John Peter Stein, an internationally recognized authority on the management of urologic cancers, died April 11 while attending the annual meeting of the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons in Florida. He was 45.

Stein was a professor of urology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“Dr. Stein was a superb surgeon, a gifted clinician scientist, a role model for peers, residents and students,” said Keck School Dean Carmen Puliafito. “He touched the lives of thousands of patients and saved the lives of many using his extraordinary clinical talents.”

Stein’s work has included research that identified a molecular marker that predicts which bladder cancer patients likely would face remission and which would have relapses.

He served on the editorial board of four major urologic journals, including Urology and the Journal of Urology. Stein was co-director of the Genitourinary Program at the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and was known for his compassion with patients.

“Receiving my diagnosis was the hardest moment of my life,” said Paul Scott, a former patient of Stein’s. “He not only saved my life but gave me full assurance that I would live a long and healthy life. It's now been more than six years.”

Stein’s reputation led to his inclusion on the list of “America’s Top Doctors” for every year since 2005. In 2003, he was the recipient of the Young Investigator Award given by the Society of Urology Oncology.

“Dr. Stein was a brilliant surgeon and dedicated leader in the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center,” said Peter A. Jones, director of the USC/Norris Cancer Center. “He was one of the most compassionate and skilled physicians I have ever met.”

Born in San Francisco in 1962, Stein grew up in Walnut Creek, Calif., and was a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine.

He completed his urology residency under the direction of Donald Skinner at USC and spent his entire clinical career at the Keck School of Medicine, where he rose to the rank of professor of urology.

“I consider John Stein one of the best surgeons I have ever trained, an extension of my own hands, someone very special, a son and member of my family,” Skinner said.

A nationally known urologic oncologist, Stein was appointed to committees of the American Urology Association, the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network and was secretary-elect of the American Urologic Association, Western Section.

A prominent researcher, he also received several grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute for his bladder cancer research.

He was a passionate basketball player who, despite employment at USC, continued to root for Notre Dame. But first and foremost in his mind was family.

“He was our rock, the foundation of our family, our devoted and loyal support for all of our endeavors and our own biggest fan. His presence lifted any situation, from ordinary to extraordinary or from special to extra special,” said Randi Stein, his wife of 18 years.

“He brought us peace and contentment knowing he was always with us, regardless of where he happened to physically be on any given day. We knew he was always thinking of us first.”

A resident of Pasadena, Stein was a dedicated husband and father. He leaves behind his wife Randi Goress Stein and their four children, John, Joseph, Eleanor and Louisa May.

He is survived by his parents, Robert and Helen Mary Stein of Walnut Creek, by his two brothers, and family of Riverside, Conn., as well as many members of the Goress family.

The Keck School of Medicine of USC will be holding a memorial service in the near future.

Donations can be made to either the John Stein Children’s Trust Fund c/o UBS Financial Services Inc. – Operations Dept. 2000 Avenue of the Stars, 7th Floor North, Los Angeles, CA 90067, or the John P. Stein Chair in Urology c/o USC Department of Urology, 1441 Eastlake Ave, Los Angeles 90033.