Dr. Hettinger completed 5 years of training in general surgery and urology at Mayo Clinic. In 2021, US News and World Report ranked Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN the #1 Hospital and the #1 Urology Department in the United States.   After growing up in Kansas City, Dr. Hettinger moved to Memphis, TN to attend Rhodes College, where he graduated cum laude.  He then graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in 2005.  Afterward, he moved to Rochester, MN to complete his internship and residency at Mayo Clinic. While at the Mayo Clinic, he had extensive training in robotic surgery and treatment of cancers of the urinary tract.  In addition to robotic radical prostatectomy, Dr. Hettinger also performs multiple other robotic surgeries, including robotic radical nephrectomy, partial nephrectomy, radical nephroureterectomy, pyeloplasty, radical cystectomy,  ureteral reimplantation, simple prostatectomy, ureterectomy, and bladder diverticulectomy.  Dr. Hettinger was the first surgeon in the region to perform surgery with daVinci SP single port robot.

Dr. Hettinger is trained in all aspects of urology and has interests in the treatment of stones and enlarged prostates. He has completed additional training at Mayo Clinic in microsurgery.  He is a member of the American Urological Association, American Association of Clinical Urologists, and Kansas Urological Society.  He has served as the Chairman of Surgery at Menorah Medical Center, a designated Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery.   Additionally, he has served as a board member for the Kansas Urological Society.   Dr. Hettinger is Board Certified by the American Board of Urology and is licensed to practice medicine in Kansas and Missouri.