Director Biographies

Aaron E. Katz, M.D., a board-certified urologic oncologist, specializes in cryosurgery and the use of complementary medicine for the treatment of urologic conditions. He currently serves as Professor of Clinical Urology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. In addition to this role, he is the founder and Director of the Center for Holistic Urology, where he is the Principle Investigator for numerous clinical trials examining the efficacy of natural urologic therapies.

In 1986, Dr. Katz graduated from New York Medical College and completed a six-year training program at the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. Following his residency, he was awarded a Ferdinand Valentine Fellowship from the New York Academy of Medicine to advance his studies in the field of Urologic Oncology at Columbia University. During this time, Dr. Katz developed an innovative blood test known as Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), used to detect small amounts of prostate cancer cells. The RT-PCR test was the first time urologic cancers were scored using a molecular assay.

Recognized as a pioneer and expert of prostate cryosurgery, Dr. Katz has been using this modality of treatment since the early 1990’s and has trained over 100 urologists in both the United States and Europe on cryosurgery techniques. His involvement with the advancement of cryosurgery technology helped Medicare approve this therapy for the treatment of radiation-recurrent tumors.

Dr. Katz has published over 50 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, contributed four chapters to various urologic textbooks, as well as lectured throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan.

Philippa J. Cheetham, M.D., is a Board certified Urological Surgeon from the UK who is currently Clinical Fellow in Robotic Surgery and Prostate Cryosurgery at Columbia University Medical Center, New York.

After graduating with honours from the University of Bristol Medical School, UK and being awarded the gold medal for the most distinguished medical student of the year in 1996, Dr. Cheetham completed a 5 year general surgical training program at The John Radcliffe Hospital University teaching hospital, Oxford,UK. She was also appointed Demonstrator of Anatomy for Oxford University Medical School and clinical tutor for Worcester College, Oxford University. Following completion of general surgery residency, she was awarded the MRCS (Eng) surgical degree and became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2000.

In 2000, Dr. Cheetham was awarded a prestigious academic research fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of England. This enabled her to complete two years of full time basic science research with Professor Alison Brading in the Department of Pharmacology at Oxford University. Dr. Cheetham studied the pacemaker activity and contractility of the human bladder in spinal cord injury and was subsequently awarded a higher research degree for her scientific work and thesis on this subject. She also had an honorary clinical position at the National Center for Spinal Injuries, Stoke Mandeville, UK, during this time.

In 2008, Dr. Cheetham completed a further six years of higher surgical training in Urology at Oxford University, UK and was then awarded board certification in Urology by the Royal College of Surgeons of England, after passing the FRCS (Urol) examination.

In September 2008 Dr. Cheetham came to Columbia University Medical Center, New York to work with Professor Aaron Katz and Dr. Ketan Badani in Urologic Oncology. In July 2010 Dr. Cheetham completed a two year minimally invasive oncology fellowship in Robotic Surgery and Prostate Cryosurgery and now works full time with Professor Aaron Katz in the Center for Holistic Urology at Columbia University Medical Center.

She has a strong subspeciality interest in female Urology and bladder conditions associated with neurological disorders, like multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury. Dr. Cheetham also has a keen interest in holistic and natural therapies for urological conditions. Dr. Cheetham co-authored two recently published books "Robotic Prostatectomy for Prostate Cancer – Is It For You?" and "Living a Better Life After Prostate Cancer - A Survivor's Guide to Cryotherapy". She has also written chapters in the textbook "ABC of Urology", published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented extensively at prestigious international academic meetings all over the world.