Thomas Chi, M.D., MBA, professor and chair of the UAB Department of Urology, has been named named Anton J. Bueschen, M.D., Endowed Chair of Urologic Surgery and Research.
“I am honored to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Dean Assimos, the first recipient of this endowed chair who grew the division into the Department of Urology," Chi said. "This endowment carries the name of the urologist, Dr. Anton J. Bueschen, who led a small but mighty team to serve tens of thousands of patients in Alabama during a storied 34-year career at UAB. This chair is special to me because it also represents the support of the unnamed donor - a grateful patient who persisted in naming the gift for Dr. Bueschen, a physician who embodies the values UAB Urology strives for. I love that this endowment celebrates many people, named and unnamed, who collaborated over decades to make UAB Urology what it is today. Because of those who came before us, UAB Urology is primed to rise to the next level. We will achieve our goals by remaining faithful to a legacy of excellence and collaboration between doctors and the patients we serve.”
Following his passion for people and music, Chi earned his Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology from Stanford University in 2000, then a Master’s in Sociology and a Master’s in Music (Conducting) from Stanford in 2001. Graduating with a medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in 2005, he completed his postgraduate residency training in urology at UCSF in 2011, then a clinical and research fellowship in Endourology with Dr. Marshall Stoller in 2013. That same year, Chi began his academic career at UCSF as an assistant professor, achieving the rank of Professor in 2020.
An international leader in the field of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and kidney stone disease, Chi is best known for his paradigm-shifting translational research that has changed people’s approach to research and patient care across the world. He developed a fruit fly model for stones that was adopted by labs in the United States, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East and has developed simplified ultrasound-guided approaches for stone surgery to increase patient access to life-changing surgery while minimizing radiation risk in patients and providers alike. He completed a Wharton MBA in 2023 to apply business frameworks and entrepreneurial insights to improving clinical care and research productivity and to scaling best practices across health systems. Chi joined the UAB Department of Urology as professor and chair in January 2025 and has been focused on attracting top talent from across the globe and enhancing the department’s mission to discover, inspire, and serve to positively impact the patients of the state of Alabama and beyond.
Established in 2006, the endowment is named in honor of Dr. Anton J. Bueschen, professor emeritus of the UAB Department of Urology. Bueschen was a member of the urology faculty from 1973 through 2007 and served as Director of the Division of Urology at UAB for 28 years prior to it becoming a department. He continues to mentor future urologists through his active involvement in the AUA. According to the UAB Board of Trustees resolution, the endowment strives to “have an enduring effect on the lives of many who will benefit from the potential discoveries that will be made in the Department of Urology at UAB.”