Description of Program

The 1–2-year fellowship program aims to provide candidates with a comprehensive experience in Robotic Surgery and Minimally Invasive Urologic Oncology. During the program, candidates will gain extensive exposure to pioneering techniques, ensuring a high-volume learning opportunity. 

To foster a well-rounded understanding, the fellowship adopts a multidisciplinary approach. Candidates will have the chance to collaborate with experts from diverse specialties such as medical oncology, radiation oncology, and advanced imaging. Additionally, they will have access to bench space and animal lab facilities, with the benefit of an expert supervisor to support their research endeavors.  

The overarching goal of the fellowship is to nurture future leaders in the field through effective mentorship. This mentorship is geared towards enhancing their advanced knowledge, clinical expertise, and technical skills. By offering guidance and support, the program aims to shape skilled and knowledgeable professionals who will contribute significantly to the field. 

For further information on the program, please visit: 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/urology-kidney/medical-professionals/urology-fellowships/robotic-laparoscopic 

Fellowship staff:

Jihad H. Kaouk, MD - Director, Center for Robotic and Image-Guided Surgery, Fellowship Program Director

Georges-Pascal Haber, MD – Department of Urology Chairman, Lap/Robotics staff

Robert Stein MD – Lap/Robotics staff

Mohamed Eltemamy, MD - Lap/Robotics & Transplant staff

Jane Nguyen, MD, PhD - Clinical Pathology

Moshe Ornstein, MD, MA - Medical Oncology

Andrei Purysko, MD - Genitourinary Radiology

Rahul Tendulkar, MD - Medical Oncology

Previous Graduates of Lap/Robotics Fellowship Program:

1. Anoop Meraney, MD (2001-2002) - Director of Urologic Oncology at Hartford Healthcare, CT
2. David P. Murphy, MD (2001-2002) - Urology Staff at HCA Virginia Health System, VA
3. Christopher S. Ng, MD (2002-2003) - Urology Staff at CEDARS-SINAI, CA
4. Anup Ramani, MD (2003-2004) - Urology Staff at Various Hospitals in Mumbai, India
5. Dinesh Singh, MD (2003-2004) - Associate Professor of Urology, Endourology Chief, Director of Laparoscopy & Endourology, Director of Endourology Fellowship at Yale School of Medicine, CT
6. Antonio Finelli, MD (2004-2005) - Professor of Surgery, Head of the Division of Urology University Health Network, Anna-Lisa Farquharson Chair in Kidney Cancer Research at the University of Toronto, Canada
7. Igor Frank, MD (2004-2005) - Urology Staff at Mayo Clinic, MN
8. Ali Moinzaddeh, MD (2004-2006) - Chair of Urology at Lahey Hospital Medical Center, MA
9. Sijo J. Parkattil, MD (2004-2006) - Medical Director at Avant Concierge Urology and Associate Professor of Urology at University of Central Florida, FL
10. Benjamin Chung, MD (2005-2006) - Associate Professor of Urology, Director of Robotic Surgery at Stanford Medicine, CA
11. Nicholas Hegarty, MD (2005-2007) - Consultant Urologist at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Ireland
12. Monish Aron, MD (2005-2008) - Professor of Clinical Urology, Co-Director of Robotic Surgery and Advanced Laparoscopy at Keck Hospital of USC, CA
13. Jason Hafron, MD (2006-2007) - CMO and Director of Clinical Research at the Michigan Institute of Urology and Professor of Urology at the William Beaumont School of Medicine, MI
14. Robert Stein, MD (2006-2007) - Urology Staff at Cleveland Clinic, OH
15. David Canes, MD (2007-2008) - Urology Staff at Lahey Hospital Medical Center and Associate Professor of Urology at Tufts University School of Medicine, MA
16. Raj Goel, MD (2007-2009) - Chief of Urology and Co-Chair Erie St. Clair Robotics Program at Winsdor Regional Hospital, Canada
17. Brian H. Irwin, MD (2008-2009) - Associate Professor of Urology at the University of Vermont Medical Center, VT
18. Wesley M. White, MD (2008-2009) - Professor and Chair of Urology, Director of Laparoscopic and Robotic Urologic Surgery at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, TN
19. Georges-Pascal Haber, MD (2008-2010) - Chair of Urology at Cleveland Clinic, OH
20. Michael White, MD (2009-2011) - Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX
21. Gregory Spana, MD (2009-2011) - Urology Staff at Bayhealth Medical Center, DE
22. Rakesh Khanna, MD (2009-2011) - Urology Staff at the University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital and Upstate University Hospital, NY
23. Wahib Isac, MD (2010-2012) - Urology Staff, Cleveland Clinic Avon, OH
24. Shahab Hillyer, MD (2011-2012) - Urology Staff at Kern Medical, CA
25. Emad Rizkala, MD (2011-2013) - Urology Staff at Summit Health, NJ
26. Riccardo Autorino, MD (2012-2014) - Professor of Urology & Director of Surgical Innovation at RUSH University, IL
27. Humberto K. Laydner, MD (2012-2014) - Robotic Urologic Surgeon and Proctor at Santa Casa de Porto Alegre Hospital, Brazil
28. Jayram Krishnan, DO MBA (2013-2014) - Urology Staff at Virtua Health, NJ
29. Homi Zargar, MD (2013-2015) - Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne and Director of Urology at Western Health, Australia
30. Daniel Ramirez, MD (2014-2016) - Urology Staff at Urology Associates, PC, TN
31. Peter Caputo, MD (2014-2016) - Urology Staff at Summit Urology Group and Adjunct Professor of Urology at the University of Utah School of Medicine, UT
32. Ryan Nelson, DO (2015-2017) - Urology Staff at Michigan Institute of Urology, MI
33. Matthew J. Maurice, MD (2015-2017) - Urology Staff at Cleveland Clinic Akron, OH
34. Jeremy Reese, MD (2016-2017) - Urology Staff at Advocate Aurora Health, WI
35. Julien Degenais, MD (2016-2018) - Urology Staff at The Urology Center of Colorado, CO
36. Daniel Sagalovich, MD (2017-2018) - Director of Robotic & Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery and Assistant Professor at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, NY
37. Juan Garisto, MD (2017-2018) - Assistant Professor of Clinical Urology and Director of Urologic Oncology at NYP Hospital- Brooklyn Campus, NY
38. Mohamed Eltemamy, MD (2018-2019) - Urology and Transplant Staff at Cleveland Clinic, OH
39. Roger J. Yau, MD (2018-2019) - Urology Staff at Urology Specialists of The Carolinas, NC
40. Clark Alexander Wilson, MD (2019-2020) - Urology Staff at UT Health Tyler, TX
41. Alireza Aminsharifi, MD (2019-2020) - Associate Professor of Urology at Penn State Health, PA
42. Zeyad R. Schwen, MD (2020-2021) - Urology Staff at Cleveland Clinic, OH
43. Alp Tuna Beksac, MD (2020-2022) - Urology Staff at Cleveland Clinic, OH
44. Ethan Ferguson, MD (2021-2023) - Assistant Professor at Indiana University, IN
45. Aaron Kaviani, MD (2021-2023) - Urology Staff at Peoria, IL
46. Albert Geskin, MD (2022-2023) - Urology Staff at Private Practice, PA
47. Jaya S. Chavali, MD (2022-2024) - Urology Staff at Medical University of South Carolina, SC
48. Carter Mikesell, MD (2023-2025) - Current Fellow
49. Adriana M. Pedraza, MD (2023-2025) - Current Fellow

Living in Cleveland

Cleveland is a welcoming city, with multiple livable neighborhoods within a 5 mile radius of the main campus. Fellows have the option of living in a variety of settings, ranging from the urban excitement of downtown Cleveland, to the suburban and family-friendly neighborhoods nearby the main campus. Housing in Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights also affords access to some of the best public schools in the Midwest. Fellows can expect to have an excellent quality of life with a low cost of living during their time in Cleveland.

Cleveland has an exciting and ever evolving restaurant scene. Prominent local chefs include Michael Symon and Zack Bruell. Cleveland breweries are thriving, with notable homegrown establishments that include Great Lakes Brewery, Platform Brewery, and Masthead Brewery. A wide arrange of outdoor activities are available, with a robust network of Cleveland Metroparks for hiking, biking, and watersports access. The city is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Cleveland Zoo, highly regarded Science and Natural History Museums, and an Art Museum that was ranked the second best in the United States. Cleveland is home to the country’s second-largest performing arts center in Playhouse Square, and to the Cleveland Symphony, considered one of the best in the country.