Effective Dec. 1, 2024, Ganesh Raj, M.D., Ph.D. will be closing his practice at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

The clinic will be happy to recommend a physician to assume your care. Patients can obtain a copy of their medical records by calling 214-645-3030 or by email at medical.records@utsouthwestern.edu.

Biography

Ganesh Raj, M.D., Ph.D., is a Professor of Urology and Pharmacology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and the holder of the Paul C. Peters Chair in Urology. He is also the co-leader of the Experimental Therapeutics program at the Harold C. Simmons Cancer Center, which is the largest program within the Cancer Center. He leads the Prostate Cancer programmatic efforts at UT Southwestern Medical Center, with the goal of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE).

Dr. Raj joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2006 after completing his urology training at Duke University Medical Center and his urologic oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Dr. Raj specializes in urologic oncology, including the treatment of high-risk prostate, bladder, kidney, and testis cancers. He is one of the leading urologic cancer surgeons in the country, with superb outcomes using open, laparoscopic, and robotic techniques. He has particular expertise in nerve-sparing techniques and in complex salvage procedures.

His clinical interests include optimizing oncologic and surgical outcomes for patients with urologic cancers using minimally invasive and multimodality approaches.

Dr. Raj is a national research and thought leader in prostate cancer. His basic science research is focused on the identification and targeting of molecular drivers of therapy resistance in innovative clinical model systems. In prostate cancer, his research team has identified critical drivers of advanced prostate cancer and developed novel small molecule therapeutic agents – peptidomimetics – against these drivers. His cutting-edge research program has received funding from the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the Department of Defense, the National Cancer Institute, private foundations, and pharmaceutical companies.

Dr. Raj is a rare surgeon scientist who was recently inducted in the prestigious American Society of Clinical Investigation, as only the third urologist ever. He has authored more than 140 publications in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals such as Nature, Journal of Clinical OncologyLancet OncologyeLife, Cancer Research, and Molecular and Cellular Biology. He has remained at the cutting edge of both basic science and the surgical art. His work has recently expanded into overcoming therapeutic resistance in breast and pancreatic cancers.

Dr. Raj has received numerous honors for his work throughout his career, including first prize from the American Urological Association for his laboratory research on prostate cancer. He serves as a peer reviewer for many significant peer-reviewed journals in basic science, urology, and oncology and is frequently invited to speak at universities and national conferences.

He has been recognized as one of “America’s Best Doctors” and has received both the Patient’s Choice Award as one of Texas’ top physicians and the Compassionate Doctor Recognition Award.

Meet Dr. Raj

Urologist Ganesh Raj, M.D., Ph.D., helps people put urologic cancers in their past.

Dr. Raj is one of the nation’s leading urologic cancer surgeons and specializes in high-risk procedures for prostate, bladder, kidney, testis, and penile cancers. He has particular expertise in nerve-sparing techniques and in complex salvage procedures – surgeries for cancers that persist despite radiation or previous surgery.

"We can put these cancers in the rearview mirror for our patients."

Instead of dwelling on the negative aspects of cancer, he wants patients with aggressive urologic cancers like prostate cancer and bladder cancer to think, “I had cancer, I treated it, and I moved on.”

He brings a compassionate approach to each patient he sees and tries to find the best treatment for every individual.

“I approach every patient from a simple standpoint of, if this patient were my father, what would I do for him?” Dr. Raj says.

He promotes a multimodality approach to urologic cancers, meaning a mix of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy – whatever treatment option UT Southwestern Medical Center’s urologic cancer team believes will work best for each patient. When possible, he will recommend minimally invasive robotic surgery to help patients get back to living their lives as soon as possible.

“For me, it’s more about giving patients multiple choices and making sure they understand what they are going into – the pros and the cons of a treatment,” he says.

In his research lab, Dr. Raj and his team focus on developing new therapeutics for prostate and bladder cancer. Among other work, his team has created a drug that uniquely targets androgen receptors in prostate cancer. That drug is moving toward clinical trials to test its effectiveness for patients.

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Education & Training
  • Fellowship - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute (2004-2006), Urologic Oncology
  • Internship/Residency - Duke University Medical Center (1998-2004), Urology
  • Medical School - Jefferson Medical School (1990-1997)
Professional Associations & Affiliations
  • American Urological Association (2004)
  • American Association of Cancer Research (2006)
  • American Society of Clinical Investigation (2017), National Honor society for Physician scientists
  • Society of Urologic Oncology
  • Society for Basic Urology research (2016), president of society
Honors & Awards
  • American Society of Clinical Investigation 2017, Nation's oldest medical honor society
  • Sigma Xi Research Award (1st Place) 1994, Most outstanding basic science research of the year, Philadelphia Chapter, Sigma Xi Research Society, Philadelphia, PA
  • AUA Circon Basic Science Research Award (1st Place) 2001, Laboratory research/ AUA Annual Meeting, Anaheim, CA
  • AUA/Praecis Gerald P. Murphy Scholar 2002, Distinction in the study of prostate cancer, AUA Annual Meeting, Orlando FL
  • Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Research Award 2005, Awarded for perineural therapeutics and cavernous nerve injury, Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering
  • ASCO Foundation Merit Award 2006, Awarded to the top-rated abstracts in prostate cancer, Prostate Cancer Symposium, San Francisco, CA
  • ASCO Foundation Merit Award 2008, Awarded to the top-rated abstract in genitourinary oncology
  • FASEB Conference Merit Award 2010, Awarded to the top-rated abstract in steroid signaling
  • Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health 2014, Visiting Lectureship, Adelaide Australia
  • ASCO FOUNDATION MERIT AWARD 2008, Awarded to the top-rated abstract in genitourinary oncology
  • FREEMASONS FOUNDATION CENTRE FOR MENS HEALTH 2014, Visiting Lectureship, Adelaide Australia
  • FASEB CONFERENCE MERIT AWARD 2010, Awarded to the top-rated abstract in steroid signaling
Books & Publications
Research
  • Urologic cancers
  • http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/labs/raj/
  • Development of targeted therapeutics
  • Development of primary models of prostate and bladder cancers
  • Androgen receptor signaling

Clinical Focus

  • Genitourinary Cancer
  • Bladder Cancer
  • Kidney Cancer
  • Prostate Cancer
  • Testicular Cancer
  • Male Urology
  • General Urology

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Q&A by Dr. Raj

Results: 1 Locations