Dr. Charles N. Walker has dedicated his career to advocating for men’s health and improving quality of life for men who suffer from erectile dysfunction, prostate problems, and other male-related health issues. “Both erectile dysfunction and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH, or enlargement of the prostate) are non-life-threatening diseases. They can be effectively treated if diagnosed early and treated with the appropriate therapy,” Dr. Walker says. Dr. Walker balances a busy clinical and surgical practice with research and lecturing in the Yale School of Medicine community and nationally. His surgical expertise includes insertion of penile implants, minimally invasive surgery for BPH, “no scalpel” vasectomy, and other related procedures. He also performs and trains other urologists on Greenlight laser vaporization of the prostate, a new, minimally invasive, outpatient laser technology that can relieve symptoms of obstruction in men with BPH. Dr. Walker was one of the first urologists in Connecticut to be certified in this procedure in 2004. Responding to the growing understanding of the link between cardiovascular health and male sexual problems, Dr. Walker established the Yale Cardiovascular and Sexual Health Clinic, a collaboration between doctors in both the urology and cardiovascular medicine specialties. “I am excited about our clearer understanding of the relationship between erectile dysfunction (ED) and cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Walker says. “We now know that ED can predict cardiovascular disease. This has tremendous implications for prevention. I hope that it will encourage men to make healthier lifestyle choices.” In collaboration with the Sexuality, Intimacy and Menopause clinic within the Gynecology Department, Dr. Walker offers sexual health services for spouses of women with gynecologic cancers at Smilow Cancer Hospital. The clinic will also support men with all types of cancers receiving care at Smilow Cancer Hospital and elsewhere. Dr. Walker is committed to bringing excellent healthcare to those that may not have had access to it in the past. “Our department has made a commitment to try to correct inequalities in the health care of men,” he says. “We have started prostate cancer screening and outreach programs both in the Yale hospitals and out in the surrounding community.”