A Letter from the Founder
Vipul Patel, MD, FACS Medical Director. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men, afflicting between 25-30,000 men yearly. In the US, over 3 million men currently have the diagnosis of prostate cancer. However, despite this, prostate cancer is still not commonly discussed in society today and the awareness of this male cancer pales in comparison to breast cancer in women.
I created the International Prostate Cancer Foundation (IPCF) in 2008 to fill a void in men’s health advocacy and to raise awareness and support scientific advances in prostate cancer. The spirit of our foundation is formed from the inspiration of our doctors, patients and healthcare advocates. Our mission is to serve, educate, and innovate to help men understand their risks and what they can do.
When this journey began a quarter century ago, few could have anticipated the scale and impact of the medical innovation that would emerge. With the help of my extraordinary team, collaborative colleagues, and our trusting, faithful patients, we made a meaningful impact and helped to reshape how the world sees prostate cancer. Today, men are far more aware of their health and of their -in-8 lifetime risk of prostate cancer in the United States. They are better educated about their options and the realities of this disease.
We have made tremendous strides in clinical care, advancing surgical outcomes through robotic surgery and improving postoperative rehabilitation. Yet, in stark contrast to these clinical achievements, we have witnessed a national decline in PSA prostate cancer screening, largely driven by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force decision to remove PSA testing from baseline screening for men. Eliminating screening for the second leading cause of cancer death in men has had profound consequences. We now see delayed diagnoses, higher-grade disease, increased metastatic cancer, and rising mortality. Our clinical triumphs have collided with realities of today’s healthcare landscape and regulatory mandates. We know without question that prostate cancer screening saves lives.
Despite these challenges, our team has vowed to continue the fight. We remain committed to educating men and their families, training physicians around the world, and delivering exceptional care for men with prostate cancer. Our team has traveled globally and operated in more than 42 countries and on all continents except for Antarctica. After more than 20,000 robotic radical prostatectomies, our program set the gold standard for others to follow. The sheer magnitude of the 20K always makes me pause, reflect and appreciate the trust that all these men and their families have placed in our team. It is a heavy burden, but we carry it with the upmost pride and appreciation.
We have shared the highs and lows of this disease alongside our patients and their families. And we will continue our mission, believing that even small advances can create a lasting impact in protecting the health of men.
About Vipul Patel
Vipul Patel, MD, FACS is an American board-certified urologist. He completed his medical school education at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He then completed his residency and fellowship training at the University of Miami in Florida. Subsequently, Dr. Patel served as director of Robotic Surgery at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
Dr. Patel currently practices at AdventHealth Florida as Director of the Global Robotics Institute and The Chief Innovation Officer at Lake Nona Medical Center. He also holds the position of clinical professor of Urology at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and Founding Member and Executive Director of the Society of Robotic Surgery. In addition, Dr. Patel is Chair of Humanitarian Healthcare Equity at the University of Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Study.
Dr. Patel leads the world’s most experienced multi-specialty robotic surgery team and travels globally to educate physicians and care for patients. Dr. Patel is world-renowned for his contribution to the field of robotic surgery and prostate cancer and has developed techniques that have translated to improve patient care and outcomes. His contributions have been recognized worldwide through publications, professorships and training courses. He has personally performed over 20,000 robotic prostatectomies.
Dr. Patel founded the International Prostate Cancer Foundation (IPCF) and the Humanitarian Healthcare Equity Foundation (GHHEF). He established The Journal of Robotic Surgery and edited the first robotic urology textbook. Dr. Patel has over 300 peer reviewed publications and was recently named to the Stanford University/Elsevier Publishing top 2% of scientists in the world.
His most recent contributions have been to the concept of remote robotic surgery, telesurgery. In June of 2025 he performed the landmark telesurgery robotic radical prostatectomy from Orlando, Florida to Luanda, Angola at a distance of 11,000km in an FDA IDE approved clinical trial setting. He continues to innovate and lead globally recently establishing a collaboration with the World Health Organization for Global Healthcare Equity.