Definitely, you can choose your surgeon. Just as important as picking a center of excellence, you need to do your homework on the surgeons and pick the best possible surgeon at the center of excellence you chose. You will need to do your own investigation, just asking Mayo for a their best surgeon does not work - You will get the "all of our surgeons are great" response. For me, I wanted someone that has performed thousands of robotic assisted radical prostatectomies I did not want a surgeon that spends most of his/her time teaching, leading departments, writing books, "jack of all trades" surgeon, etc... I wanted to surgeon that has the most successful experience performing RPs. This also allows for good decision making during the surgery, if complications arise. I went with Mayo-Rochester and chose Dr. Igor Frank. He is an amazing surgeon and also a wonder human being. I did not prioritize bed side manner, but Dr. Frank is excellent in this area.

Best of luck with your journey and I pray all works out well for you!

Jim