Dr. Philip Werthman, United States

Dr. Philip Werthman is one of the world's most recognized vasectomy reversal surgeons and male fertility specialists. With offices in Los Angeles and a surgical facility in Beverly Hills, he is a leader in the rapidly growing field of men's health. He is regularly named a Super Doctor and has received the American Fertility Association's Illumination Award, presented annually to an outstanding fertility physician in the United States. Dr. Werthman performed the first vasectomy reversal televised on network television on ABC's popular program "Extreme Makeover" and has appeared on numerous television and news programs. He is a guest consultant for many major news and media outlets and has appeared on the acclaimed medical talk show "The Doctors." ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, ESPN, and other news sources have recognized Dr. Werthman as an authority on male fertility and vasectomy reversal. His surgical success has been featured in People magazine and the Los Angeles Times, and he has been named one of Hollywood's top doctors.

Dr. Werthman has authored, edited, and contributed to authoritative textbooks and chapters on male fertility. Known for high success rates and low complication rates, he is frequently consulted by colleagues about his techniques. In response, Dr. Werthman authored a chapter on male reproductive surgery in the leading urology textbook Complications of Urologic Surgery and was asked to edit a textbook on male infertility for the Clinics of North America infertility and reproductive medicine series. He also serves on the editorial board of Conceive magazine.

Dr. Werthman is a diplomate of the American Board of Urology, director of the Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Vasectomy Reversal in Los Angeles, and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He has also served as president of the Los Angeles Urological Society and chief of urology at the former Century City Hospital. Earlier in his academic career, he was a clinical assistant professor of urology at the University of Southern California School of Medicine and an instructor in urology at UCLA Medical Center.

During his time at the UCLA Liver Transplant Laboratory, he conducted award-winning scientific research and published early work in the emerging field of gene therapy.

The recognition Dr. Werthman values most comes from his patients: the walls of his office are covered with photographs and cards expressing the heartfelt gratitude of hundreds of former patients and new parents. At the start of his medical career, he sought a direct way to intervene and help patients, which led to a surgical internship and urology residency. He viewed specializing in reproductive medicine as a calling to help bring more life into the world. Dr. Werthman believes that helping patients become parents is one of the most meaningful ways to participate in the process of creation.

Philip Werthman graduated from Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the top of his class throughout all four years. After receiving an award for the highest achievement on the national medical board examination, Dr. Werthman had his choice of specialties and training programs. He chose urology and completed seven years of urology residency and fellowship training at the University of California, Los Angeles, specializing in male infertility. Fascinated by the use of microsurgery and IVF (in vitro fertilization) to treat male factor infertility, he pursued further specialization in andrology, a urologic subspecialty focused on male health, through a visiting fellowship in male infertility and microsurgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He returned to California to practice and refine advanced microsurgical vasectomy reversal techniques. Dr. Werthman further developed these methods and has since gained worldwide recognition for microsurgical vasectomy reversal and sperm retrieval procedures.