Newswise — (New York – October 2, 2018) Peter Wiklund, MD, PhD, a world-renowned surgeon who pioneered robot-assisted cystectomy, has been appointed Director of the Bladder Cancer Program at the Mount Sinai Health System and Professor of Urology in the Department of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His new role will begin immediately.

Prior to joining Mount Sinai, Dr. Wiklund was Chair of Urology, Molecular Medicine, and Surgery, and Professor of Urology at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, where he built a leading cystectomy program. He has performed more than 3,000 robotic operations and has extensive experience in advanced oncological surgery in patients whose tumor is growing on several pelvic organs (multi-organ tumor, bladder, prostate, colorectal, ovarian, and uterine). Dr. Wiklund has traveled the world as an invited lecturer and has performed live educational surgeries throughout Europe, Asia, and South America. He is chair of the scientific working group of the European Urology Robotic Section of the European Association of Urology and is an international member of the American Urological Association. He has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and 30 review articles and has been the editor and contributing author for three textbooks on robot-assisted surgery.

“It is an honor to join Mount Sinai’s Department of Urology, which is recognized for its robotic and reconstructive surgical teams in bladder, kidney, and prostate cancers,” said Dr. Wiklund.

Dr. Wiklund earned both his MD and PhD at Karolinska Institutet. He is known as a role model for young investigators and has guided residents, fellows, and junior faculty to successful careers in research and clinical medicine. Dr. Wiklund organized the successful international fellowship program in robot-assisted surgery at Karolinska University Hospital, where urologists from around the world have trained.

"We’re excited to have Dr. Wiklund join our team of physicians,” said Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, Chair of the Department of Urology at the Mount Sinai Health System and the Kyung Hyun Kim, MD Professor of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine. “Dr. Wiklund’s renowned techniques, including his ability to robotically reconstruct the ileum inside the body, lead to great benefits for his patients.”

“Mount Sinai has the most established specialists in the country for robotic prostate cancer and robotic kidney surgery, and the addition of Dr. Wiklund’s expertise in robotic bladder surgery will add a new level of minimally invasive treatment for our patients,” said Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System.

The Department of Urology at the Mount Sinai Health System has more than 190 urologists on staff, more than any other health care system in New York City. Its robotic surgery program is among the most robust in the country. Genomic testing and advanced imaging are routine for patients with prostate cancer, providing personalized and precise treatment protocols.

About Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City’s largest integrated delivery system encompassing seven hospital campuses, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai’s vision is to produce the safest care, the highest quality, the highest satisfaction, the best access and the best value of any health system in the nation. The System includes approximately 6,600 primary and specialty care physicians; 11 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. The Icahn School of Medicine is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Medical Schools”, aligned with a U.S. News & World Report’s “Honor Roll” Hospital, it is ranked as a leading medical school for National Institutes of Health funding, and among the top 10 most innovative research institutions as ranked by the journal Nature in its Nature Innovation Index. This reflects a special level of excellence in education, clinical practice, and research. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 18 on U.S. News & World Report’s “Honor Roll” of top U.S. hospitals; it is one of the nation’s top 20 hospitals in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Nephrology, and Neurology/Neurosurgery, and in the top 50 in six other specialties in the 2018-2019 “Best Hospitals” issue. Mount Sinai’s Kravis Children’s Hospital also is ranked nationally in five out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 11th nationally for Ophthalmology and 44th for Ear, Nose, and Throat, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai West are ranked regionally. For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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