Urologist Dr. Jim Hu will lead the LeFrak Center for Robotic Surgery
Dr. Jim Hu has been appointed director of the LeFrak Center for Robotic Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and recruited as the Ronald Lynch Chair of Urologic Oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College. He assumed his new role on Feb. 1.
Dr. Hu is an internationally renowned expert in the use of robotic and minimally invasive surgery to treat prostate cancer. As director of the LeFrak Center, he will lead cutting-edge clinical and research efforts in urologic oncology, as well as other areas such as otolaryngology, obstetrics and gynecology, and ophthalmology. Dr. Hu will also spearhead clinical efforts in prostate cancer at the recently established Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medical College and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, in addition to serving on Weill Cornell's faculty.
"We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Hu," said Dr. Peter Schlegel, urologist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and the James J. Colt Professor and chairman of the Department of Urology at Weill Cornell Medical College. "He has a truly outstanding track record of excellence and innovation in both urologic oncology and robotic-assisted surgery."
Dr. Hu joins NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he served as director of minimally invasive and robotic surgery and professor of urology, in addition to holding the Henry E. Singleton Chair. Prior to his tenure at UCLA, he was the director of robotic urologic surgery and the director of prostate cancer at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, while also serving as associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and associate surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
A former American Foundation for Urologic Disease scholar, Dr. Hu has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. His research has been published in numerous prestigious journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of Clinical Oncology, European Urology and Annals of Surgery, and his work has been cited in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal among other national outlets.
Dr. Hu earned his undergraduate and Master of Public Health degrees from Johns Hopkins University and his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine. He completed his surgery and urology residency training at UCLA and a fellowship in urologic oncology and robotic surgery at City of Hope National Medical Center.
"NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College's track record of developing innovative, patient-friendly treatments is exemplary," Dr. Hu said. "With a team of brilliant physicians and state-of-the-art resources, I'm confident we will make great strides in personalized cancer treatment and robotic surgery."