I consider myself very lucky and privileged to have done my endourology fellowship under the wings of Dr. John Denstedt. I could not have imagined a better place to do my fellowship than in London, Ontario. I had much to learn not only about performing endourology, but also about writing papers, communicating about research, teaching others, etc. Dr. Denstedt taught me all that and much more.

I have been amazed time and time again by his tremendous analytical mind. In every conversation, surgical situation, manuscript review, you name it, he has the amazing ability to identify any issues, to pinpoint what really matters, to dissect a problem to its core. With a few words or a single sentence, he could help me understand a paper, adjust a maneuver while performing a procedure, or help me proceed with whatever idea I was stuck with. He helped me see the things I overlooked and taught me to look for these things myself.

Besides his obvious technical surgical skills and scientific establishments, I was always very impressed by how he thinks about health care, education, and so many other topics, sometimes seemingly very much out of the box, but then so clearly focused on solving a problem that I had not yet begun to understand, and by how he managed to diplomatically navigate through any difficult conversation.

When I started in my own practice and got into a surgical situation that I wasn’t sure how to deal with or a paper I was stuck with, I would sometimes ask myself WWJDD: What would John Denstedt do? First of all, he would always stay calm, consider all the options, think 5 steps ahead, and all of that in just a moment’s time. So after a moment of “WWJDD” I would quite often find my calm and with that the next move forward in my surgical case or manuscript.

Although you always carry your mentor’s teachings with you for life, Dr. Denstedt remained active as a mentor and promoter long after my fellowship had finished. He pointed me toward opportunities and guided me sometimes without my even realizing it.

I can frankly say that I would not know what I know now, and would not be where I am now, had it not been for my fellowship in London and the teachings of Dr. Denstedt. So for that, I am eternally grateful.