Course Co-Director

Ketan Badani, MD

Dr. Ketan K. Badani is Professor of Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Vice Chairman of Urology and Robotic Operations at Mount Sinai Health System, Director of Robotic Surgery at Mount Sinai, St. Luke’s, and West, and the Director of the Comprehensive Kidney Cancer Program at Mount Sinai Health System. Dr. Badani is recognized as a world leader in the research and treatment of urologic oncology. Specifically, he has focused his work on prostate and kidney cancer. Dr. Badani has led teams that first developed and published techniques for minimally invasive robotic kidney cancer surgery. His technique of robotic partial nephrectomy, The “F.A.S.T.” procedure has been published and taught around the world to treat patients with renal tumors. Dr. Badani leads a team seeking to improve treatment of these cancers by finding less invasive and effective therapy, while maintaining quality of life factors after surgery. Dr. Badani has performed nearly 4,000 robotic procedures in his career, placing him in the top 1% of urologists worldwide. He is one the preeminent practitioners in the world for robotic partial nephrectomy for complex kidney tumors, and robotic prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer; he has the largest combined experience in robotic kidney and prostate cancer in the New York area. Dr. Badani’s clinical expertise spans both surgical and non-surgical approaches to treatment of urologic cancers. He has just completed one of the largest decision impact studies evaluating genomic biomarkers for active surveillance in men with low risk prostate cancer. As Visiting Professor, Dr. Badani has given lectures and demonstrated surgery in over 20 countries. Most recently he visited prominent institutions in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Japan, India, Malaysia, Venezuela, China, Spain, and Turkey to teach his technique. He is the author of over 150 peer-reviewed publications and has presented over 200 abstracts at national and international meetings. He has led the prostate and kidney cancer research program at Columbia University Medical Center for the past 7 years. Dr. Badani is involved in numerous clinical trials, feasibility and safety studies of new technology, and health related quality of life outcomes research. He serves as an editor and/or reviewer for numerous publications including Cancer, Journal of Urology, Urologic Oncology, Journal of Endourology,among others. As Director of the Comprehensive Kidney Cancer Program at Mount Sinai Heath System, Dr. Badani will develop a multispecialty clinical program for kidney cancer patients that will span the treatment spectrum including surgery, nephrology, interventional radiology, and complementary medicine. Clinically, the program will allow individualized care to each patient with kidney cancer based on the tumor stage, grade, and overall health. Academically, the program will be on the cutting edge for innovative technology based research, and latest clinical trials. Dr. Badani graduated in the top of his class from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. He went on to complete his urology residency at the world renowned Vattikuti Urology Institute at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI (his hometown). He also completed a fellowship in minimally invasive urologic oncology at the Vattikuti Urology Institute, where robotic urologic surgery was first performed in the United States. Upon completion of his training, Dr. Badani joined the faculty at Columbia University Medical Center.

Ronney Abaza, MD

Dr. 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. Many state, regional, and national urologic societies have honored Dr. Abaza with awards to recognize him for his pioneering leadership in the field of robotic research. 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. Abaza is editor of a textbook that is the only published textbook dedicated to robotic kidney surgery. Dr. Abaza frequently serves as faculty for educational courses both in the U.S. and internationally and as a panelist, moderator or course director for programs at the annual meetings of various national and international medical societies, including the American College of Surgeons and American Urological Association. In 2012, he performed live robotic surgical procedures for all three of the major conferences for robotic surgeons, including the American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting, the World Congress of Endourology and the European Robotic Urology Symposium of the European Association of Urology. In 2013, Dr. Abaza moved his practice to OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital so as to refocus all of his professional efforts on his first love, providing excellent patient care. While reducing his academic efforts with his move to Dublin Methodist, Dr. Abaza continues to track his outcomes for every patient to ensure the highest quality of care and to share his research and experience with other surgeons. He also continues to teach by continuing his fellowship and by serving as faculty for educational courses for practicing surgeons to learn or refine their robotic surgical techniques. He also continues to welcome surgeons from around the country and the world to Dublin Methodist to observe him performing robotic surgery.

Natan Bar-Chama, MD

Natan Bar-Chama, MD, is a board certified urologist who, following his urology residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, was awarded the New York Academy of Medicine F.C. Valentine Fellowship and sub-specialized in Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery at The Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. For the last 20 years, Dr. Bar-Chama has been the Director of Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery and is on faculty in both the Departments of Urology and Obstetrics/Gynecology and Reproductive Science at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Bar-Chama’s practice is exclusively dedicated to the fields of male infertility and sexual medicine, and he has published extensively and lectured throughout the world in these areas. He is past president of the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology (SMRU) and currently serves on the board of directors of the patient advocacy organization, Path2 Parenthood. Annually, since 2005 Dr. Bar-Chama has been listed in New York Magazine’s Best Doctor list of urologists.

Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhD

Dr. 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.

Jerry Blaivas, MD

Jerry G. Blaivas, MD, FACS Dr. Blaivas is an internationally renowned urologist with over thirty years of clinical experience. He is, as well, an acclaimed academician, educator, writer and editor with an unimpeachable reputation for honesty and compassion. His clinical expertise ranges from office urology to the most complicated and difficult surgical problems. Known as a “doctor’s doctor,” he is considered the “doctor of last resort” by patients and doctors alike when they experience multiple failed treatments. Dr. Blaivas is Clinical Professor of Urology at Weill Cornell Medical College, Adjunct Professor at SUNY Downstate and Attending Surgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Lenox Hill Hospital. He is former Professor of Urology and Vice Chairman of the Department of Urology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. In addition to a widely acclaimed expertise in routine urologic conditions such as prostate problems in men, pelvic organ prolapse (dropped bladder) in women and incontinence in both sexes, Dr. Blaivas was one of the originators of urodynamics and pioneered many of the current surgical procedures to correct stress incontinence, urinary fistulas, urethral diverticulum, overactive bladder and neurogenic bladder. He is one of the few surgeons who routinely performs reconstructive surgery for prolapse and incontinence without the use of mesh and has published one of the largest series in the world on treatment of mesh complications. He has a particular interest and expertise in complex urologic problems – complications of radiation and prostate surgery, failed incontinence surgery and failed prolapse surgery. Dr. Blaivas is former President of the Urodynamics Society and the recipient of numerous awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology, the Victor A. Politano Award from the American Urological Association, the F. Brantley Scott M.D. Award from the American Foundation for Urologic Disease, the J. Marion Sims Award from the American Uro-Gynecologic Society and the Paul Zimskind Award from the Urodynamic Society. In addition, Dr. Blaivas has consistently been listed in New York Magazine’s Best Doctors and Castle Connolly’s America’s Top Doctors and Top Doctors: New York Metro Area from the publications’ inception in 1992 to the present. Dr. Blaivas is the Founder of the major scientific journal Neurourology & Urodynamics and was Editor-in-Chief from 1982-2006. He is on the editorial board of Contemporary Urology and International Urogynecology Journal and is a reviewer for a number of other journals, including the Journal of Urology, Urology, The New England Journal of Medicine, and British Journal of Urology. He is the primary author of over 400 peer review scientific articles, book chapters and reviews and has edited seven books. He is a member of numerous professional societies, including the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons, Society of Pelvic Surgeons, American Urological Association, American College of Surgeons, Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology, American Urogynecologic Society, and the International Continence Society. Dr. Blaivas founded the not-for-profit organization, the Institute for Bladder and Prostate Research, which is dedicated to research relating to the lower urinary tract and female genital tract, including urinary incontinence, prostate conditions, neurogenic bladder, interstitial cystitis and genital prolapse. In addition, he is the author of a book for the lay public on bladder and prostate conditions entitled, Conquering Bladder and Prostate Problems; an Authoritative Guide for Men and Women.

Giuseppe Carrieri, MD

Prof. Carrieri graduated in Medicine and Surgery in 1985 at the University "Aldo Moro" in Bari, with a vote of 110/110 and praise. In 1988 he specialized in Urology at the same University, with a vote of 50/50 and praise. Between 1989 and 1992 he was a Faculty Member at the University of Pittsburgh (USA), and over the years he attended numerous facilities around the world including the Urology Department of the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York (USA ), Mayo Clinic of Rochester (USA), UCLA in Los Angeles (USA), in addition to the University of Bern (CH) and Bordeaux (France). From 1994 to 1997 he was in charge of the Transplant Center for the University of Bari, and from 1997 to 2003 was Director of the Clinical Urology Unit at the Matera Hospital. Since 2004 he has been appointed Director of Urology Clinic and the Renal Transplantation Center of the Foggy Hospitals, and is also Director of the Department of Integrated Services in Nefrourology (since 2008). As far as didactic activity, he has been Associate Professor of Urology at the University of Bari from 2000 to 2003, and since 2004 has been the Professor of Urology at the University of Foggia. Prof. Carrieri has performed over 9,000 surgical interventions for all fields of urological pathology: urogenital tumor surgery, benign prostatic hypertrophy surgery, percutaneous and ureterorenoscopic treatment of urinary calculus, male impotence surgery, female incontinence surgery, Urethra surgery, also carrying over 300 transplants as first and second operator. He is author of over 250 scientific papers, including publications published in Italian and foreign magazines, communications and abstracts at Italian and foreign conferences, chapters of urological and video books.

Brian F. Chapin, MD

Dr. Brian Chapin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He provides complete surgical care for men and women diagnosed with urologic malignancies. He performs open surgery and minimally invasive/robotic surgery, for patients with prostate, kidney, bladder and testis cancers. His major clinical focus is on the treatment of high risk- localized, locally advanced and metastatic prostate cancers. He has active clinical research protocols developing the integration of surgical, radiation and medical therapies in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Dr. Chapin is involved with the basic science/translational research program at M.D Anderson, which is attempting to identify the immunologic changes that occur with surgical and systemic therapy treatments in advanced prostate cancer and how these changes may be exploited with use of newer immune modulating therapies. Using a comprehensive multimodality approach to this disease, Dr. Chapin’s goal is to ease suffering and prolong survival in men with advanced prostate cancer.

Philippa Cheetham, MD

Philippa J. Cheetham, M.D., a board-certified Urological Surgeon from the United Kingdom (UK). Graduated with honors from the University of Bristol Medical School in the UK. Completed a 5-year general surgery residency at Oxford University's John Radcliffe Teaching Hospital and was awarded a prestigious research fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Spent two years studying in the Department of Pharmacology at Oxford University and was subsequently awarded a higher research degree for her thesis on the pacemaker activity and contractility in the neurogenic bladder Completed a 6-year urology residency at Oxford University, followed by a 12-month stone fellowship before being board certified in Urology by the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2007. Completed a two-year minimally invasive surgical oncology fellowship as well as an 18-month oncology fellowship with Professor Daniel Petrylak at Columbia University Medical Center. Member of General Medical Council (GMC), Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSEng), American Urological Association (AUA), British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) and The European Association of Urology (EAU), Royal Society of Medicine (RSM), Foundation for Advancement of Minimally Invasive Surgery, and British Medical Association Published author & frequent guest on TV and radio stations across the country. She is a regular medical correspondent for Fox News (with multiple appearances on Studio B with Sheppard Smith, The O'Reilly Factor, Megyn Kelly, Fox and Friends, The Willis Report, Varney and Co and Health Talk with Dr. Manny) as well as WPIX11 and the Saudi Arabia National TV Network KSA2. She is also a weekly co-host on Katz's Corner Live Radio, a radio program on men's health and urology issues broadcasted 7am every Sunday morning on WABC. Dr. Cheetham is the host of her own television show, called Cure Connections (www.cureconnections.curetoday.com)

Michael S. Cookson, MD

Michael S. Cookson, M.D. is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Urology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and holds the Donald D. Albers Endowed Chair in Urology. An accomplished researcher and lecturer, he is the author of 224 peer-reviewed journal publications and 30 chapters of various textbooks in urology and urologic surgery, and has been recognized nationally for his outstanding contributions to urologic oncology. Dr. Cookson completed his Urology residency at the University of Texas, San Antonio and completed his Urologic Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He was a member of the faculty at Vanderbilt University from 1998 to 2013, where he served as the Vice Chairman of Urologic Surgery and Director of the Urologic Oncology Fellowship Program. Dr. Cookson has devoted a significant portion of his academic career to the management of patients with urologic cancers, with a strong emphasis on Clinical Guidelines, Education and Evidenced Based Medicine. He was a member of the AUA/ABU examination committee for 10 years, including a member of Task for Cancer, Oncology Consultant and Pathology editor. He also serves on the ABU Oral Examination Committee. He is a co-founder of the OKAT, an SUO mandated oncology examination that is the standard for benchmarking for members and oncology fellows in training and served as Chair of that OKAT committee for 5 years. In 2011, he received the President’s Distinguished Service Award from the SUO for educational contributions. For his efforts in teaching at Vanderbilt, he was awarded the Michael Rodriquez Award. Dr. Cookson recently served as the Chair of the AUA Guidelines Committee on Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer, and has previously served as the member of the AUA Guidelines on localized prostate cancer. He currently serves as Treasurer for the Society of Urologic Oncology.

Carlos Cordon-Cardo, MD, PhD

Carlos Cordon-Cardo, MD, PhD is the Irene Heinz Given and John LaPorte Given Professor and Chairman for the Mount Sinai Health System Department of Pathology. Dr. Cordon-Cardo obtained his MD from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain, in 1980, and his PhD in Cell Biology and Genetics from Cornell University Medical College in 1985. Prior to joining Mount Sinai, Dr. Cordon-Cardo served as Vice-Chair of Pathology, Professor of Pathology, and Urology, and Associate Director for Infrastructure at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He also created the Division of Molecular Pathology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and served as its first director. Dr. Cordon-Cardo has outlined a broad vision that redefines the discipline of Pathology, placing it at the core of patient management and individualized medicine. An accomplished and internationally-recognized researcher, Dr. Cordon-Cardo is renowned for his studies on experimental pathology and molecular oncology. He developed and implemented an oncologic molecular pathology discipline and helped create the “systems pathology” platform. This approach uses systems biology to form mathematical models of the interaction and behavior of cancer cells with the goal of determining tumor pathogenesis and clinical outcome. Already his analyses of multi-drug resistance and alterations of tumor suppressor genes in human cancer, mainly those which deregulate cell cycle, have led to extraordinary breakthroughs in the way scientists understand and investigate the progression of certain solid-tumor cancers. His groundbreaking research has produced novel insights into tumor suppressor gene-oncogene interactions in human cancers, a proposed model for tumor progression of bladder cancer that defines two distinct pathways for early tumors, and evidence of the critical role of androgen receptor overexpression in the progression of prostate cancer and its resistance to hormonal therapy. Expression profiling using high through put microarrays has been a logical extension of the work carried out in his laboratory, providing novel insights into the molecular classification of human cancer. More recently, studies from his laboratory have linked adult stem cells and cancer, and have reported on the discovery of a subpopulation of human prostate tumor initiating cells with stem properties. This new cancer stem cell compartment has been identified in other solid tumors analyzed. Dr. Cordon-Cardo has received numerous awards in acknowledgement of his significant contributions to the field of pathology, including the 1991 Boyer Young Investigator Award, the Gold Medal of the Swedish Society of Physicians, the Academico de Numero of the Academia Medico-Quirurgica Española, and the Gold Medal of Medical Sciences “Govierno de Galicia.” He is a member on the Roll of Honour of the International Union Against Cancer, and an honorary member of the Spanish-American Medical and Dental Society. Dr. Cordon-Cardo recently received an honorary doctorate from the Universidad de Barcelona, and was named a Member of Honor at the Reial Academia de Medicina de Catalunya. Dr. Cordon-Cardo is also a member of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centers for Urologic Tumors, and the State Legislative Committee of the American Association for Cancer Research. He served as the President for the Solid Tumor Chapter of the Association for Molecular Pathology, and Translational Chair for the Genitourinary Section of the Southwest Oncology Group. He also served as a member of the Review Committee for Cancer Centers and Research Programs of the NCI. More recently, Dr Cordon-Cardo earned the distinction of being listed on the European Journal of Clinical Investigation’s “List of 400 Most Highly Influential Biomedical Researchers Worldwide,” and a “Thought Leader” Award from Agilent Technologies.

Prof. Fabrizio Dal Moro, MD, FEBU

He completed medical school, and urology residency at the University of Padova, Italy. He is a board certified European urologist (FEBU). He is currently a member of the Urologic Clinic staff in the Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology of the University of Padova. Dal Moro has authored or co-authored many original peer-reviewed scientific papers, over 10 book chapters, and 2 Text-books (Atlas of Urologic Anatomy – Volume I “Orthotopic Urinary Diversions” – Volume II “Surgical Anatomy”). He was on the editorial board of “Urologia Journal”, the official journal of the “Società Italiana di Urologia”. Dal Moro has received many awards, including the First Prize for the Best Video* during European Association of Urology Congress (Stockholm) in 2014 with “CORPUS: novel COmplete Reconstruction of the Posterior Urethral Support after robotic radical prostatectomy” – [*first time for an Italian urologist]. Dal Moro’s primary focus is on innovation and minimally invasive surgery for uro-oncologic diseases, with a large robotic surgery experience treating patients with prostate, urinary bladder and kidney cancers. In addition to the above, he usually perfoms other non-oncological robotic procedures such as pyeloplasty, hysterosacropexy, among others. Dal Moro’s research encompasses the anatomic studies of urologic organs, the study of patient outcomes, novel robotic techniques including strategies for improving postoperative urinary continence (e.g. CoRPUS technique), a new procedure for creating an original robotic intracorporeal orthotopic neobladder (Ves.Pa. neobladder) and the development of new devices (e.g. a patent for an original hemostatic adjustable tie). He is active as a tutor in several robotic training programs, proctor in E-BLUS (European training in Basic Laparoscopic Urological Skills) examinations and coach in non-technical skills courses. More recently he conceived and realised the web-platform “urodraw.com” for teaching and learning urologic surgical anatomy using only surgeons original works of art (sketches and drawings).

Josep Domingo-Domenech, MD, PhD

Dr. Josep Domingo-Domenech MD, PhD is an Associate Professor of Pathology and member of the Graduate Faculty at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Domingo-Domenech is a Medical Oncologist that obtained his MD (1998) and PhD (2007) in Experimental Oncology from the University of Barcelona. During his postdoctoral training at Columbia University he developed novel experimental models of aggressiveness in urologic tumors and described important signaling pathways responsible for therapy resistance and tumor progression of prostate cancer. He joined the Pathology Department at the Icahn School of Medicine to lead a research program focused in deciphering the signaling networks promoting prostate and bladder cancer aggressiveness with the ultimate goal of finding new anti-cancer targets and establish new therapeutic strategies to improve cancer patient’s survival.

Daniel Eun, MD

Dr. Eun earned his BS from Pennsylvania State University, MD from Temple University School of Medicine, and completed a general surgery internship at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Eun then went on to complete a urology residency and an 18-month minimally invasive urologic robotic oncology fellowship at Henry Ford Hospital’s Vattikuti Urology Institute in Detroit.
Dr. Eun runs a regional high-volume referral practice for robotic treatment of genitourinary oncology as well as complex reconstructive surgery of the kidney, ureter prostate and bladder. He has performed over 2000 robotic procedures and more than 50 different types of robotic procedures. Dr. Eun is regarded as a thought leader in advanced robotic surgery techniques, robotic procedure development and training. He has extensively published peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and video teaching
guides. He frequently travels nationally and internationally as an invited lecturer, present research, train surgeons and perform live demonstration surgery. As director of Temple’s Robotic Urologic Surgery Fellowship Training Program and Chief of Robotic Surgical Services, Dr. Eun is an active member of the teaching faculty of Temple University School of Medicine, working closely with medical students, residents and fellows.

Daniel Gainsburg, MD

Dr. Daniel Gainsburg is Director of Urological Anesthesia at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and has been involved with robotic surgery for the past 10 years. He has authored papers on the complications and anesthetic concerns of robotic surgery as well as edited a textbook on Anesthesia for Urological Anesthesia.

Matthew Galsky, MD

Dr. Matthew Galsky completed his internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center – Harvard Medical Center and him Medical Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Galsky specializes in the care of patients with genitourinary malignancies (bladder, prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers). His research focuses on the development of novel treatments for these cancers and he has published extensively in this area. He serves as Director of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at the Tisch Cancer Institute.

Sacha Gnjatic, PhD

Dr. Sacha Gnjatic received his PhD in Immunology from the University of Paris VII after completing a fellowship at the Institut Cochin in Paris. Following a post-doctoral fellowship in Lloyd J. Old’s laboratory at Memorial Sloan-Kettering (MSKCC) in New York, Dr. Gnjatic
 was appointed to the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
 at MSKCC, where he eventually became Associate Member, and was named Director of Immunological Monitoring at the Ludwig Center for Immunotherapy.
In 2013, Dr. Gnjatic moved to Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, where he was appointed as Associate Professor of Medicine at the Tisch Cancer Institute and Immunology Institute. In addition, he serves as Associate Director of the Human Immune Monitoring Center at Mount Sinai. Dr. Gnjatic focuses on human immune responses to cancer in an antigen-specific manner, to define new targets for the development of cancer immunotherapies, ask how these immunotherapies work and why they may fail. Areas of research include: Characterization of serological and cellular immune responses against tumor antigens such as MAGE-A3 or NY-ESO-1, spontaneously occurring or induced by cancer immunotherapy, using state-of-the-art T cell methods and large-scale seromic profiling; Mechanisms of antigen presentation to T cells, to evaluate viral, bacterial, and parasitic vectors, and cross-presentation of antigen to HLA; Impact of immunoregulation on tumor antigen-specific responses, from co-inhibitory molecules expressed on T cells at the tumor site to the effect of regulatory T cells and immune checkpoint blockade on anti-tumor effectors, with a recent emphasis on the role of immunosuppressive mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment. Dr. Gnjatic’s research has established the immunological bases for evaluating human cancer vaccines in over 40 clinical trials. His work has resulted in more than 120 publications in high-impact peer-reviewed journals and nearly 10 patents.

Neil Grafstein, MD

Dr. Neil Grafstein’s clinical practice focuses on reconstruction of the urinary tract, female urology and urinary incontinence. With expertise in both neurourological (spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, etc.) and non-neurogenic voiding dysfunction, he has a particular interest in the treatment of male post-prostatectomy incontinence using innovative minimally invasivetechniques. One of a small number of urologists in the nation with advanced training in reconstruction of the adult male urethra (urethroplasty) for stricture disease or trauma, his surgical reconstructive practice also includes continent urinary diversions, vaginal and pelvic floor reconstruction for female pelvic organ prolapse and repair of genitourinary fistulae.Dr. Grafstein has authored numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, scientific abstracts, instructional videos and textbook chapters and has been an invited lecturer at multiple academic institutions on topics including urinary incontinence, continent diversions and urethral reconstruction. His scientific work has beenrecognized with awards from the American College of Surgeons and the American Urological Association. Dr. Grafstein is certified in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery; a relatively new specialty. He is the only urologist having this certification at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Mantu Gupta, MD

Dr. Mantu Gupta is Professor of Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Chair of Urology at Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospitals, and Director of Endourology and Stone Disease for the Mount Sinai Health System. Dr. Gupta is recognized as a world leader in the research and treatment of urinary stone disease, ureteropelvic junction obstruction, urinary tract obstruction, and upper tract urothelial malignancies, having pioneered many of the techniques in current use. He is recognized as one of the leading endoscopic, percutaneous, and minimally invasive surgeons in the world, having performed over 10,000 major endourological procedures. Dr. Gupta is unique in that he employs a nurturing, compassionate, and holistic approach to the management of stone disease, utilizing alternative medical, nutritional and preventive strategies. Prior to joining Mount Sinai, Dr. Gupta served as Associate Professor, Director of Endourology and Director of the Kidney Stone Center at Columbia University Medical Center for the last 18 years. The recipient of numerous honors and awards, Dr. Gupta was given a Presidential Gold Medal by President Ronald Reagan for his academic achievements and has served as a visiting professor both within the United States and throughout the world. He is a frequent lecturer and moderator at national and international meetings and has published extensively in major peer-reviewed journals and authored numerous book chapters. Additionally, Dr. Gupta teaches various surgical skills courses throughout the world and has served as editor and guest editor for numerous publications including the Journal of Endourology, the Journal of Urology, the Indian Journal of Urology, and Urology.
Dr. Gupta was a member of the prestigious Honors Program in Medical Education at Northwestern University where he earned a combined BS-MD degree with distinction and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He subsequently did his Urology residency at the top ranked University of California at San Francisco and completed a fellowship in Endourology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center under the tutelage of the founding father of Endourology.

Jonathan Haas, MD

Jonathan Haas, MD, Chief of the Division of Radiation Oncology at Winthrop-University Hospital and Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, is board-certified in radiation oncology. He earned his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and served a residency in radiation oncology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was chief resident in his final year. He completed a fellowship at the National Institute of Health, where he was involved in the research that invented the Gardasil vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer. He completed his internship in internal medicine at Winthrop-University Hospital.

Stefanie Hectors, PhD

Stefanie Hectors obtained her PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering from Eindhoven University of Technology in The Netherlands in 2015. Prior to that she obtained her BSc degree cum laude and her MSc with great appreciation, both in Biomedical Engineering, at the same university. She joined the Cancer/Body MRI group at the Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai as a postdoctoral fellow in March 2015. She received a Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award in 2017. Her work focuses on the use of multiparametric MRI for noninvasive assessment of prostate cancer aggressiveness.

Jim Hu, MD, MPH

Dr. Jim Hu is a urologic oncologist, with his undergraduate degree in Economics, his Masters in Public Health in Health Policy and Management from Johns Hopkins University and his Medical Degree from Baylor College of Medicine. He completed his Urology Residency at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and his Urologic Oncology Fellowship at City of Hope National Medical Center. He began his career as the Director of Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Instructor at Harvard Medical School and was quickly promoted to Director of the Prostate Cancer Program at Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Associate Professor. He was then recruited back to UCLA as the Henry Singleton Chair of Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery and was promoted to Professor before joining the faculty at Weill Cornell Medical College as the Director of the LeFrak Center for Robotic Surgery and the Ronald P. Lynch Chair in Urologic Oncology. Dr. Hu is internationally renown as a surgical innovator and health services researcher. His comparative effectiveness research interests have been funded by the Department of Defense, National Cancer Institute and the Livestrong Foundation. His areas of clinical and research expertise include prostate and kidney cancer. He has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed papers. Dr. Hu has performed thousands of robot-assisted prostatectomies, among over 3500 laparoscopic, robotic and open procedures.

Jihad Kaouk, MD

Dr. Jihad Kaouk is an American Board certified Urologist who helps patients within Cleveland Clinic's Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute as the Director of the Center of Advanced Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgery. He also serves as a Professor of Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. Complementing his role as Director, Jihad Kaouk, MD, holds the position of Institute Vice Chair for Surgical Innovations and the chair holder for the Zegarac-Pollock Endowed Chair in laparoscopic and robotic surgery in the Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute. Dr Jihad Kaouk is listed in Who's Who in America and Top Docs in America and recently listed on Microsoft academic search as one of the top 10 authors in urology world wide. As such, he has performed groundbreaking surgical procedures, including the first robotic single port surgery through the belly button in 2008 and the first completely transvaginal kidney removal in 2009. These procedures, executed by Dr. Kaouk and his team, proved minimally invasive enough that the hospital discharged the patient within a day of the operation. Dr. Kaouk has one of the largest experiences in robotic surgery in the country with more than 1,200 robotic radical prostatectomy and about 500 robotic partial nephrectomy that he performed through the last 10 years. Recently, Dr. Kaouk patented a device for radiofrequency cauterization and the extraction of tissue used mainly during partial nephrectomy.

Steve Kaplan, MD

Dr. Steven Kaplan is Director of the Men's Wellness Program, Mount Sinai Health System and Professor, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is an internationally renowned authority and one of the primary thought leaders in the study of benigh diseases, the association of metabolic factors with voiding dysfunction, and female urology, with symptoms related to both benign prostate enlargement and bladder function. Dr. Kaplan is a Diplomat of the American Board of Urology and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is an internationally recognized authority and one of the primary thought leaders in the study of benign diseases of the prostate, the association of metabolic factors and voiding dysfunction and female urology. He has over 900 publications including 275 peer reviewed and 570 peer reviewed invited articles, and 90 book chapters and non – peered reviewed articles. His landmark study, published in JAMA in 2006, changed the way medications are used in the treatment of men with symptoms related to both benign prostate enlargement and bladder dysfunction. He has made over 340 presentations in more than 35 countries. He is the co - author of five books and is on the Editorial Board of numerous journals including Urology, Journal of Urology, and Urology Times. Dr. Kaplan is a member of more than 30 professional organizations, been awarded5 NIH grants and has received over 13 million dollars in research funding. He serves as both member and / or Chair of numerous study sections for the NIH and more recently, he chaired the NIDDK Prostate Strategic Planning Committee and currently Chairs the AUA Research Committee on Advocacy. He also has served on the American Urologic Association Guidelines Panel for BPH. He was awarded the John K. Lattimer Award for Lifetime Achievement in Urology by the National Kidney Foundation.
Dr. Kaplan joined Mount Sinai from Weill Cornell Medical College, where he held the tenured position of E. Darracott Vaughan, Jr. Professor of Urology as well as Director of the Iris Cantor Men’s Health Center. In that position, he was responsible for the development of a new discipline within Urology, Integrated Men’s Health. Over is tenure at Weill Cornell Medical College, he was actively engaged with teaching and supervising both residents and fellows and was the Director of the Fellowship Program in Male and Female Voiding Dysfunction. Prior to this, he held the tenured position of Given Foundation Professor of Urology at Columbia University and was the Vice Chairman and Program Director. Dr. Kaplan graduated from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 1982 and was elected to the AOA Honor Society. Dr. Kaplan’s postgraduate training included an internship and residency in the Department of Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital as well as a residency in Urology at the Squier Urologic Clinic, Columbia University. He was an American Urologic Association Scholar between 1988 – 1990 that focused on identifying molecular markers and urodynamic parameters that herald bladder and prostate dysfunction.

Deepak Kapoor, MD

Dr. Deepak A. Kapoor, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Integrated Medical Professionals (IMP) is one of the youngest physicians to have been certified by the American Board of Urology and comes to IMP with over 20 years of clinical and business expertise. His medical background is diverse with both laboratory and clinical experience, both in the academic and private sectors. Dr. Kapoor's expertise includes basic science research in molecular biology as well as extensive experience in oncologic and reconstructive surgery. Under his leadership, Dr. Kapoor's organization, Integrated Medical Professionals (IMP) has become the largest comprehensive urology group practice in the United States, and is regarded as a national leader in the areas of quality management, utilization review, compliance and the development of coordinated clinical pathways.
In addition to his duties with IMP, Dr. Kapoor is Clinical Associate Professor of Urology, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Chairman of Health Policy and Immediate Past President of LUGPA (representing nearly 25% of all practicing urologists in the United States), is Chairman of SCRUBS RRG (the only national urology specific medical malpractice carrier), has served on the Board of Directors of UroPAC (the national political action committee representing the interests of the specialty of urology), founder of the New York Urology Trade Association (representing the business interests of urology group practices in the State of New York), past Chairman of Access to Integrated Cancer Care (an informal advocacy group representing the rights of patients to access integrated services of the highest quality), is a member of the Board of Directors of Allied Urological Services, (the largest lithotripsy partnership in the United States , where he also functions as Chairman of the Finance Committee) and is Founder and Past-President of the Integrated Medical Foundation. Dr. Kapoor is a Fellow of the American College of Physician Executives.
Dr. Kapoor has published and lectured extensively on both clinical and business medical issues, and serves on a number of medical advisory boards, including the New York State Governor's Prostate Cancer Advisory Panel. He is the 2014 recipient of the Russell W. Lavengood Distinguished Service Award from the New York Section of the American Urological Association as well as the 2011 Ambrose-Reed Socioeconomic Essay Award from the American Urological Association. Dr. Kapoor continues to enjoy an active clinical practice along with his administrative duties.

Aaron E. Katz, MD, FACS

Dr. 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.

Jaime Landman, MD

Dr. Jaime Landman has served as the chair of the Department of Urology 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 scientist, he is actively working on tumor markers for urologic cancers and is trying to identify the relationship between kidney cancer and surrounding tissues.

Vincent Laudone, MD

Dr. Vincent Laudone a board-certified urologic surgeon who specializes in robotic surgery for people with cancers of the genitourinary system, especially prostate cancer. I’m also Chief of Surgery at MSK’s new Josie Robertson Surgery Center, a pioneering outpatient and short-stay cancer surgery facility located on York Avenue in Manhattan.In his personal practice, he sees approximately 350 to 400 new prostate cancer patients each year and operate on approximately 250 men annually. I’m in my 28th year of doing cancer surgery exclusively and have more than 12 years of experience with robot-assisted surgery. Throughout these years, his focus has been to optimize the use of this technology and to ensure that we achieve the very best results for each and every patient. In the case of prostate cancer, this means treating the cancer in the most effective way possible while preserving urinary and sexual function to the maximum extent possible. We’ve entered the age of what I like to call “technologically enhanced surgery.” The major advance of the past decade has been the introduction of the surgical robot. Going forward, his focus is to further develop technology that will enhance what we see — and therefore what we’re able to do — during surgery. For example, he is working with his colleagues on a method to take a three-dimensional rendering of a patient’s prostate MRI and bring it into the surgeon’s visual field as he or she operates. This means that surgeons will have right in front of them a real-time view of the surgical anatomy as well as a detailed MRI as a guide.

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.

Bobby Liaw, MD

Bobby Liaw, MD specializes in the treatment of genitourinary and gastrointestinal cancers at Mount Sinai Downtown. He attended Cornell University and SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, graduated internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and completed his hematology/oncology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. In addition to providing multidisciplinary care in the fields of genitourinary and gastrointestinal cancers, he is actively involved in clinical research. His main academic interests are in the translational and clinical investigation of genitourinary malignancies, with particular interests in developing new biomarkers and treatment strategies for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Reza Mehrazin, MD

Dr. Reza Mehrazin is Assistant Professor of Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Mehrazin joined the surgical staff at Mount Sinai School of Medicine after completing a two-year Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO) accredited fellowship at a highly prestigious National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated cancer center, Fox Chase Cancer Center. Prior to his fellowship, he completed his general surgery internship and urology residency at University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Dr. Mehrazin’s clinical expertise is in open, laparoscopic, and robotic surgical techniques for the treatment of various urologic cancers, which allows him to tailor a specific treatment plan based on individual patient need and preferences. He is one of the few urologists in the region who has extensive training and certified in performing minimally invasive organ preserving and reconstructive techniques to preserve function and quality of life for patients with kidney cancer and bladder cancer. He performs both robotic (using da Vinci® technology) and open cystectomies with continent urinary diversion (new bladder), nephron-sparing (kidney preserving) partial nephrectomy, nerve-sparing prostatectomy, partial or total adrenalectomy, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for testicular cancer, and endoscopic nephron-sparing management of patients with upper tract urothelial carcinomas. He also has a special clinical interest in the management of patients with metastatic and advanced kidney cancer with tumors extending into the surrounding organs or major vessels, as well as salvage bladder surgeries following radiation therapy. His research interests revolve around novel clinical and surgical treatment of kidney and bladder cancer. Over 170 of his abstracts have been presented at international, national, and regional scientific meetings. He has authored and co-authored over 50 scientific papers which are published or currently in press in major, high impact journals, such as The Journal of Urology, European Urology, and Urologic Oncology. His published work on the active surveillance of small renal masses (greater than 4 cm in size) is the largest single-center series reported to date. In addition, he has authored text book chapters on kidney and adrenal tumors. He has also served as an expert reviewer and medical correspondence writer for medical journals such as UroToday, World Journal of Urology, and International Urology & Nephrology. He takes a multi-disciplinary approach and works closely with Medical Oncology and Radiation Oncology physicians at Mount Sinai Health Care System to deliver comprehensive care and support for each patient.

Mani Menon, MD

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. While working with Dr. Walsh, Dr. Menon developed a technique to measure androgen receptors in the human prostate, the first such measurement. Later, Dr. Menon moved to Washington University in St. Louis where, within two years, he became the youngest tenured clinical faculty member. He also became one of the first surgeons in the world to perform nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy. In 1983, Dr. Menon joined the University of Massachusetts, where he started the Division of Urological and Transplantation Surgery and, at the age of 34, became the youngest chair of Urology in the United States. Under Dr. Menon's leadership, the Department of Urology at the University of Massachusetts became the largest in New England and one of the best in the country as ranked by U.S. News and World Report. In 1997, Dr. Menon was recruited from the University of Massachusetts to Henry Ford Hospital to invigorate its prostate cancer program. Dr. Menon has published more than 300 papers, primarily in the field of robotic surgery, renal transplantation and urolithiasis. His work has appeared in the major urological journals as well as in the New England Journal of Medicine. He is a past member of the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Advisory Board and a trustee of the American Board of Urology. Dr. Menon has been a visiting professor at various institutions not only inside the United States, but throughout the world, where he lectures and performs robotic surgery.

Nihal Mohamed, PhD

Dr. Nihal Mohamed’s previous research has focused primarily on exploring social, cognitive, and affective factors influencing patients’ coping with and adjustment to cancer diagnosis and treatment. Guided by a self-regulation theoretical framework, the focus of her current research is twofold: the assessment of cognitive and affective factors influencing treatment decision making and the development of applied psychosocial interventions to enhance treatment decision making, quality of life, and post-treatment healthcare among both prostate and bladder cancer patients and their family caregivers. Dr. Mohamed’s research is funded by a Career Development Award from the American Cancer Society (ACS), an Idea Development Award from the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Cancer Institute.

William Oh, MD

William K. Oh, M.D. is the Chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology; Professor of Medicine and Urology; and Ezra M. Greenspan, MD Professor in Clinical Cancer Therapeutics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Associate Director for Clinical Research, The Tisch Cancer Institute.
Dr. Oh’s clinical interests are management of genitourinary malignancies, including prostate, renal, bladder, adrenocortical and testicular cancers. Dr. Oh's research interests include exploring the role of chemotherapy in both castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and localized high-risk prostate cancer. In collaboration with laboratory-based colleagues, we are assessing changes in the expression of tissue and serum biomarkers due to chemotherapy. Another area of interest relates to the role of secondary hormone therapies in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
Another major research area has been the development and management of a prospective clinical database linked to blood and tissue banks for prostate cancer patients. Dr. Oh's recent research efforts exploring this database have included characterization of the efficacy of various therapies in advanced prostate cancer (e.g., nilutamide, ketoconazole, vinorelbine, docetaxel, mitoxantrone), assessment of PSA doubling time as a prognostic and predictive factor, efficacy of hormonal therapy, assessment of testosterone as a marker for cancer outcome, prediction of relapse based on nutritional factors at diagnosis and autoantibody signatures, and assessment of pharmacogenomic patterns predicting Gleason score.

Michael Palese, MD

Dr. Michael A. Palese is Chair, Department of Urology, Mount Sinai Downtown- Union Square and Associate Professor, Department of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is also the Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery of the Mount Sinai Health System and specializes in robotic, laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery. As a board certified urologist and fellowship trained surgeon, he specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney, ureter, adrenal, bladder and prostate disease with a special emphasis on robotic surgeries relating to kidney cancer.
Dr. Palese is a leading authority in the research and treatment of kidney disease specifically kidney cancer and kidney stones. He is one of a handful of surgeons in the United States who is trained in open, laparoscopic and robotic surgery. To date he has performed over 3000 open, laparoscopic and robotic kidney procedures. Dr. Palese is a world recognized surgeon and scholar who is also a leader in the development of new treatments and technologies. He performed the first robotic radical nephrectomy, robotic partial nephrectomy, robotic donor nephrectomy, robotic nephroureterectomy, robotic adrenalectomy, and robotic ureteral reimplant & reconstruction at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. He holds several patents for the design of novel surgical devices. Dr. Palese is the author of multiple book chapters and more than one hundred articles and abstracts. He is on the Medical Advisory Board of the National Kidney Foundation of Greater New York and is a reviewer and consultant for the periodicals of the Journal of Urology, Urology, Urologic Oncology and Journal of Endourology . He is an Editor for the Urologic Oncology (Journal): Seminars and Original Investigations in the section of New Technologies. He is on the steering committee for the Initiative on Kidney Cancer sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation. He also serves on the Medical Advisory Board to the New York Giants. He is a member of multiple organizations including the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Urological Association (AUA), the New York Section of the American Urological Association and the Society of Laparoscopic Surgeons (SLS).

Dipen Parekh, MD

Dr. Dipen J Parekh received his undergraduate education from Mumbai, India and his M.D. degree from Poona University. He then pursued a residency in General Surgery and Urology from Mumbai University, India. He was awarded the Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship that enabled him to pursue further training in the United States. After a Residency in Urology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, he completed a fellowship in Urologic Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He is the Chairman of the Department of Urology and Director of Robotic Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Parekh has published several scientific papers, abstracts and book chapters in Urology. He serves as the Assistant Editor for the Journal of Urology, the pre eminent journal in the field. Dr. Parekh's primary expertise is the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Urologic malignancies including tumors of the kidney, bladder, prostate, testis and male genitalia. He has expertise in Robotic Prostatectomy, Robotic Partial Nephrectomy and Robotic Cystectomy for bladder cancer along with orthotopic neobladder diversion. He also performs the more complex and major open urologic oncologic procedures in patients who are not appropriate candidates for the robotic or laparoscopic approaches. He is one of the few urologic oncologists nationally who is fellowship trained at a SUO accredited fellowship program who performs advanced, complex Robotic Urologic Oncologic procedures for prostate, bladder and kidney cancers on a regular basis. He has one of the largest experiences both nationally and internationally in Robotic urologic oncology and reconstructive procedures. He has presented his experience in Robotic urologic oncologic procedures as well his research in Urologic Oncology at several national and international meetings and has published his research in several peer reviewed journals. Dr. Parekh is a member of the Sylvester Cancer Center, the premier cancer care center in South Florida, who works closely with other specialties such as Medical Oncology and Radiation Oncology so that every patient is given an individualized, personalized treatment based on the nature of the cancer and the unique patient characteristics. Multidisciplinary, team based approach towards every cancer patient goes a long way in delivering optimal care to all cancer patients. Dr. Parekh’s philosophy is simple – Treat every patient as you would treat your own Family.

Prof. Francesco Porpiglia, MD

Francesco Porpiglia, MD, is Associated Professor of Urology at the University of Torino, School of Medicine S. Luigi Gonzaga. Dr Porpiglia earned his medical degree and completed postgraduate training Urology at the University of Torino. Currently he is the senior assistant of the staff Urologic Division at the S. Luigi Hospital, Orbassano (Torino) and he is also member of Postgraduate School in Urology the University of Torino. Dr. Porpiglia is a member of several scientific societies, including the Italian Society of Urology (S.I.U.), The Italian Association of Urologic Oncology (S.I.Ur.O), Italian Endourologists Association (I.E.A.) and European Association of Urology (E.A.U.). He is member of the Editorial Board of European Urology Dr. Porpiglia is a manuscript reviewer for several scientific journals including European Urology, Urology, Journal of Endourology. He is the author or co-author of more than 300 publications, more than 70 in peer reviewed journals.

Isaac Powell, MD

As a clinical member of the Population Studies and Disparities Research and Developmental Therapeutics programs at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center, Dr. Powell contributes to the research, education and clinical investigations mission of the cancer center. His commitment to cancer research is centered on the many ways prostate cancer impacts African Americans in comparison to other ethnic groups. Currently his research is directed toward ethnic differences in the biology/genetics of prostate cancer.

Rajveer Purohit, MD

Dr. Rajveer Purohit is a prominent, board certified urologist specializing in complex voiding problems such as incontinence and urinary obstruction, recurrent urethral strictures, minimally invasive urologic treatment for cancer, and sexual dysfunction. He is currently one of the tristate areas busiest reconstructive surgeons offering definitive repair of urethral strictures, and radiation induced urinary problems as well as complex urinary problems deemed untreatable by other urologists. Currently, he holds an appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Urology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and is an Assistant Attending in Urology at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Lenox Hill Hospital, and a Consultant at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Dr. Purohit graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, from Williams College in Massachusetts and received his medical degree (MD) and Masters in public health (MPH) degree from Columbia University in New York.

Ardeshir Rastinehad, DO

Ardeshir (Art) Rastinehad, D.O. joined the faculty from the National Cancer Institute as an Interventional Urologic Oncologist specializing in the surgical management of prostate, kidney, adrenal, and testicular cancer. Dr. Rastinehad has expertise in a wide array of interventional radiological and surgical techniques, including image guided procedures, laparoscopic and robotic surgery. He has a faculty appointment in the Department of Radiology and Urology guided procedures, laparoscopic and robotic surgery. For three decades, urologists have diagnosed prostate cancer using the same methodologies. There have been no reliable imaging tools to aid in the diagnosis and currently prostate cancer is the only solid malignancy that is still diagnosed by random biopsies. Dr. Rastinehad’s prostate cancer team has now incorporated state-of-the-art imaging to help visualize suspicious areas in the prostate for cancer. Dr. Rastinehad has also authored and implemented clinical trials of new techniques in the diagnosis and treatment of localized prostate cancer. Most recently, he is the principle investigator for a phase III clinical trial using MRI/Ultrasound fusion technology to improve prostate biopsy techniques. Using information from the prostate MRI, specific areascan now be targeted to better diagnose and quantify a patient’s prostate cancer. This was the first trial of this technology in the United States outside the National Institutes of Health. This new clinical approach is helping to lay a foundation for the evaluation of a new technique, Focal Therapy, which only treats the diseased portion of the prostate. Dr. Rastinehad’s research has been published in leading national and international medical journals including The Journal of Urology, Journal of Radiology, Urology, and The British Journal of Urology. He has also authored several book chapters. Dr. Rastinehad is a leader in his field of Uroradiology and Interventional Urology and has been invited to speak at many international and national meetings. He has also served as the course director for the first international course on MR US fusion guided prostate biopsies sponsored by the American Urological Association.
Dr. Rastinehad is the first urologist to practice interventional urology, which utilizes interventional techniques to treat urologic problems and is currently evaluating prostate embolization as an alternative to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).

Kenneth Rosenzweig, MD

Dr. Kenneth Rosenzweig is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Previously, he spent 13 years at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He specializes in the treatment of thoracic malignancies, specifically lung cancer and mesothelioma, with radiation therapy.
The focus of his work has been on incorporating new technology into radiation therapy treatment for these diseases. He has specifically worked on implementing and evaluating novel techniques such as intensity modulated radiation therapy, stereotactic body radiotherapy, deep inspiration breath hold, gated radiation therapy and the incorporation of PET scans into the radiation therapy treatment planning process. He was also the principal investigator of a dose escalation study that established the maximum tolerated dose of radiation therapy that can be safely delivered with radiation therapy. He has published over 70 articles in scientific journals on his work and has authored numerous textbook chapters. He has presented his research at numerous national and international scientific meetings. Dr. Rosenzweig has served on many committees including the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) Lung Committee, the RTOG Data Monitoring Committee, and the National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials Evaluation Panel. He has served as a Consultant to the International Atomic Energy Association. He attended Yale University School of Medicine and did his residency at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy at Harvard Medical School.

John Sfakianos, MD

John Sfakianos, MD, is Assistant Professor of Urology and Urologic Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His clinical focus includes treating patients with urothelial cancers of the upper urinary tract and bladder. He offers patients treatment options through his expertise in treating urologic conditions using open, laparoscopic and robotic techniques. He performs both robotic and open nephroureterectomies, partial cystectomies and cystectomies and forms urinary diversions including ileal conduits, continent catherizable pouches, and continent urinary diversions (ileal neobladder). His clinical interests and skills also include surgical treatment of patients with kidney, prostate, testicular and penile cancers. Dr. Sfakianos is a firm believer in a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care. He works closely with his colleagues in medical oncology and radiation oncology to provide a customized, integrated and innovative approach to treatment of patients with urologic cancers. His research focuses on the approach to treating urothelial and prostate cancers in personalized medicine, including genomic analyses of tumors, to predict risk and response to therapy. In laboratory research, he is using mouse models in prostate and bladder cancer to identify novel treatments. Dr. Sfakianos has published over 20 research articles in peer-reviewed publications, written book chapters on urothelial carcinoma and is a reviewer for the Journal of Urology and Urologic Oncology. Dr. Sfakianos received his medical degree from the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Buffalo and completed his internship and residency at the State University of New York at Downstate Medical Center. He went on to complete a fellowship in Urologic Oncology accredited by the Society of Urologic Oncology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Susan Slovin, MD, PhD

Dr. Slovin is an Attending Physician and Member in the Genitourinary Oncology Service, Sidney Kimmel Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine at Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University. She earned her doctorate in pathobiology from Columbia University and her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her postdoctoral training included a fellowship in Clinical Immunology at Scripps Clinic & Research Foundation, La Jolla, California; an internship and a residency in internal medicine from The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York; and a Hematology/Oncology fellowship in the Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She is a board-certified medical oncologist with expertise in the areas of prostate cancer immunology, biologics, and clinical trial design. A noted immunologist, she has been involving with the Prostate Cancer Foundation in leading an initiative which focuses on the development of novel immunologic approaches for the treatment of prostate cancer. She is a member of several professional associations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Association of Immunologists, American Association of Investigative Pathology, and American Association of Cancer Researchers, American Urologic Association and Sigma Xi Research Society. An ad hoc reviewer for numerous journals, including Cancer, Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, JAMA, Cancer Research, and Clinical Cancer Research, New England Journal of Medicine, Urology and Journal of Urology, she also served as Associate Editor for Seminars in Oncology and is a member of the editorial boards of several major journals including Clinical Cancer Research and The Prostate. She has served as a member of the NCI Clinical Oncology Study Section, ad hoc reviewer for the DOD, AACR, and NCI SPORE panels and serves as Chair of the VA Merit Grant Review System. Dr Slovin is well-recognized in the area of prostate cancer immunotherapy and has contributed many peer-reviewed articles and reviews to the medical literature. She has received numerous accolades and received the CancerCare Physician of the Year Award as well as the keynote speaker at the Massachusetts Prostate Cancer Coalition. She has received numerous teaching awards from the MSK Department of Medicine as well as from Weill-Cornell Medical College.

Prasanna Sooriakumaran, MBBS, PhD

Dr. Prasanna Sooriakumaran is a fully trained general urologist having completed higher surgical training in London. He has internationally renowned specialist expertise in prostate and bladder cancer management, especially with regards robotic surgery. PS spent 2 years at Cornell University’s hospital in New York and the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm learning robotic prostatectomy from 2 of the world’s best surgeons who have a combined case volume of over 7000 cases. PS is a high volume prostate cancer surgeon and his positive margin rates (a marker of surgical quality) are similar to the best surgeons internationally. His expertise resulted in him being nominated by the British and Swedish urological societies for the Crystal Matula Award in 2014, given to the most promising European urologist under the age of 40.

Rene Javier Sotelo, MD

Rene Sotelo, MD, is one of the most experienced laparoscopic/robotic surgeons internationally. Hailing from Latin America, he is a pioneer in robotic surgery for complex urinary fistulae in females and males, benign prostate enlargement and inguinal lymph node dissection for cancer. He has helped develop the novel concepts of single-port belly-button and natural orifice surgery. His experience with advanced robotic and laparoscopic surgery exceeds 2,300 personal cases, making him amongst the most experienced in the world. He has published more than 50 peer reviewed scientific papers, three textbooks and 28 chapters in major urology books. He also serves on the editorial board of three urologic journals. In recognition of his work, Dr. Sotelo has been invited as international guest-lecturer in more than 35 universities in 19 countries. His unique skills and large personal experience in minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic surgery are well known. He is a passionate teacher, having taught his techniques and best practices in 19 countries as an invited guest. To date, he has trained over 64 post-graduate fellows from 14 countries in the art and science of minimally invasive urology. It is because of these seminal achievements that Dr. Sotelo was selected to join the University of Southern California. His passion for surgical innovation, advancing the field and worldwide teaching coincides with, and further strengthens, the philosophy at the USC Institute of Urology. Philosophy of care: My vision for patient care is to transfer knowledge and bring health to hundreds of people, to open avenues for science and to create new techniques and procedures to help heal patients around the world.

Chandru P. Sundaram, MD, FACS, FRCS

Dr. Chandru Sundaram is Professor of Urology and Director of the Residency Program and Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine. He directed an Endourological Society recognized fellowship in Washington University before moving to Indiana University in 2002, where he established a fellowship and program in minimally invasive surgery. His clinical and research interests include minimally invasive surgery of the kidney, adrenal and prostate. He has authored over 150 articles in peer- reviewed journals. He has been an invited faculty in several international meetings and institutions around the world. He is on the board of directors of the American Urological Association and on Editorial Board of the Journal of Endourology. He has held multiple leadership positions including President of the North Central Section of the American Urological Association and and President of the Society of Urological Robotic Surgeons apart from multiple responsibilities in the Endourological Society. He has been recognized with teaching awards from Washington University and Indiana University.

Atsushi Takenaka, MD, PhD

Professor Atsushi Takenaka is the Chairman of Urology at Tottori University, and the Vice Director of Tottori University Hospital in Japan. He had been the director of Minimally Invasive Surgery Center from 2012 to 2016 at the hospital, and has an experience of over 500 robotic surgeries including prostatectomy, partial nephrectomy, radical cystectomy, and pyeloplasty.
He learned robotic surgery from Dr. Tewari at Cornell University at New York, and started robotic surgery in Japan 2010. So, he is one of the expert of robotic surgery in Japan. Also, he has studied surgical anatomy around the prostate especially about peripheral nerves and fascia with Dr. Tewari using cadaveric dissections. He has published over 200 peer reviewed papers. He is not only a skilled robotic surgeon, but also a science based surgeon.

Robert Valenzuela, MD

Dr. Valenzuela specializes in prosthetic urology, sexual dysfunction, urinary incontinence, benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), treatment of Peyronie’s disease and medical education. He is one of the most prolific implanters of penile prostheses, artificial urinary sphincters and male slings in the Northeast region. In addition to private practice, he is a former Assistant Clinical Professor at the Squire Urological Clinic at NY-Presbyterian Hospital of Columbia University. He is currently the Director of Penile Prosthesis Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. Dr. Valenzuela is a Diplomate of the American Board of Urology and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is an active educator, conducting patient education seminars, as well as, giving lectures to urologists and primary care physicians concerning the treatment of erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. Dr. Valenzuela also provides expertise and training to physicians, nationally and internationally, on his unique surgical techniques for inflatable penile prosthesis insertion, male slings, Artificial Urinary Sphincters, Prostatic Urethral Lift (Urolift) procedures, as well as, the management of complex prosthetic cases. He has developed the Sub-Coronal Inflatable Penile Prosthesis procedure (sc-IPP) and the Modified Sliding Technique (MoST/ MuST)). These are procedures designed for penile lengthening and penile length preservation at the time of penile prosthesis insertion. To keep up with the latest advancements in the industry, Dr. Valenzuela maintains affiliation with the American Urological Association, Hispanic Medical Association, Dominican Medical Association, Sexual Medicine Society, and the International Society for Sexual Medicine. Aside from the demands of work, he enjoys boating, skiing, and spending time with his family. Dr. Valenzuela is also the founder and President of the Northeast Mission of Hope, a medical mission that provides free surgical care to the needy around the world. As part of his community service he performs free cancer screenings annually. Throughout the course of his education and training, Dr. Valenzuela earned his Medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and completed both his internship and residency at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City.

Prof. Arnauld Villers, MD, PhD

Chairman of Department of Urology, CHU of Lille, Lille University 59000 Lille, France
Main topic of expertise and publications are in the field of localised prostate cancer. This topic includes natural history, morphogenesis, treatments and relevance of prostate zonal anatomy to the developement of prostate cancer. Main investigator of the french participation of the ERSPC (European Randomised Study of Prostate Cancer Screening) and participant in GAP3 with Movember.

Nikhil Waingankar, MD, MSHP

Nikhil Waingankar, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Urologic Oncology in the Department of Urology and the Department of Population Health Science and Policy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Waingankar received his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. He completed his surgical internship at Johns Hopkins Hospital and residency in urology at North Shore – Long Island Jewish Health System. He subsequently completed a fellowship in urologic oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center and received a Master’s of Science in Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Waingankar’s research is focused on the intersection of clinical urology with the economic, political, and public health aspects of care delivery. Recent research interests include examining the roles that surgical volume, regionalization of care, and treatment delays play on outcomes for patients who undergo complex cancer surgery. Additional research interests have included examination of physician practice patterns and adherence to guideline-based care for radical cystectomy, along with the impact this has on disparity in access to care and survival outcomes.

Peter Wiklund, MD, PhD

Peter Wiklund was educated at the Karolinska Institutet, is professor and works as a physician at the Karolinska University Hospital. Medical degree in 1983, doctorate in 1985 at the Karolinska Institutet, a specialist in urology in 1993. Professor of Urology at Karolinska Institutet in 1999.
Peter Wiklund is one of the pioneers in robotic surgery development in Europe. He started back in 2001 with robotic surgery and has now completed more than 2000 operations with surgical robot. Peter Wiklund has trained a large number of European robotic surgeons and is course leader for robotic surgical education both at the European Society of Urology (EAU) and the American Urological Society (AUA). He is a frequently invited speaker at international scientific meetings and demonstration operates in several countries. Peter Wiklund has a keen interest in education and research, and has published over 200 scientific articles and book chapters in the urological field. He has also served as editor of several textbooks on robotic surgery. Peter is Vice Chairman of the EAU Robotic Urological Section (ERUs)

Jorn H. Witt, MD

Dr. Jorn H Witt, MD, is since 2002 Chair of the Department of Urology, Pediatric Urology and Urologic Oncology at St. Antonius-Hospital Gronau. The department is one of the largest urological departments in Germany. Dr. Witt is also director of the Prostate Center Northwest, a certified Comprehensive Cancer Center for prostate cancer diagnostic and treatment. He is one of Europe's leading robotic surgeons with a personal experience of more than 5000 radical prostatectomies and head of a very busy surgical center with over 1500 robotic procedures per year. Dr. Witt also has a broad experience in other robotic procedures like robotic cystectomy with urinary diversion, pyeloplasty, nephr(oureter)ectomy, partial nephrectomy, pyelolithotomy, adrenalectomy and reconstructive procedures. The department is also a tertiary referral center for stone disease, endourologic procedures, reconstructive urology and medical treatment of urological malignancies. Dr Witt is also a founding member and former President of the German Society of Robotic Urology ("Deutsche Gesellschaft für Roboter-assistierte Urologie" – DGRU) and designated president of the annual meeting of the European Robotic Urology Section (ERUS) of the EAU in 2020 as well as member of different national and international workgroups for robot surgery.

Michael Zelefsky, MD

Dr. Zelefsky is a board-certified radiation oncologist and co-leader of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Genitourinary Disease Management Team — a multidisciplinary group of physicians who work together to treat patients with urologic malignancies. As a recognized expert in the field of radiation therapy, Dr. Zelefsky is the Chief of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Brachytherapy Service. Brachytherapy, which they use to treat many types of cancer, is the delivery of radiation using seeds implanted directly in a tumor. Their prostate brachytherapy program, which he helped develop and enhance since joining the staff in 1990, is known for its depth of experience and cutting-edge approach in treating men with prostate cancer. For patients with advanced or aggressive prostate cancer, he has significant expertise using high-dose-rate brachytherapy and temporary brachytherapy, in which patients receive several high-dose treatments either as a boost or as the sole treatment. Dr. Zelefsky also has experience using brachytherapy in patients whose tumor has recurred after external-beam radiation therapy or seed implant, as well as expertise using image-guided stereotactic radiosurgery for areas of metastases (spread) such as bone or lymph nodes. In addition, he was instrumental in pioneering the use of IMRT (intensity-modulated radiation therapy, which is computer-guided delivery of high doses of radiation directly to the tumor) and IGRT (image-guided radiotherapy, radiation beams targeted precisely to the tumor) for treating men with prostate cancer. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Brachytherapy, a medical journal that addresses all aspects of this sub-specialty, and Chairman of the National Patterns of Care Study for Genitourinary Cancers. Dr. Zelefsky is also a past president of the American Brachytherapy Society. For his work in this field, he has been honored to receive several awards including the Boyer Award for Excellence in Clinical research, the Outstanding Teaching Award in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering, the 2009 Henschke Medal (the highest award of the American Brachytherapy Society for achievements in Brachytherapy), and the 2009 Emanuel Van Descheuren Award for Excellence in Translational Research. Dr. Zelefsky lectures nationally and internationally about radiation treatments for prostate cancer.