Dr. Kawachi is the director of the Prostate Cancer Center at City of Hope. Since his arrival in 1992, Dr. Kawachi has spearheaded the development of two of the most prominent programs in the curative treatment of prostate cancer: Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy and Real-time Computer assisted Prostate Brachytherapy. With these two programs on the cutting edge of prostate cancer care; the Prostate Cancer Center at City of Hope is in the enviable position of being one of the only a few centers in the world capable of offering both treatments to appropriate patients. Dr. Kawachi also assisted in bringing the da Vinci® robot to City of Hope thereby helping the institution to stay at the forefront in offering patients minimally invasive treatment options. Dr. Kawachi is one of only a few surgeons in the world performing both robotic and Laparoscopic prostate cancer surgery.
Among his other achievements, Dr. Kawachi is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network panels for Prostate Cancer Early Detection and Treatment, which is helping shape the way prostate cancer is detected and cured worldwide. He is an active member of the Southwest Oncology Group, helping to ensure that research is brought to the patient bedside as quickly as possible. He is also a co-investigator in the City of Hope telomerase study and Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). Soon, he will assume the Presidency of the prestigious Los Angeles Urological Society and is an active member of the Board of the American Urological Association.
Dr. Kawachi joined the Divison of Urology and Urologic Oncology at City of Hope in 1992. His academic appointments include Associate Professor of Surgery, Urologic Oncology at City of Hope and Assistant Professor of Surgery, Urologic Oncology at the USC Kenneth Norris Cancer Hospital and Research Institute.
Dr. Kawachi earned his medical degree at the University of California Los Angeles and completed an internship in urology and a residency in urologic oncology at Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center. Prior to coming to City of Hope, Dr. Kawachi was on staff at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and served as Medical Director, Surgical Services, at the Hospital of the Good Samaritan in Los Angeles. He has recently assumed the Presidency of the prestigious Los Angeles Urological Society and is an active member of the Board of the American Urological Association. Dr. Kawachi is a Fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and Society of Surgical Oncology, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Urology.
