Louis R. Kavoussi MD

Louis R. Kavoussi, MD, is Chairman of Urology for Northwell Health and Waldbaum Gardner Professor of Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He is considered an expert in urological diseases as evidenced through his multiple national awards, numerous patents and over 500 publications. He is an editor of Campbell's Urology, which is the specialties leading text as well as the Atlas of Retroperitoneal Surgery and the New Handbook of Surgical Technique.

Dr. Kavoussi is a world-renowned authoritative surgeon in minimally invasive approaches to urologic diseases and has operated around the globe. He has pioneered several new operative techniques including the laparoscopic nephrectomy for cancer and for live renal transplant. He also was part of the team that performed the first laparoscopic prostatectomy to treat prostate cancer. He has pioneered techniques in preserving kidney function through laparoscopic partial nephrectomy and cryoablation.

Dr. Kavoussi also has extensive experience with minimally invasive approaches to treat renal obstruction, kidney stones and testicular cancer. His research contributions have focused on making surgery less painful, precise and safer using novel techniques, medical robotics and telemedicine.

Dr. Kavoussi completed his undergraduate training at Columbia University in 1979. Subsequently he attended the State University of New York at Buffalo where he was awarded his medical degree in 1983. He achieved his surgical and urological residency training at Washington University in St. Louis where he joined faculty directly out of residency as Chief of Urology for the Jewish Hospital of St. Louis. In 1991 he was appointed assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and director of the Division of Endourology at the Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Dr. Kavoussi has received many prestigious awards to recognize his contributions to the field of urologic surgery. Among these are the Computerworld Award from the Smithsonian Institute for developing telerounding, the Clayman Mentoring Award from the Endourology Society for educating fellows globally, the Golden Cystoscope Award which is the most coveted award bestowed by the American Urologic Association to the individual who has helped most to advance the field within 10 years of completing their residency. He also received the Distinguished Contribution Award from the American Urological Association.

Dr. Kavoussi was a full named professor at the age of 40. He was elected to the Society of Genitourinary Surgeons, which is an elite group of the most outstanding urologists in the world. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award before the age of 50 from the National Kidney Foundation for his pioneering work in minimally invasive renal surgery. He has been appointed to multiple international committees.

In 1993, Dr. Kavoussi joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine where he became Vice-Chairman and Patrick C. Walsh Distinguished Professor of Urology. He was appointed Chairman of Urology for Northwell Health in 2006.