W. Bedford Waters, MD, was recently honored by Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) for his historic contribution to education, science and medicine.

Dr. Waters received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Vanderbilt University in 1970 and became the second African-American to graduate from VUSM.

He joined the University of Tennessee Medical Center in 2001, where he is professor and chairman of the Department of Urology and director of the Urology Residency Program.

Waters received the Excellence in Teaching Award June 2016 from the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine. He is an expert in the treatment of urologic cancers, focusing on renal cancer, testis cancer, bladder cancer and urinary diversion, and has served as a leader of many regional and national organizations.

As president of the VMAA Board of Directors, he has served his alma mater for many years. He was recently awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Urological Association.