Urology · The University of Kansas Health System

Donald A. Neff.

MD, FACS — Enlarged prostate · HoLEP · Aquablation

Before medicine, Dr. Neff answered emergencies as a firefighter–paramedic. He brings the same instinct to the operating room — show up, listen, act — for men with enlarged prostates and complex urologic conditions.

Dr. Donald A. Neff, MD, FACS – Associate Professor of Urology at the University of Kansas Medical Center
01

In their words

What patients say

Kindness first.

Patients describe compassion at the hardest moments — including the day they first heard a difficult diagnosis.

Patients feel heard.

Unhurried visits, plain-language explanations, and questions answered until there are none left.

Lifelong relationships.

Patients describe trust strong enough to follow him between health systems for surgery, and a care team that makes hard visits easier.

02

About

The story

Show up.
Listen.
Act.

Dr. Neff’s first patients weren’t in a clinic. As a firefighter–paramedic in Janesville, Wisconsin, he learned medicine where it is most human: at the kitchen table, on the roadside, in the moments when showing up is everything. That foundation — hands-on, unhurried, personal — still shapes how he practices today.

He earned his biology degree at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, his medical degree at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and completed his urology residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals. Today he is an Associate Professor of Urology at The University of Kansas Medical Center and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

He is nationally recognized for anatomic enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP / AEEP) and Aquablation therapy — and as a national instructor, he trains the surgeons who bring these techniques to patients across the United States.

03

Clinical focus

Expertise

i

HoLEP — Holmium laser enucleation

The gold-standard, size-independent procedure for enlarged prostate: the entire obstructing tissue is removed with minimal blood loss and rapid recovery.

ii

Aquablation therapy

Robotic, heat-free waterjet ablation that tailors tissue removal to your anatomy — designed to preserve ejaculatory and sexual function.

iii

Minimally invasive options

Including UroLift® and Optilume®, selected for the right patient to balance symptom relief with recovery time.

iv

Medical management

Evidence-based medication plans that relieve urinary symptoms while fitting your overall health — surgery only when it serves you.

v

Stone & trauma care

Advanced endoscopic and minimally invasive techniques for kidney stones and urologic injuries.

04

Beyond the operating room

Teaching & research

National HoLEP instructor

Training practicing surgeons across the United States in holmium laser enucleation of the prostate.

Resident Teaching Awards

Recognized by University of Kansas urology residents in 2018 and 2024.

AI decision support

Principal investigator on AI-driven tools that help patients and clinicians personalize BPH care.

National speaker

Invited faculty at national BPH and endourology meetings.

05

Scholarship

Selected publications

01 Flexible and navigable suction ureteral access sheath’s impact on ureteroscope deflection. 02 Silent satisfaction and improved laser ergonomics with TFL: a prospective randomized controlled trial comparing SuperPulse thulium fiber laser versus high-power Ho:YAG with MOSES for flexible ureteroscopy. 03 Vacuum-assisted renal sheath clears 1 cm³ of stone faster than non-suction sheath in mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy. 04 Intrarenal pressure and flow rate profile using LithoVue™ Elite: impact of different irrigation systems and working channel instruments. 05 Holmium:YAG laser with MOSES technology is more efficient than thulium fibre laser in supine mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy.
Book chapter in Conn’s Current Therapy 2025 Complete bibliography on PubMed →
06

Global impact

“Quality urologic care should transcend borders.”

For more than a decade, Dr. Neff has returned to Honduras each year — performing life-changing surgery and training the local physicians who carry the work forward long after the mission ends.

07

Qualifications

Credentials & honors

Education & training

  • BS, Biology — University of Wisconsin–Whitewater
  • MD — Medical College of Wisconsin
  • Urology residency — Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals

Certification & licensure

  • Diplomate, American Board of Urology
  • Licensed in Kansas, Missouri & Wisconsin

Memberships & honors

  • Fellow, American College of Surgeons
  • Member, American Urological Association
  • Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
  • Magna cum laude, UW–Whitewater
  • KU Resident Teaching Awards — 2018, 2024

Consultations

Ready when you are.

Schedule with Dr. Neff at The University of Kansas Health System.

3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160