John W. Colberg, MD, Awarded Yale Medicine Distinguished Clinical Career Award

The Yale Medicine Distinguished Clinical Career Award honors physicians who have contributed to Yale Medicine for at least 20 years since completing their fellowship training and whose careers are marked by significant accomplishments, exemplary dedication, and important contributions to advancing the practice, the overall medical profession, and the community. The award is intended to honor faculty members who are widely recognized as distinguished clinicians and who have devoted the main part of their careers to Yale.

Since joining Yale in 1998, after serving on the faculty at Washington University, Professor Colberg has built one of the largest referral practices for complex uro-oncologic problems in Connecticut. He has helped to facilitate the expansion of the urologic oncology division and is a large part of why Yale Urology is continuously at the top of local and national rankings. For over two decades, the most challenging cases have been referred to him, and when complications arise, he is frequently the first urologist consulted.

Colberg is widely recognized for his surgical skill, compassionate care, and collaborative approach. Patients and referring physicians cite his accessibility, empathy, and clarity of communication as hallmarks of his practice. His outcomes and patient satisfaction have helped elevate Yale New Haven Health’s reputation in urologic oncology.

He has trained a generation of urologists who continue to carry forward his legacy of excellence. He has served on numerous departmental and hospital committees and has been principal investigator on multiple clinical trials, including studies on prostate and bladder cancer.

His commitment to global health is equally notable. Colberg has provided surgical care and training through his medical mission trips to Russia, Kenya, Mongolia, Vietnam, Nepal, and more recently, Burundi. He has authored more than eight book chapters and over 50 peer-reviewed publications and has been recognized as a “Top Doctor” by Connecticut Magazine, New York Magazine, and Castle Connolly for more than a decade.

He was born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota, and earned his bachelor’s degree from North Dakota State University and his medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis. After completing his residency in urology, he returned to Washington University for eight years before being recruited to Yale.

Colberg’s career exemplifies the highest standards of clinical excellence, innovation, and service. As one colleague noted, “He is the surgeon’s surgeon—the person we send our families to.”