Ganesh Raj, MD, PhD
Professor, Urology and Pharmacology
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 Oncology, Lancet Oncology, eLife, 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.
