Dr. Walid Farhat joined the faculty as Professor and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Urology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in 2019. His clinical expertise in pediatric urology is in minimally invasive surgery (MIS). He also has a particular interest in the interface between engineers and surgeons on methods and strategies to enhance and improve surgical tools in the MIS field.

With a research background in urinary bladder tissue engineering and developmental biology, Dr. Farhat’s lab examines mutant animal model genitourinary developmental anomalies. His current work is heavily collaborative with the department of psychology (https://psych.wisc.edu/staff/auger-anthony-p/) and includes investigating the intersection of hormonal milieu, early life stress, and epigenetics interaction in order to predict social development and mental health risk. The overarching intent of this collaboration is to understand how hormones and puberty blockers, irrespective of anatomical anomalies, could influence adolescent brain development and endocrine systems. This research will allow us to understand the overall impact of hormones, their relation to anatomy, and overall mental health and well-being.