With more than 26 years’ experience in helping people with all types of urological concerns, Urologist Fernando Gonzalez, MD, is dedicated to providing personalized, compassionate care.
“My philosophy can be boiled down to one golden rule and that’s to treat patients like I would like to be treated. If you’re able to do that, then I think you’ll be a good doctor,” he said.
Dr. Gonzalez comes to Sarah Bush Lincoln after practicing most recently in New Mexico, though he has also practiced at various locations in Illinois and Indiana since 1991. He is excited to fill a need for more urological providers in the area and is, therefore, seeing patients at the SBL Urology Clinic in Mattoon and the SBL Evergreen Clinic in Effingham.
“My background is a little atypical. I was actually born in Bolivia, but I was raised in Champaign-Urbana,” he said, explaining that his father took advantage of a Fulbright scholarship to further his education at the University of Illinois.
Dr. Gonzalez was inspired at an early age to pursue medicine. “When I went to the pediatrician, it was always a marvel to see how his manner could put my mother at ease and also me at ease,” he said. “That kind of ability to help someone in distress is a very magical kind of experience— and unique, I think, to medicine.” That early inspiration led Dr. Gonzalez to Champaign’s former Burnham City Hospital, where he worked as an orderly while he was in high school.
After graduating from Harvard University, Dr. Gonzalez earned his medical degree from Northwestern University School of Medicine in Chicago, where he discovered an interest in urology. “I had the privilege of meeting one of the fathers of urology, Dr. John Grayhack, and he also had a strong interest in teaching,” Dr. Gonzalez said. “I was able to learn from him and admire him— not just as a teacher but as a doctor— and just as a wonderful human being. He really opened my eyes as someone I could aspire to be.”
Dr. Gonzalez completed six years of intense and comprehensive residency and surgical training at New York University–Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City. During that time, he also received urological cancer training at the world-class Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “I was exposed to all kinds of cases, so the training was very thorough. When I finished residency, I felt both exhausted and very well prepared,” he said.
Dr. Gonzalez enjoys practicing urology because of the great variety in medical and surgical treatments. “My philosophy is do surgery when that’s what’s best for the patient, but not to ignore other treatments for urological problems,” Dr. Gonzalez said. “Treatments can be behavioral and medical too, so I like to recommend whatever is best for the patient.”
As a urologist, Dr. Gonzalez manages non-surgical problems such as the treatment of urinary infections and the medical management of prostate enlargement. He also performs urological endoscopy and surgery for the management of kidney stones, urological cancers (e.g., prostate, bladder, kidney and testicles), incontinence and other illnesses.
“Medicine is somewhat intimate, but urology, by its very nature, is more so,” he said. “Part of my job is to put the patient at ease, to explain things and to make sure that the exam or treatment isn’t a cold and a jarring experience, as much as possible. Basically, it all goes back to that golden rule: treat patients like you would like to be treated.”
In his free time, Dr. Gonzalez enjoys playing tennis, a sport he has loved since he played on his high school tennis team. He also enjoys traveling and experiencing different cultures.
For more information or to make an appointment with Dr. Gonzalez on Monday, Wednesday or Friday at the SBL Urology Clinic, Suite 305, at the Health Center in Mattoon, call 217 258-4186. To make a Tuesday appointment at the SBL Evergreen Clinic, 1104 W. Evergreen Ave. in Effingham, call 217 347-2500.