics.  He published one of the first articles describing the preservation of erections following prostate cancer surgery.

Dr. Taylor was among the first urologists in the San Francisco Bay area to utilize ultrasound imaging of the prostate and perform ultrasound guided biopsies of the prostate.  As of 2009, he has personally performed more than 5,000 ultrasound-guided prostate biopsies. He has incorporated ultrasound imaging into many aspects of his evaluation and management of patients.

Dr. Taylor is certified by the American Board of Urology, and is a member of the Impotence Institute of America.  He has practiced in Walnut Creek and Concord since 1980. 

In 2001 Dr. Taylor began training in robotic surgery using the da Vinci Robot. He performed the first da Vinci Robotic radical prostatectomy at John Muir Concord Campus in 2002, and has performed hundreds of robotic prostatectomy procedures since then. He maintains the highest level of skills by attending "state of the art" training courses every year. A partial list of recent courses he attended: 

• Third World Robotic Symposium, April 2008
• Intuitive Surgical: Special Course in Robotic Partial Nephrectomy May 2008
• American Urologic Association, Robotic Surgery May 2008
• Advances in the Treatment of Prostate Cancer, UCSF February 2009
• Fourth World Robotic Symposium, April 2009
• American Urological Association, Prostate Cancer and Robotic Surgery, April 2009

In addition, Dr. Taylor has extensive experience in microsurgery. He has been utilizing the operating microscope for vasectomy reversals since the 1980's, and has a success rate among the best in the United States.

Areas of Specialty:

• Robotic surgery: robotic radical prostatectomy, robotic partial nephrectomy, robotic pyeloplasty, etc.
• Prostate cancer: evaluation, management and treatment
• Vasectomy reversal (microsurgical vasovasostomy)
• Infertility
• Evaluation and treatment of impotence and erectile dysfunction

In his own words:

"I try to empathize with every patient. I personally know what it feels like to be a patient: the waiting, the uncertainties, the indignities, the loss of control, and the anxiety.   

"The best thing I ever heard a patient say to me was 'Thank you for saving my life!' One Christmas day (which happens to be my wife's birthday, and I was not on call), I received a phone call from the high-risk obstetrician stating that she had a pregnant lady who was on "death's door", due to sepsis from an infected kidney stone.

"They tried to call in the doctor who was on call, but he refused to come in on Christmas day. So I went to see her, took her immediately to surgery, and removed the offending stone. She survived and went on to deliver a healthy baby girl several months later. She sent me the most wonderful thank-you note, expressing in heart felt terms her gratitude for saving both of their lives."

Learn more about Dr. Taylor's interests and accomplishments.

Watch a video about Dr. Taylor.

Dr. Judson M. Brandeis grew up in Manhasset, New York, and attended Brown University, majoring in American history and pre-medical studies.  While at Brown, he competed on the track and cross country teams, as well as participating in triathlons, bartending for Brown Catering, and working as an EMT for a private ambulance company.

After college, Dr. Brandeis moved to Washington, D.C., to perform research on organ preservation for kidney transplantation at the American Red Cross.  Later he attended Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where he continued to compete in triathlons and hosted a weekly radio show on the Vanderbilt station, WRVU.  

During medical school, Dr. Brandeis was awarded a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Fellowship in Kidney Transplantation Immunology.  He subsequently spent a year at Harvard Medical School developing new medications to prevent kidney transplant rejection.  This experience attracted him to the field of urology, and he was accepted into the UCLA Department of Urology in 1995.  

After two years of training in the UCLA Department of General Surgery, he spent four years as a urology resident, performing kidney transplants and developing an interest in urologic oncology. Dr. Brandeis spent a year on research, working with Dr. Mark Litwin on quality-of-life issues relating to the treatment of prostate cancer, winning multiple awards and more than $800,000 in grants for studies on the impact of treatment for early stage prostate cancer on quality of life.  

Dr. Brandeis also learned from Shlomo Raz, the pioneer and father of the field of female urology, who taught Dr. Brandeis new and innovative techniques to treat female incontinence and to perform pelvic reconstructive surgery.

Joining Pacific Urology in 2001,  Dr. Brandeis helped pioneer the robotic surgery program at Mount Diablo Hospital and became the first urologist in the Bay Area to perform a robotically assisted cystectomy.  

Board-certified by the American Board of Urology, Dr. Brandeis specializes in minimally invasive treatments for benign prostate enlargement including Prolieve, Prostiva and the PVP Green Light laser.  Another area of his expertise is minimally invasive treatment of kidney stones, including lithotripsy and ureterscopy.  Dr. Brandeis performs a high volume of vasectomies and has performed over 2,000 no-scalpel vasectomies.

At John Muir Hospital he has served as the Chief of the Urology Division and is active on the Oncology, Information Technology, Surgery and Communication committees.  

Dr. Brandeis is married with four children, including twins.  His wife is a dentist in Walnut Creek. He enjoys mountain and road biking, snowboarding, basketball and running.  

Watch a video about Dr. Brandeis.

Dr. Brian D. Hopkins received his undergraduate degree with highest honors in kinesiology/physiologic science, from the Unversity of California, Los Angeles, in 1990 where he also completed his medical degree in 1994. He completed his internship and residency in general surgery from the University of Southern California Department of Surgery and his residency in urology from the University of Southern California Department of Urology. Dr. Hopkins was a Dean's Scholar for Academic Excellence from 1993-1994 at the USC School of Medicne and he graduated Cum Laude with distinction from UCLA in 1990.

He has been published and had made several presentations to medical societies and associations. Dr. Hopkins is a board certified urologist.

Watch a video about Dr. Hopkins.

Dr. Jeremy Lieb joined Pacific Urology after completing his residency at Albany Medical College in New York. During his residency, he received the Silver Scalpel Award for excellence in teaching and the Residency Research Award, and he also published extensive research articles on bladder function. He is also a graduate of Washington University, St Louis, and the Medical School at the University of Rochester, New York. 

Dr. Lieb's specific areas of interest include:
- Cancers of the prostate, bladder and kidney
- Prostate enlargement
- Pediatric urology
- Erectile dysfunction
- Kidney stones
- Female urology

He is also proficient in minimally invasive surgeries using laparoscopic and da Vinci robotic techniques, which provide for a more rapid recovery after treatment.

Dr. Lieb is available in the Concord, Walnut Creek and Antioch offices. He is licensed in the State of California, with hospital privileges at John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek and Concord campuses. He is board certified by the American Board of Urology.

In his own words:

"What gives me most pleasure in my job is making my patients feel special and that someone cares about them.  So many people are scared and afraid to see a doctor, it's so important to make every patient feel comfortable in the office, especially for surgery.

"The advice I give patients most often is, 'Please trust me. I am totally honest with my patients and I will let you know when to worry.'

"I've known I wanted to be a doctor since elementary school, where I enjoyed learning and being social.  Also, my mother is a social worker, and I always learned the importance of helping other people.  I used to joke in school that 'these are the hands of a surgeon,' and 20 years later it became true."

Watch a video about Dr. Lieb.

Dr. Parminder S. Sethi earned his bachelor of medicine and surgery (MBBS) and his master of surgery (MS) from Christian Medical College, Punjab University, Ludhiana, India. He then trained in the United Kingdom in general surgery and urology. He was named a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS), in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1990.

Dr. Sethi then completed a urology residency at the Division of Urology at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and fellowship training in neuro-urology and urodynamics at the department of Urology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, in Iowa City, Iowa. His main research focus was the prevention of urological complications in kidney-pancreas transplantations; he has published several articles on that topic.

A diplomate (board-certified) of the American Board of Urology since 2000, he is the recipient of several honors and awards, including the Pfizer Scholars in Urology Award in 1996. He has been included in the guide to "America's Top Urologists" in 2007 and 2008. He received "patient's choice award" in 2008. 
His special interests are:

1. Neurourology and bladder dysfunction
2. Incontinence and bladder reconstructive surgery
3. Interstim Neuromodulation.
4. Minimally invasive in office BPH treatment including Prostiva and Prolieve
5. Erectile Dysfunction
6. Minimally invasive stone surgery including endoscopic and percutaneous stone removal.

Dr.Sethi is one of the few Urologists who specialize in Interstim Neuromodulation procedure for refractory bladder dysfunction. He performs all state-of-the-art urological procedures using cutting edge technology including laparoscopic, laser and minimally invasive surgeries for the prostate, urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction and kidney stones. He has been performing no scalpel vasectomies and Prostiva/TUNA procedures since 1997 and interstim procedures since 2003.

He is a member of the Alameda medical society, California Medical Association, Society of Urodynamics and Female urology and American Urological Association. He has been awarded fellowship to the American College of Surgeons (FACS). Dr. Sethi is available for consultation, for both adult and pediatric patients at the San Ramon, Livermore and Walnut Creek locations.

In his own words:
"I decided in high school I want to be a surgeon, after being inspired by my grand father who was an old time surgeon"

"During the breadth of my education, I took an year off in medical school to volunteer my time to a charitable mission hospital in northern India. This experience instilled in me the importance of empathy and compassion towards fellow human beings"

"I am always available to my patients, by phone, by E-Mail and in person. I am a very compassionate listener. Best complement I heard from an 80 year old patient, who suffered from incontinence all her life. Her quality of life improved so much after InterStim implant that she said " Now I can trampoline with my grand kids".

"In my free time I like to travel, go hiking and spend time with my family."

Watch a video about Dr. Sethi.

Dr. Hay received his medical degree from Marquette University Medical School in Wisconsin. His general surgery residency was completed at St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco and his urology residency was completed at Highland Alameda Country Hospital in Oakland, California. Dr. Hay is a Board Certified Urologist, and is a member of many professional organizations including the American College of Surgeons, American Urologic Association, and the California Urological Association.

Dr. Hay has practiced in Walnut Creek and Concord since completing his residency, and he has been selected or appointed to several prominent medical staff positions including chief of surgery and chairman of the department of Urology. He has extensive clinical experience in all aspects of urologic diagnosis and Surgery.