Dr. Desai grew up in southwestern Pennsylvania. He went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania for his undergraduate degree and West Virginia University for medical school. He completed his general surgery and urology residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine / Montefiore Medical Center. Dr. Desai is certified by the American Board of Urology.

After finishing his general urology training, Dr. Desai went on to complete two additional years of training in Urologic Oncology at Indiana University – one of the premier institutions treating urologic cancers. His approach to kidney cancer is strongly grounded in the philosophy that every attempt be made at preserving maximal kidney function. He has extensive experience in performing partial nephrectomies. With regard to bladder cancer, Dr. Desai has been trained by many of the surgeons that pioneered the Indiana Pouch and neobladders for patients who have aggressive bladder cancer. He gained particular expertise in laparoscopy and robotic surgery, specifically, nerve sparing robotic prostatectomy and laparoscopic kidney surgery. He now uses the Da Vinci surgical robot in the treatment of prostate, kidney, and bladder cancers.

Dr. Desai has a strong interest in a variety of treatments for prostate cancer in all of its stages. He has authored the chapter titled, Future Innovations in Treating Advanced Prostate Cancer in The Urologic Clinics of North America published in 2006. He has presented both nationally and internationally on the subject of prostate cancer and robotic surgery. Dr. Desai has a very strong belief that all men with prostate cancer should be empowered patients with access to all of the latest and most appropriate options for their treatment. While the primary goal of any treatment is the control and cure of cancer, he places a very heavy emphasis on the patient’s quality of life and return to normal function. He gives frequent talks to the local prostate cancer support group – US TOO.