3rd Annual International Prostate Cancer and Urologic Oncology Symposium
SAVE THE DATE – DECEMBER 13 – 15, 2018
Stern Auditorium
1468 Madison Avenue
New York, NY
Faculty Spotlight
Meet the Course Director
Dr. Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh
Dr. Ash Tewari is an innovator in the fields of robotic prostate cancer surgery and prostate cancer treatment. He also designated various grades of nerve-sparing utilizing information from MRIs, allowing for incremental nerve-sparing particularly in cases that would have not previously qualified without this graded approach. He has described traction free and athermal nerve-sparing techniques and developed an innovative Detrusor wrap technique for early urinary continence.
Working with genitourinary pathologists and scientists from the University of Hamburg, he is currently evaluating the role of MRI-guided NeuroSAFE ® and sphinctersafe approaches in expanding opportunities for nerve-sparing. An active researcher and surgeon scientist, he is one of only a few robotic surgeons to be awarded a NIH R01 grant, for the investigation of real-time tissue identification during prostate cancer surgery.
Course Co-DirectorKetan Badani, MD
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Ketan Badani is the Vice Chairman of Urology and Director of the Robotic Surgery Program and Kidney Cancer Program at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. He has been the director of several large multi-organ robotic surgery programs over the past 10 years, and has an experience of over 5,000 robotic surgeries to date.
Dr. Badani has been involved since the early days of robotic surgery and in 2004 led one of the initial teams that developed robotic kidney surgery. He has published extensively on the topic with over 150 peer reviewed manuscripts and demonstrated his surgical techniques in over 20 countries. A true “surgeon-scientist”, Dr. Badani has a robust clinical and basic science research laboratory to study genomic profiles and patient derived Xenograft models of renal cell carcinoma subtypes.
Patrick Walsh, MD, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Professor Walsh is recognized worldwide as the inventor of nerve sparing radical prostatectomy for the treatment of prostate cancer. His surgical technique has substantially improved the potency and continence of prostate cancer patients, enhanced their quality of life and significantly reduced the risks of post-operative mortality and progression to metastasis. His surgery became one of the most widely used strategies for treating organ confined prostate cancer.
Robert Uzzo, MD, FACSFox Chase Cancer Center – Temple Health
Nationally known as a leader in the field of urologic oncology, Dr. Uzzo has made important clinical, scientific and educational contributions to the Department of Surgery.
A fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Uzzo has consistently ranked among Castle Connolly’s and Philadelphia magazine’s “Top Docs” in urology. He is a national principal investigator for a clinical trial by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group to evaluate new, targeted therapies for kidney cancers and immunotherapy. He is the author of more than 350 chapters, articles, books and abstracts on urologic tumors and has presented hundreds of regional, national and international lectures.
In addition to his extensive clinical practice, he oversees research laboratory initiatives studying molecular mechanisms of genitourinary cancers. In 2003, he was promoted from Associate Professor to Professor with tenure in Fox Chase’s division of medical science.
Inderbir S. Gill, MD, MChChairman and Donald G. Skinner Distinguished Professor – Department of Urology at the University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles
Executive Director – USC Institute of Urology and Associate Dean (Clinical Innovation) for the Keck School of Medicine at USC
He completed medical school, surgery residency, and urology residency in India before moving to the USA in 1989, where he completed a 2-year fellowship in renal transplantation and renovascular surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, and a second urology residency at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in 1995.
He joined University of Southern California in March 2009, prior to which he was at the Cleveland Clinic for almost 12 years from 1997-2009.
He joined University of Southern California in March 2009, prior to which he was at the Cleveland Clinic for almost 12 years from 1997-2009.
Mani Menon, M.D.,is a pioneer in robotic surgery and one of the foremost urologists in the United States. The first robotic prostate surgery program in the United States was started by Mani Menon, M.D., at the Vattikuti Urology Institute in 2001. The VUI was the first institution to offer the surgery on an out-patient basis. The robotic approach that Dr. Menon developed, the Vattikuti Institute Prostatectomy (VIP), revolutionized the field of Urology, and has become the gold standard for the surgical treatment of prostate cancer. The enhanced nerve-sparing technique developed by Dr. Menon, the “Veil of Aphrodite,” has dramatically improved erectile function outcomes following radical prostatectomy. Dr. Menon also developed the first catheter-free approach. Dr. Menon earned his medical degree from the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIMPER) Pondicherry, one of the premier medical schools and hospitals in India. He completed his residency in Urology at the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he trained under preeminent urologist Patrick Walsh, M.D.
Dr. Leonard Gomella, MDis the Bernard W. Godwin, Jr. Professor of Prostate Cancer and Chairman of the Department of Urology at Jefferson Medical College. Originally from New York, Dr. Gomella completed medical school, general surgery and urology training at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. After a Urologic Oncology Fellowship in the Surgery Branch of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, he joined the faculty of Jefferson Medical College in 1988 and was appointed Chair in 2002. He is also Associate Director for Clinical Affairs for the Kimmel Cancer at Jefferson and Urology Chair for RTOG, serving as lead Urology investigator on multiple national trials. In 2008 he was named Clinical Director of the Jefferson Kimmel Cancer Center Network. Dr. Gomella is involved in both basic science and clinical research in the development of new diagnostic techniques and treatments for prostate, bladder and kidney cancer through Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center. Dr. Gomella’s team was first to use RT-PCR to detect micrometastasis in patients with prostate cancer, a discovery that led to a new field of investigation in this disease. Dr. Gomella is also recognized as an early contributor to urologic laparoscopy, initiating the program at Jefferson in 1990. He has given almost 500 presentations at local, national and international meetings and written over 300 papers, chapters and monographs in the field of Urology. Journal appointments have included serving on the Editorial Board of the Investigative Section of the Journal of Urology, as co-editor in chief of Techniques in Urology, and on the boards of several journals including Urologic Oncology, Clinical Genitourinary Cancer and American Journal of Pathology. He is a consultant to 2 dozen journals in the field of urology and oncology and in 2010 was appointed Editor in Chief of the Canadian Journal of Urology. Dr. Gomella has authored and edited 54 editions of 17 different books for medical students, residents, and practicing physicians, many of which have been translated into foreign languages. He is the editor-in-chief of the 5 Minute Urology Consult, and laparoscopy section editor for Glenn’s Urologic Surgery. Recovering from Prostate Cancer, the first book for the public dedicated to this topic, was authored by Dr. Gomella. In the field of medicine, Dr. Gomella is known for the Clinician’s Pocket Reference, now in its 11th edition, a widely used reference for medical students and health care providers.
Dr. Herbert Lepor, MD“I was six years old when open heart surgery saved my brother’s life. It was the first of many times when I thought about becoming a doctor, so that I, too, could save someone’s life. For more than 26 years, I’ve had that opportunity. I’ve treated more than 5,000 patients who’ve had prostate cancer and are now thriving after having their prostate gland removed through a procedure known as radical prostatectomyI came to NYU Langone in 1993, because I had a tremendous opportunity to build a world-class urology department here. Since then, our department has defined state-of-the-art care by improving outcomes for radical prostatectomy. For example, we now use a technique that spares the nerves, preserving function as much as possible. We have also pioneered the use of MRI to diagnose and pinpoint the precise location of prostate cancer. More than 90 percent of patients who’ve needed surgery to remove the prostate at NYU Langone have reported long-term satisfaction with the outcomes. We are at the forefront of research into prostate cancer, using image-guided diagnostic techniques, such as MRI, to help us determine the best treatment—whether it’s surveillance of slow-growing cancer, the need for complete removal of the prostate, or destroying one malignant area without using surgery. It’s the connection we make with patients and their families that humanizes medicine in this age of technology. For this reason, I take the time to listen to my patients and guide them through treatment, every step of the way.”
Dr. Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhDDr. Bhardwaj is an immunologist who has made seminal contributions to human dendritic cell biology, specifically with respect to their isolation, biology, antigen presenting function, and use as vaccine adjuvants in humans. She is the Director of Immunotherapy at the lcahn School of Medicine at Mount
Sinai (ISMMS) and holds the Ward Coleman Chair in Cancer Research. Dr. Bhardwaj brings expertise in human immunology and a variety of immune therapies, having developed Toll Like Receptor (TLR) agonist- and dendritic cell based vaccines for the treatment of both cancer and infection in several Investigator-Initiated studies. Dr. Bhardwaj is an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the American Association of Physicians, a recipient of the Doris Duke Distinguished Scientist Award and was named one of the Scientific American Magazine’s Top 50 Researchers, receiving the Award for Medical Research in 2004. She received the Fred W. All Award for new discoveries in Immunology in 2015 from The Cancer Research Institute. Dr. Bhardwaj is a senior editor of the AACR Cancer Immunology Research journal, senior editor for Frontiers in Immunology and consulting editor for the Journal of Clinical Investigation. She has also served on NIH Study Sections and multiple advisory councils. Dr. Bhardwaj was formally Chair of the Cancer Immunology Steering Committee of the AACR. Dr. Bhardwaj has also successfully acquired multiple federal and foundation grants and has authored over 200 publications.
Sinai (ISMMS) and holds the Ward Coleman Chair in Cancer Research. Dr. Bhardwaj brings expertise in human immunology and a variety of immune therapies, having developed Toll Like Receptor (TLR) agonist- and dendritic cell based vaccines for the treatment of both cancer and infection in several Investigator-Initiated studies. Dr. Bhardwaj is an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the American Association of Physicians, a recipient of the Doris Duke Distinguished Scientist Award and was named one of the Scientific American Magazine’s Top 50 Researchers, receiving the Award for Medical Research in 2004. She received the Fred W. All Award for new discoveries in Immunology in 2015 from The Cancer Research Institute. Dr. Bhardwaj is a senior editor of the AACR Cancer Immunology Research journal, senior editor for Frontiers in Immunology and consulting editor for the Journal of Clinical Investigation. She has also served on NIH Study Sections and multiple advisory councils. Dr. Bhardwaj was formally Chair of the Cancer Immunology Steering Committee of the AACR. Dr. Bhardwaj has also successfully acquired multiple federal and foundation grants and has authored over 200 publications.
Dr. Steven Campbell, MD, PhDDr. Campbell obtained BS, MD, and PhD degrees at The University of Chicago and then did a Urology Residency at The Cleveland Clinic (1989-1995), which was followed by a fellowship in Urologic Oncology, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (1995-1996). Dr. Campbell’s primary interests have included renal cell carcinoma, bladder cancer, tumor angiogenesis, and urology residency training. He has served as Chair of the Exam Committee for the Society of Urologic Oncology and President for the Society of Pelvic Surgeons.
Dr. Campbell was recently Chair for the AUA Guidelines Panel for Management of Localized Kidney Cancer (2017), and was Co-Chair for the previous iteration of this in 2009. Dr. Campbell was Co-Editor of Renal Cell Carcinoma (BC Decker, 2009) and Editor of Renal Cell Carcinoma: Clinical Management (Humana Press, 2013) and 100 Questions and Answers about Kidney Cancer (Jones and Bartlett, 2008, 2012, and 2015). He has also authored or co-authored “Malignant Renal Tumors” for Campbell/Walsh Urology for the past 4 editions (2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015) and will be doing so again in 2017-2018. Over the past 4-5 years, Dr. Campbell’s academic work has focused on the role of PN and RN in the management of RCC, the determinants of functional recovery after PN, the survival implications of differences in renal function after renal cancer surgery, and the use of neoadjuvant TKI ‘s to enable PN and optimize functional outcomes.
Dr. Ronney Abaza, MDDr. Ronney Abaza is a native of Toledo, Ohio and earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan. He then attended Northwestern University Medical School before returning to his hometown for residency training in Urology at the University of Toledo Medical Center. Dr. Abaza began his practice in Toledo and specialized in robotic surgery to expand access to advanced robotic procedures for patients in the area. He was the first in Northwest Ohio to perform robotic kidney cancer surgery, robotic ureteral surgery, robotic urinary diversion and robotic bladder cancer surgery. The practice Dr. Abaza founded continues to lead the Toledo community in robotic surgery. Dr. Abaza served as the founder and Medical Director of St. Vincent Hospital’s Laparoscopy, Simulation & Robotics Training Center. As a faculty member at the University of Toledo College of Medicine, Dr. Abaza performed research in surgical techniques, performed kidney transplantation and instructed medical students and residents. Dr. Abaza continues to develop new techniques in robotic urologic surgery and was the first to develop many clinical research protocols involving robotic prostate, kidney, bladder and other urologic surgeries. This research allows him to analyze his patient results and continuously improve his outcomes by refining techniques and creating new ways to perform robotic surgery for complex conditions. As one of the world’s foremost authorities on robotic urology, Dr. Abaza has been sought after as a speaker at national and international society meetings, and he has given more than 90 presentations on robotic prostate, kidney and bladder surgery. His work in robotic surgery has been published extensively in medical journals, including articles on several new robotic procedures and techniques performed for the first time ever by Dr. Abaza. Two such techniques were featured on the covers of major urology journals in 2011, including the Journal of Endourology and European Urology. Dr. Abaza is also passionate about teaching robotic surgical techniques and has been instructing surgeons in multiple fields for several years. He organized and directed the National Urology Resident Preceptorship in Robotic Urologic Surgery, the first of its kind program dedicated to robotic surgery and held annually for residents from around the country over five years. He has been director of a robotic urologic surgery fellowship program since 2010, offering one year of additional training in robotic surgery for graduates of urology residency programs.
Dr. Jaime Landman, MDDr. Jaime Landman has served as the Chair of the Department of Urology at UC Irvine, since January 2011. He brings to UC Irvine Medical Center highly valued expertise from his former position as the Director of Minimally Invasive Urology in the Department of Urology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. Dr. Landman has extensive clinical expertise in laparoscopic and endoscopic kidney surgery for the management of urinary tract pathology, including kidney stones, kidney cancer, and ureteropelvic junction obstruction. He has pioneered technologies and techniques for minimally invasive management of kidney stones and kidney tumors and has developed novel techniques that are used globally for laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, ureteroscopy, and percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Dr. Landman is respected as an international expert in the management of kidney cancer and is a pioneer and recognized expert on the application of minimally invasive techniques for ablation of kidney cancer. Dr. Landman has helped re-define the diagnosis of kidney cancer by developing novel diagnostic biopsy techniques which has provided patients more precise treatment of their disease. He directs the course on management of small renal tumors at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association as well as the small renal mass mini-fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Landman developed and tested novel ablation devices, which are currently used for minimally invasive ablation of renal tumors and malignancies. He has also invented novel technologies for the diagnosis of kidney cancer. His research focuses on stone disease, and he pioneered the combined antegrade and retrograde approach for treatment of complex kidney stones. Working in collaboration with basic scientists, he is actively working on tumor markers for urologic cancers and is trying to identify the relationship between kidney cancer and surrounding tissues.
Dr. Aaron Katz, MD, FACSDr. Aaron E. Katz is currently the Chairman of Urology at NYU Winthrop Hospital, Professor of Urology at Stony Brook University School of Medicine and an attending physician at NYU Winthrop Urology, a progressive Urology practice with offices in Garden City, Long Island and the upper east side of Manhattan. Prior to joining Winthrop, he was a Professor of Urology at Columbia University Hospital College of Physicians and Surgeons and was the Director of the Center for Holistic Urology, a Center which he established in 1998 performing basic research and clinical trials that investigated the role of natural therapies within Urology. Dr. Katz currently serves as the Principle Investigator for numerous clinical trials. After graduating from New York Medical College in 1986, Dr. Katz completed a six-year training program in Brooklyn at the Maimonides Medical Center. Following the completion of his residency, he was awarded a Ferdinand Valentine Fellowship from the New York Academy of Medicine to further his studies in Urologic Oncology at Columbia University. During his Fellowship, he developed a novel blood test, which could detect small numbers of prostate cancer cells in the blood. The test known as RT- PCR (Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction) was the first time urologic cancers were staged using a molecular assay. He has received several awards and grants to further his research. Dr. Katz is also recognized as an expert in the field of prostate cryosurgery. In the early 1990’s, he began using cryosurgery to treat and cure prostate cancers. His pioneer work in advancing the technology helped Medicare approve of this therapy for treating radiation- recurrent tumors. Dr. Katz has trained over 100 Urologists internationally to perform cryosurgery in their hospitals. Dr. Katz has published well over 50 scientific articles in peer- reviewed journals, and has written 5 chapters for Urologic textbooks. He is currently the host of Katz’s Corner, a Men’s Health Radio Program aired every Sunday morning at 7am on WABC Radio and is President of the American College of Cryosurgery.
Dr. Vipul Patel, MDDr. Vipul Patel currently serves as the medical director of the Global Robotics Institute at Celebration Health in Orlando, Florida and medical director of the urologic oncology program for the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute. Dr. Patel attended medical school at Baylor College of Medicine, and did both his residency and fellowship training at the University of Miami. Prior to moving to Florida he was Director of Robotic and Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery at The Ohio State University. Yearly, Dr Patel trains hundreds of surgeons on how to safely adopt robotic technology into their surgical practices and leads the robotic training team at the Nicholson Center for Surgical Advancement. He chairs the world robotic symposium, an annual premiere event in robotic surgical education. He is also founder of the Society of Robotic Surgery a multi-specialty organization responsible for education and training. He is Editor in Chief of The Journal of Robotic Surgery and editor of the first robotic urology textbook. His interests are minimally invasive approaches to the treatment of prostate and kidney cancer, focusing on prostate cancer outcomes. He has performed nearly 7000 robotic prostatectomies and leads one of the worlds most experienced surgical teams.
Dr. Thomas Ahlering, MDDr. Thomas Ahlering is a highly regarded surgeon in Urologic cancers. His years ofexperience in treatment of prostate, bladder, kidney and testicular cancers has placed him as one of the original America’s Best Doctors since his membeship in 1994. He trained under Dr. Donald G. Skinner at USC in urinary diversion and reconstruction, and has continued to pioneer innovation to the Indiana pouch, and Ileal Neo-bladder reconstructions.
Formerly the Chief of the Division of Urology (1992-2002) after his arrival at UC Irvine from the City of Hope in 1992, Dr. Ahlering became Chief of the Division of Urologic Oncology when the new Department of Urololgy was established in 2002. He majored in chemistry as an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, then received his medical degree at St. Louis University School of Medicine, followed by a residency in urology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He then completed a two-year fellowship in urologic oncology under the clinical training of Dr. Donald G. Skinner and laboratory training under Peter Jones, Ph.D. Dr. Ahlering became a member of the Society of Urologic Oncology in 1998; his clinical practice is devoted to urologic cancer. He has received local, national, and international recognition for his expertise in urologic oncology, in particular continent urinary diversion. His research focuses on the invasion and metastasis of prostate cancer, and development of minimally invasive radical prostatectomy assisted by the da Vinci robot. He has performed more than 1000 such robotic surgeries, including the first robotic prostatatectomy surgeries in Denmark, Australia, and Canada. Dr. Ahlering has active research projects in prostate and bladder cancer, and has produced over 85 publications of journal articles and book chapters. He is also a member of the editorial boards of the journals: Urology, and the Journal of Urology, and the Societies of the American Urological Association, and its Western Section Treasurer. As a commitment to public service, he has lectured at the American Cancer Society’s Prostate Cancer Awareness Forum in Southern California for the last four years. He was also an invited speaker at Senator Barbara Boxer’s Prostate Cancer Forum in 1996.
Formerly the Chief of the Division of Urology (1992-2002) after his arrival at UC Irvine from the City of Hope in 1992, Dr. Ahlering became Chief of the Division of Urologic Oncology when the new Department of Urololgy was established in 2002. He majored in chemistry as an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, then received his medical degree at St. Louis University School of Medicine, followed by a residency in urology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He then completed a two-year fellowship in urologic oncology under the clinical training of Dr. Donald G. Skinner and laboratory training under Peter Jones, Ph.D. Dr. Ahlering became a member of the Society of Urologic Oncology in 1998; his clinical practice is devoted to urologic cancer. He has received local, national, and international recognition for his expertise in urologic oncology, in particular continent urinary diversion. His research focuses on the invasion and metastasis of prostate cancer, and development of minimally invasive radical prostatectomy assisted by the da Vinci robot. He has performed more than 1000 such robotic surgeries, including the first robotic prostatatectomy surgeries in Denmark, Australia, and Canada. Dr. Ahlering has active research projects in prostate and bladder cancer, and has produced over 85 publications of journal articles and book chapters. He is also a member of the editorial boards of the journals: Urology, and the Journal of Urology, and the Societies of the American Urological Association, and its Western Section Treasurer. As a commitment to public service, he has lectured at the American Cancer Society’s Prostate Cancer Awareness Forum in Southern California for the last four years. He was also an invited speaker at Senator Barbara Boxer’s Prostate Cancer Forum in 1996.
Course Director
Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh
Course Co-Directors
Ketan K. Badani, MD
Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhD
Carlos Cordon-Cardo, MD, PhD
William Oh, MD
