Tom Lue

Dr. Tom Lue is an internationally recognized expert on treatment of male sexual dysfunction. In 1983, he was one of the first urologists in the country to offer penile injections for erectile dysfunction. He is vice chair of the UCSF Department of Urology and medical director of the Knuppe Molecular Urology Laboratory.

Lue's research team proved that a new class of compounds enhances erection in animals, providing the scientific basis for Viagra, Levitra and Cialis, the most popular medications used to treat erectile dysfunction. Lue and his associates also developed the first animal model to study Peyronie's disease – a condition in which scar tissue causes the penis to curve – and introduced pentoxifylline for treatment.

Lue graduated with highest honors from the Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan and completed his urologic training at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center. He received the Ferdinand C. Valentine Fellowship Award for Research in Urology from the New York Academy of Medicine to study the neurophysiology of the genitourinary tract at UCSF.

Lue has won numerous honors, including the Gold Cystoscope Award from the American Urological Association and an award for most innovative research from the American Foundation of Urologic Disease. He has authored or co-authored more than 380 publications and 12 books on male sexual dysfunction.