Zeynep Gul, MD

Zeynep Gul, MD

Urologic Oncology | Robotic Surgery | Health Services Research & Health Equity

 

Zeynep Gul, MD, is a board-certified urologic oncologist and accomplished clinician-scientist specializing in the surgical management of genitourinary cancers. She serves as a urologic oncologist at OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute and OSF Medical Group – Urology in Peoria, where she is strengthening the urologic oncology program and expanding access to advanced robotic surgery, multidisciplinary cancer care, and clinical research opportunities across the OSF HealthCare system.

Dr. Gul completed her undergraduate studies at Princeton University, earning an A.B. in Economics with a Finance Certificate. She received her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, followed by a general surgery internship at Mount Sinai Beth Israel and urology residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she served as Chief Resident. She then completed a Society of Urologic Oncology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Prior to joining OSF HealthCare, Dr. Gul was Assistant Professor of Urology (Clinician Track) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. There she built a high-volume robotic urologic oncology practice and led meaningful health services research focused on telemedicine implementation, disparities in urologic cancer care, price transparency, and opioid-sparing perioperative protocols.

Dr. Gul has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed original articles, multiple reviews, chapters, and editorials in leading journals, including the Journal of Urology, Urologic Oncology, Urology, JAMA Network Open, Brachytherapy, and Translational Andrology and Urology. She serves as a peer reviewer for the Journal of Urology, Urologic Oncology, and Translational Urology and Andrology. Her work has been recognized with numerous honors, including Best Poster of Session awards at the AUA Annual Meeting, the Tippins Foundation Scholar Award for Excellence in Health Services Research, and multiple resident research productivity awards.

Dr. Gul is deeply engaged in professional leadership and service. She co-chaired the 14th annual meeting of the Kansas Urologic Society and Missouri Urologic Association and serves on the Society of Urologic Oncology’s Communications & Engagement Committee, Women in Urologic Oncology Steering Committee, and Social Media Task Force. She is a member of the American Urologic Association and the Society of Women in Urology.

Her clinical and research program centers on three interconnected areas: advancing robotic surgical techniques and outcomes for complex cases (including partial nephrectomy in solitary kidneys and patients with hereditary syndromes); leveraging telemedicine, care delivery innovation, and policy interventions such as price transparency to reduce disparities and improve value in urologic oncology; and developing evidence-based, opioid-sparing enhanced recovery protocols to optimize patient outcomes after major surgeries such as radical cystectomy. She also maintains a strong interest in the history of urology and its role in medical education and modern practice.

Selected Publications

Gul ZG, Sharbaugh DR, Guercio CJ, et al. Large Variations in the Prices of Urologic Procedures at Academic Medical Centers 1 Year after Implementation of the Price Transparency Final Rule. JAMA Network Open. 2023;6(1):e2249581.

Gul ZG, Sharbaugh DR, Ellimoottil C, et al. Telemedicine in urologic oncology care: Will telemedicine exacerbate disparities? Urologic Oncology. 2024 Jan 13:S1078-1439(23).

Gul Z, Blum KA, Paulucci DJ, et al. A Multi-Institutional Report of Peri-Operative and Functional Outcomes after Robot-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy in Patients with a Solitary Kidney. Journal of Robotic Surgery. 2018 Oct.

Gul Z, Chughtai B, Te AE, Kaplan SA. Ejaculatory Preserving Middle Lobe Only-Transurethral Resection and Vaporization of the Prostate: 12-Year Experience. Urology. 2019;134:199-202.

Gul ZG, Say RK, Skouteris VM, Stock RG, Stone NN. Comparison of AUA and Phoenix Definition of Biochemical Failure Following Permanent Brachytherapy for Prostate Cancer. Brachytherapy. 2022 Nov-Dec;21(6):833-838.

Pfail JL, Garden EB, Gul Z, et al. Implementation of a nonopioid protocol following robot-assisted radical cystectomy with intracorporeal urinary diversion. Urologic Oncology. 2021 Jul;39(7):436.e9-436.e16.

Myrga JM, Wu S, Gul ZG, et al. Discharge Opioids are Unnecessary Following Radical Cystectomy. Urology. 2022 Dec;170:91-95.

OSF HealthCare Provider Profile

View Dr. Gul’s Provider Profile