JOHN MARTIN, MD

Dr. Martin earned his medical degree from the University of Kansas in 1970. After serving an internship in general surgery at New York University Medical Center, he spent two years on active duty in the Navy at Bethesda National Naval Medical Center. He then received his urologic training at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Martin's special interests in the field of urology include urologic cancer and female urology.

Dr. Martin is married and has three children. He is an avid fly fisherman and has coached little league baseball for many years.

"My father was a urologist and I grew up learning and appreciating the specialty of urology," says Dr. Bridge about why he entered the field of urology. "It allows me to follow my patients throughout their lives and establish long-term relationships with them."

Dr. Bridge is a native of San Diego and did his undergraduate training at the University of California, Davis. After earning his medical degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, he spent two years training in General Surgery at Hermann Hospital in Houston. He then completed a four-year urology residency at Harvard University. Dr. Bridge specializes in the use of nonsurgical and minimally invasive techniques in the treatment of urinary stones, prostatic diseases, impotence, incontinence, and urologic cancers and has completed research and presented numerous lectures.

In his free time, Dr. Bridge enjoys spending time with his wife and children, golfing, mountain biking, body surfing and skiing. He serves on the Mercy Hospital Foundation Board of Directors and is an active member of the San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary Club.

Dr. Kessler has been practicing urology in San Diego for 30 years and enjoys that specialty because of the wide variety of conditions that he treats and the vast medical advances that have been made in urology.

Dr. Kessler received his undergraduate degree at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and earned his medical degree from St. Louis University. He completed his general surgery training at the Cornell University Surgical Division of Bellevue Hospital in New York City, followed by two years in the United States Navy. Dr. Kessler served his residency in urology at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) with an emphasis on tumors of the urinary tract and female urology.

Dr. Kessler is a past Chief of Urology at Scripss Mercy Hospital and is an associate professor in the Department of Urology/Surgery at UCSD School of Medicine.

Dr. Kessler is active in many cultural and arts organizations and philanthropies within the community. He served as President of the San Diego Symphony for four years and is currently a memeber of the San Diego Symphony Foundation Board of Directors. Dr. Kessler is a past Vice Chair of the San Diego Commission of Arts and Culture and in 1993 was a nominee for the San Diego Physician/Citizen of the Year award.

Dr. Kessler is married and has two children and three grandchildren and he enjoys playing golf.

Dr. Spier received his undergraduate degree at the University of Arizona in 1992. A native Texan, he returned home to study pre-medicine at the Universiy of Texas at El Paso and received his medical degree in 2000 from the University of Texas at Galveston, where he also completed internships in general surgery and urology.

Dr. Spier has authored book chapters and articles for peer-reviewed publications, and he has presented his research findings at national and international conferences.

Dr. Spier is married and enjoys golfing, music, traveling and most of all playing tennis. He was a four-year letterman in tennis at the University of Arizona. In 1990, he received honorable mention in the Pacific 10 Conference for Academic All-Americans, and in 1991 he achieved world ranking in the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour.

Dr. Salem is medical director of the Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery Program at Scripps Mercy Hospital and has recently joined Hillcrest Urological Medical Group across from the hospital. Dr. Salem is a urologic cancer surgeon who specializes in the surgical treatment of prostate cancer and other urologic malignancies.

Under Dr. Salem's direction, the Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery Program at Scripps Mercy Hospital offers patients access to nerve sparing urologic and prostate surgical procedures that help maintain normal function. Comparcd to traditional surgery, these minimally invasive procedures result in quicker recovery, less pain and less scarring.

Certified by the American Board of Urology with a subspecialty in urologic oncology, Dr. Salem is specially trained in robotic surgery with the state of the art da Vinci^® Surgical Systcm. Before joining Scripps Mercy, Dr. Salem was director of Urologic Oncology at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Cancer Center. She has consistently been recognized as one of San Diego's Top Doctors by the San Diego Medical Society and San Diego Magazine.

Dr. Salem received her bachelor's degree in biochemistry and cell biology from the University of California, San Diego and her medical degree from the University of Southern California (USC). She completed a surgical internship and residencies in surgery and urology at USC, as well as a fellowship in urologic oncology at the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Salem's patient care philosophy is very simple: the patient comes first. She maintains communication with the referring physician during the treatment process and refers the patient back to the physician following treatment. Dr. Salem's office is located at Hillcrest Urological Medical Group, 4060 Fourth Avenue, Suite 310. For referrals or second opinions, please contact Dr. Salem at 1.800.SCRIPPS (1.800.727.4777).