Eric Max Bortnick, MD, MMSc, is a pediatric urologist who specializes in caring for children and adolescents with genitourinary issues, including problems affecting the bladder, genitals, kidneys, ureter, and urinary tract. He provides both traditional and minimally invasive treatments.
He has special expertise in such areas as undescended testicles, hernias, hypospadias (when the opening of the urethra is located on the underside of the penis instead of the tip), vesicoureteral reflux (a condition causing urine to flow backward from the bladder), and congenital anomalies.
Dr. Bortnick also treats infants and consults with pregnant women, providing prenatal care if a congenital genitourinary issue is suspected. These visits are more common as improvements in ultrasound imaging have contributed to better identification of congenital issues with the kidneys and urinary tract, he explains.
“I spend a lot of time with my patients,” Dr. Bortnick says. “I draw pictures for them and make sure they can explain back to me what I’m describing.” Parents and other family members are always an important part of the care as well, he adds. “I like to have everyone, including parents and other family members, come together as a team to determine the best care for their child.”
Dr. Bortnick is an assistant professor of urology for Yale School of Medicine. In addition to his medical degree, he has a master’s degree in medical education from Harvard Medical School. “When I was choosing my career, I was deciding between becoming a doctor or a teacher, and I developed an interest in training medical students and trainees. That work has given me a better understanding of how to discuss potentially complex issues in ways that my patients can understand,” he says.
