Navy training prepares doctor to care for San Diegans

When Dr. Michael Santomauro began training to be a military doctor, he pictured the drama and action of a field hospital like those he’d seen in the movies. Instead, a happenstance conversation reshaped his whole future — one dedicated to urology.

“I had gone in to start my Navy medical internship,” Dr. Santomauro recalls. “I sat down next to a colleague during orientation, and he asked what I planned to do. I told him general surgery. Then he started telling me why he was going into urology.”

Suddenly, urology seemed like the perfect field. He would get the chance to do big and minor surgeries. He could treat rare conditions and also common, everyday afflictions. Furthermore, surgeons in urology were at the forefront of modern technology.

Dr. Santomauro was convinced.

Choosing medicine

As a teen growing up in Philadelphia, Dr. Santomauro always considered a career in medicine. He had family members that became doctors to serve as his inspiration.

But when he began attending the United States Naval Academy, the appeal of a more active lifestyle won out. He majored in engineering and then was selected to attend dive school.

Dr. Santomauro was eventually stationed as a diver in San Diego. It was during that time that he once again began thinking of medicine.

“When I went to the Naval Academy, I had thoughts of adventure,” Dr. Santomauro says. “But after a while, I had an opportunity to reflect and wanted to do something else.”

Dr. Santomauro began taking night classes at San Diego State University to prepare for medical school. That enabled him to earn a military scholarship that would cover his medical education and help him transition to becoming a Navy doctor.

Out to sea

Once he completed his training, Dr. Santomauro spent two years on the USS Germantown, a dock landing ship that transports Marines to launch amphibious assaults. During his tour, the ship was deployed to the Middle East during the Global War on Terrorism.

He learned to treat various illnesses and injuries, from minor to traumatic, while also learning how to make critical decisions.

“You develop medical confidence very quickly,” Dr. Santomauro says. “We were by ourselves, floating in the middle of nowhere, and if something happens, you’ve got to take care of it.”

After his service on the Germantown, Dr. Santomauro did his residency in urology. He went to USC to fine-tune his skills in performing robotic-assisted surgeries and was later stationed as a specialist in urology at Naval Medical Center San Diego. By this point, Dr. Santomauro was not only treating patients but also training the next generation of Navy urologists, including teaching them how to use robotics.

“I just saw the robot as a better avenue,” he says. “It’s a great, versatile tool to help treat patients.”

He cites less pain for patients, shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery times as benefits of robotic-assisted surgeries.

Moving to Sharp

After years of military service, Dr. Santomauro decided to apply the skills he’d developed in the Navy to the civilian population. In the spring of 2024, he became a Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group urologist affiliated with Sharp Memorial Hospital. He treats a number of illnesses and performs surgical procedures to treat cancer, including prostate, bladder and kidney cancer; kidney stones; and male urinary issues.

Dr. Santomauro felt Sharp was a great fit because of his specialty in robotics and Sharp Memorial’s position at the forefront of robotic-assisted surgeries worldwide. In fact, Sharp Memorial was among the first to utilize the newest in Da Vinci 5 technology.

He also believes his time as a doctor in the Navy helps him provide care for his new patients at Sharp.

“I bring from my military background a forthright approach,” Dr. Santomauro says. “I want to be very direct but not in a scary way. I’m not only a surgeon but an educator, as well. When they leave, I want them to feel we have a clear plan for our approach to their care and where they are in that process.”

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