Dr. Blackwell, a central Illinois native, received his BS in Biology-Honors & Chemistry at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and his MD from The Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University in Chicago, IL. He completed his residency training in Urology followed by a fellowship in Endourology & Minimally Invasive Surgery at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL. During his time at Loyola, Dr. Blackwell was heavily involved in the development of the Division of Clinical Informatics and Analytics, with a focus on surgical outcomes and health disparities in surgical care. Dr. Blackwell has presented at numerous regional and national conferences, and authored or co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed articles.