Though ostensibly narrow, pediatric urology is a rather broad field encompassing a wide range of medical and surgical disorders.  Surgical maneuvers are usually either ablative (i.e. removing things) or reconstructive (i.e. fixing things).  Plastic surgery is the art of fixing soft tissue problems, as opposed to boney problems, which are within the sphere of orthopedists.  A large portion of pediatric urology entails reconstruction of congenital and acquired malformations of the genitourinary tract and genital plastic surgery.  Many of the techniques used in pediatric urology were either developed or inspired by plastic surgeons who worked before the field of pediatric urology existed.  In some parts of the world, genital plastic surgery has remained within the realm of plastic surgeons, and modern American plastic surgeons typically receive some training in genital reconstruction which is assessed during their board examinations.

Dr. Schaeffer is the only surgeon in the United States with formal training and certification in pediatric urology and plastic surgery.  This training allows him to bring the skills and perspectives of both specialties to the bedside when treating patients