Dr. James Porter
Dr. James Porter is director of surgical robotics at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. He is former Associate Professor of urology and head of laparoscopy and robotics in the Department of Urology at the University of Washington Medical Center. His area of expertise and is robotic assisted prostatectomy and partial nephrectomy. He has pioneered the retroperitoneal approach for robotic renal surgery and retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for the treatment of testicular cancer. He has been director of a fellowship in robotic and laparoscopic surgery for the last 13 years. He is considered the most experienced laparoscopic and robotic surgeon in the Pacific Northwest and has performed over 3,000 robotic procedures. He earned his undergraduate degree in biochemistry at Ohio State University. He received his medical degree from the Medical College of Ohio and did his urology residency at the University of Washington Medical Center. He did advanced laparoscopic training in Heilbronn, Germany under the direction of Dr. Jens Rassweiler. He is currently president of the Society of Urologic Robotic Surgeons.
Dr. Efstathiou ,MD
Dr. Efstathiou obtained her MD in 1995 and her PhD in 2004 from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece (1996−1997). She then completed an internal medicine clinical residency/ fellowship at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine (1997−2004), followed by a fellowship in medical oncology and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (2004−2007). Dr Efstathiou’s main scientific interests are in the areas of prostate cancer and, specifically, androgen signaling. She is conducting translational research in the high-risk locally advanced setting and in the far advanced CRPC setting of androgen signaling inhibitor in combination with other microenvironment targeting agents for the purpose of identifying predictors of outcome to further “precision” therapy development. .
Dr. Nicholas J. Vogelzang, MD
Dr. Vogelzang is a renowned medical oncologist and cancer researcher who has authored/coauthored numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and abstracts and has given hundreds of lectures and presentations to his peers. From 1999 to 2003, Dr. Vogelzang was Professor and Director of the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center. He also served as Director of Nevada Cancer Institute from 2004 to 2009.
Dr. Vogelzang joined Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada as a medical oncologist in 2009. He serves as Medical Director for US Oncology Research Executive Committee and is the Associate Chair for the Genitourinary and Developmental Therapeutics Programs. He is also Associate Editor of Kidney Cancer Journal and Clinical Genitourinary Cancer.
Dr. Vogelzang leads cutting-edge clinical trials in genitourinary malignancies and mesothelioma and is involved in new therapies for patients with metastatic kidney cancer. He has lead research in Las Vegas for two recent FDA-approved prostate cancer treatments – Provenge and Xofigo and was recently published in Nature for his research on an anti-PD-L1 treatment for metastatic bladder cancer.
Dr. Vogelzang has been named “Top Doctor” by U.S. News & World Report, “Best Physicians in Southern Nevada as chosen by their peers” by Desert Companion, “Everyday Hero” from the American Red Cross Southern Nevada, “Best Doctors in Las Vegas: Research” by Las Vegas Life, “Health Care Headliner” by Vegas Inc. and “Medical Marvels” by Nevada Business Magazine. He was also awarded the Gold Certificate of Excellence by National Cancer Institute and the Inspired Excellence in Health Care Award by Las Vegas HEALS. Dr. Vogelzang has been featured in several national and local media outlets in relation to his cancer research work including The New York Times, USA Today, New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, “60 Minutes” and the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Dr. Vogelzang has served on numerous committees for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), as well as on its board of directors for three years.
YASUHIKO IGAWA, MD, PhD
Dr Igawa received his MD from Shinshu University School of Medicine in 1982.He was certified as urologist in 1987 and as consultant urologist in 1993 by the board of Japanese Urological Association (JUA).
He worked as a research follow at the Departments of Urology and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Lund, Sweden in 1991-1993, and received Degree of Medical Science from Shinshu University School of Medicine and PhD from Faculty of Medicine, University of Lund on “Spinal and peripheral neural control of bladder activity: Possible mechanisms involved in bladder hyperactivity associated with outlet obstruction” in 1994.
He became Assistant Professor at the Department of Urology, Shinshu University School of Medicine in 1995, and was promoted to Associate Professor there in 1997. He visited the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia and stayed as Visiting Associate Professor for 8 months at the Department of Urology (November 2001-July 2002). On July 1st, 2010, he arrived at the present post.
Professor Ji Youl Lee, MD, PhD
Ji Youl Lee obtained his MD from the Catholic University Medical College in Seoul, Korea. Following this, he completed his Master and Doctor of Medical Science at the Catholic University Graduate School in 1992 and 2000, respectively.
In 2000, he was appointed Assistant Professor at St Mary’s Hospital in Seoul. After the completion of his doctorate degree, Professor Lee undertook a one-year research fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He was appointed Associate Professor in 2004, and subsequently Professor in 2009 at the Catholic University of Korea. Since 2009, he has also been the director of the Urology Oncology team at St Mary’s Hospital in Seoul, the director of out-patients department since 2013 and the director of department of Urology, President of the Biobank at St Mary’s Hospital in Seoul since 2015. Professor Lee has strong affiliations to prostate societies. He is the President of the Korea Prostate Bank and acts as Secretary General of the Asian Pacific Prostate Society (APPS). He also currently serves as the Vice-President of Korean Prostate Society (KPS) . Professor Lee is a highly-awarded speaker and researcher. His special interests are in Urological Oncology, Robot-assisted and Laparoscopic Surgery, Prostate Disease and Kidney Transplant. He has published widely in international peer reviewed journals.