Timothy F. Donahue, MD

My role is to help people navigate the often overwhelming and unnerving experience of a cancer diagnosis. The number of possible treatments and decisions that need to be made can be a lot to process. I aim to provide expert insight so that we can decide the best course of action together as a patient-physician team.

In developing a treatment plan, I always consider each patient’s goals and wishes so that we can achieve the best possible outcomes while maintaining quality of life. When people leave my office, I hope they feel confident in my extensive experience and expertise, and that they know they have a committed partner who is invested in their well-being.

In addition to caring for patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering, I am actively involved in bladder cancer research. My colleagues and I conduct cancer clinical trials that look at how we can improve surgical outcomes for people undergoing radical cystectomy. We also look at individual patients’ blood and urine markers to identify those who might benefit from additional or alternative chemotherapy before and after radical surgery.

I also study new ways of diagnosing and treating superficial (non-muscle invasive) bladder cancer, especially for people who have not responded to standard treatments. People participating in these trials are able to receive these cutting-edge therapies before they are accessible nationally.

I recently retired as a Captain from the US Navy after 21 years of active-duty service. I spent most of my time at the military’s largest academic medical center providing care, teaching residents and fellows, and conducting research. I also deployed four times and was stationed overseas with the US Marines. In the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, I served as the chief surgeon aboard the USNS Comfort during its relief efforts. I have extensive experience dealing with combat-related trauma and reconstruction from caring for wounded warriors returning from Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade. I also served as the urologist to the US Capitol beginning in 2004. In 2009, I was asked to serve as the urologist to the White House Medical Unit.