I was six years old when open heart surgery saved my brothers life. It was the first of many times when I thought about becoming a doctor, so that I, too, could save someones life. For more than 26 years, Ive had that opportunity. Ive treated more than 5,000 patients whove had prostate cancer and are now thriving after having their prostate gland removed through a procedure known as radical prostatectomy., I came to NYU Langone in 1993, because I had a tremendous opportunity to build a world-class urology department here. Since then, our department has defined state-of-the-art care by improving outcomes for radical prostatectomy. For example, we now use a technique that spares the nerves, preserving function as much as possible. We have also pioneered the use of MRI to diagnose and pinpoint the precise location of prostate cancer. More than 90 percent of patients whove needed surgery to remove the prostate at NYU Langone have reported long-term satisfaction with the outcomes., We are at the forefront of research into prostate cancer, using image-guided diagnostic techniques, such as MRI, to help us determine the best treatment”whether its surveillance of slow-growing cancer, the need for complete removal of the prostate, or destroying one malignant area without using surgery., It\'s the connection we make with patients and their families that humanizes medicine in this age of technology. For this reason, I take the time to listen to my patients and guide them through treatmen