Most private urology practices offer access to consultant urologists. Very few can offer a Professor of Urology. Understanding the difference — and what it means for your care — is worth your time.
When you look at the team at Urology Clinics Manchester, you will notice that one of our consultants carries a different title: Professor Vijay Sangar is listed as Consultant Urological Surgeon and Professor of Urology. Patients sometimes wonder what this distinction means in practice — whether it is simply an academic honour, or whether it has real implications for the quality of care they receive.
The answer is: it matters considerably. Here is why.
What does it take to become a Professor of Urology?
A professorship in surgery is not a title that comes with years of service or seniority. It is awarded — by a university, subject to rigorous peer review — on the basis of an individual’s contribution to their field through original research, postgraduate teaching, and the advancement of clinical knowledge.
To hold a professorship in urology, a surgeon must typically have:
- Published extensively in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals — contributing original research that changes or advances how the specialty is practised
- A sustained record of securing competitive research funding
- A significant postgraduate teaching portfolio — training the next generation of urologists at registrar and consultant level
- National and international recognition from peers in the specialty, demonstrated through invited lectureships, committee membership, and editorial roles
- A clinical practice of the very highest standard, since academic appointment does not replace surgical excellence — it must exist alongside it
In short, a professorship signifies that an individual is not just an excellent clinician — they are a leading figure in the development of the specialty itself.
What this means for patients: the research advantage
The most immediate benefit for patients of an academic urologist is access to the most current clinical evidence. A professor who is actively generating research — designing trials, analysing outcomes, interpreting new data — knows what the evidence shows before it appears in clinical guidelines.
Standard clinical guidelines in urology are updated periodically, but the evidence that underpins them often exists for years before guidelines are revised. An academic urologist at the forefront of that evidence can offer patients access to treatment approaches and decision-making frameworks that have not yet filtered into routine clinical practice.
For complex cases — advanced cancer, rare conditions, treatment-refractory disease — this academic advantage can make a material difference to the options available and the quality of the decision made.
Teaching and training: a mark of sustained excellence
Professors of surgery are, by definition, teachers. Professor Sangar will have trained many of the consultant urologists now practising across the UK — and that teaching responsibility demands a standard of clinical practice that can withstand the scrutiny of trainees, examiners, and academic peers.
Surgeons who teach are also surgeons who reflect — on technique, on outcomes, on what the evidence says versus what current practice assumes. That reflective practice is one of the markers of sustained surgical excellence.
Consultant urologists: equally essential, equally expert
It is important to note that a consultant urologist without a professorship is not a lesser surgeon. The eight other consultants at Urology Clinics Manchester are fully qualified, fellowship-trained NHS consultant urologists of the highest calibre. Their expertise in their respective subspecialty areas is deep, evidence-based, and validated by years of high-volume practice.
The distinction is one of role and focus. Consultant urologists bring operational clinical excellence. Professor Sangar brings that same clinical excellence alongside an academic contribution that shapes how the specialty evolves. Both benefit patients — in different but complementary ways.
When to consider seeing Professor Sangar
Patients who may particularly benefit from Professor Sangar’s academic expertise include those with:
- Complex or advanced urological cancers where treatment decisions are nuanced and evidence is rapidly evolving
- Cases where standard treatment has not achieved the expected outcome and a broader evidence perspective is needed
- A desire for a second opinion from one of the UK’s most academically distinguished urologists
- Rare urological conditions where published research is limited and clinical experience at the frontier of the specialty is particularly valuable
To book a consultation with Professor Vijay Sangar or any member of our consultant team, visit urologyclinics.co.uk. Academic distinction, clinical excellence, and genuinely expert care — all under one roof.