Professor, UNC Department of Urology, Urology Program Director
University North Carolina
Dr. Eric Wallen received his medical degree from the University of California at Los Angeles and completed his residency in urologic surgery at Stanford University. After residency, Dr. Wallen served as the Assistant Professor of Urology in the Department of Surgery at Dartmouth Medical School. He joined the Division of Urology at the University of North Carolina (UNC) in 2003 and was appointed Urology Program Director in 2011. He is now a professor in the UNC Department of Urology and continues in his role as Program Director.
Dr. Wallen has been named one of America’s Best Doctors multiple times. He specializes in urologic oncology and robotic surgery and is a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
He was instrumental in bringing robotic surgery to UNC and in the subsequent development of robust robotic surgical programs across several UNC surgical subspecialties. He is a founding member of the UNC Computer and Robotic Enhanced Surgery Center (CARES) Advisory Board.
As Residency Program Director, Dr. Wallen oversees the training of urologic resident physicians. In 2012, Dr. Wallen received the American Urological Association (AUA) Teacher of the Year award.
Dr. Wallen also developed the UNC Department of Urology’s mentoring program for residents and faculty. These educational achievements led to Dr. Wallen’s election to the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Urology Residency Review Committee in 2017. In 2019, he was appointed to the ACGME Milestones 2.0 project to update the standard assessment for urology residents. He was also appointed to the AUA Education Council to evaluate lifelong learning opportunities for urologists in practice.
Dr. Wallen obtained philanthropic support to establish the UNC Men’s Health Program and serve as the Executive Director of this collaborative, multi-departmental effort across UNC’s Medical School, the School of Public Health, the athletic department, and the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Institute (NC TraCS).
Dr. Wallen’s interest in global health has taken him to Cuba and China on multiple visiting professorships. He also developed the UNC Project Malawi, which established an elective rotation for urology residents to experience healthcare delivery in Malawi.
In addition to his clinical and educational roles, Dr. Wallen’s research interests include robotic surgery, outcomes, and translational research.