Raj S. Pruthi, MD, FACS

Raj S. Pruthi, M.D., M.H.A. is Professor and Chair of the Department of Urology at UCSF.

He is a graduate of Stanford University and received his MD degree from Duke University School of Medicine. Following medical school, he completed his residency and post-graduate training at Stanford University. Most recently, he completed the executive MHA program at UNC

Dr. Pruthi currently serves on a number of institutional, regional, and national teaching and professional capacities, and is currently a member of the American Urological Associations Guidelines on the Management of Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer, the Bladder Cancer Guidelines Committee of the International Consultation on Urological Diseases, the ABU/AUA Examination Committee, the American College of Surgeons Advisory Council and Chair of the Program Committee for Urology, Treasurer for the Society of Academic Urology, a Governor and member of the Board of Regents for the American College of Surgeons, Board of Directors for the Southeastern Section of the American Urological Association, the Society of Pelvic surgeons, and the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons. He was also on the Executive Committee for the UNC Faculty Practice and on the Board of the UNC Healthcare Alliance and Senior alliance, a clinically-integrated network and Medicare ACO, respectively.

His clinical and research interests are in urologic oncology including bladder, kidney, and prostate cancer, and has published over 200 peer review publications in these areas. In addition to serving as a consultant and reviewer for numerous publications, he has also served on the editorial board for several journals including the Journal of Urology, British Journal of Urology, World Journal of Urology, Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases, amongst others.

“I got involved with BCAN almost 15 years ago when I met Diane Quale and learned of her passion to build a national organization focused on advocacy for bladder cancer patients – my patients. The organization filled a clear unmet need for providers and for patients.  BCAN has not only become a forum for support, but one for advancement in the areas of treatment, discovery, treatment, and awareness. I am honored to be part of BCAN. Even many years of caring for bladder cancer patients, BCAN and its Scientific Advisory Board remains a source for exchange of ideas and approaches to best care for patients – truly from bench to bedside.

Over the years, I have enjoyed supporting and participating in patient advocacy forums – witnessing patients and their families take the reins in advocating for a brighter future.

With regard to my particular interests, I remain committed to a multi-disciplinary, holistic, and patient-centric approach to care. My early research, as a clinician, was centered on surgical innovation, including the earliest descriptions of robotic approaches to bladder cancer. This was followed by research on process innovation, including clinical care pathways and health information technology to optimize the patient experience — an area needing substantial quality improvement for the bladder cancer patient. Progress has been in baby steps, but, we seem to be making the needed progress towards a cure – slowly but surely. Beyond cure, we need to continue to focus on the survivorship aspect of bladder cancer – improving the quality of life for our patients.” – Dr. Pruthi