Professor Nikhil Vasdev is Professor of Robotic Surgery at the School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, after being promoted from Senior Clinical Lecturer in August 2022. Professor Vasdev is also a consultant urological and robotic surgeon at the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Urological Cancer Centre at Lister Hospital, Stevenage. His private practices are Pinehill Hospital, Hitchin and One Hatfield Hospital, Hatfield.
He is the Associate Medical Director for Cancer Services at the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust (ENHT). Professor Vasdev is an international accredited proctor in robotic urology and operates regularly in Asia and Europe. Professor Vasdev is the lead consultant (cancer) for the COVID-19 response at NHS England for ENHT. In September 2016, Professor Vasdev was awarded the prestigious “Celebration of Clinical Excellence Award” by the Chief Executive of the ENHT and in May 2017, was also awarded “Best Innovator” in the Surgical Division Awards at the ENHT. In April 2019, Professor Vasdev demonstrated a live robotic bladder removal and robotic urinary diversion at the Thai Urology Association meeting which is second operation of its kind to be performed in Thailand. In May 2020, Professor Vasdev was awarded a “Doctor of Science (DSc)”, an award more esteemed than a PHD, by the awards committee at the University of Hertfordshire in recognition of Professor Vasdev contribution in robotics in surgery.
Professor Vasdev’s specialist clinical and academic interest is in urologic oncology. He specializes in both robotic prostate and bladder cancer surgery (robotic prostatectomy with intra-operative frozen section of prostate (NeuroSAFE) and extended pelvic lymph node dissection and robotic cystectomy) and kidney surgery (robotic nephrectomy and robotic pyeloplasty). In 2019, Professor Vasdev commenced preforming Robotic Salvage Prostatectomy and Robotic Salvage Cystectomy. These surgeries are performed on patients with cancer recurrence, following initial radical radiotherapy, making Professor Vasdev one of very few select robotic surgeons with this skill. Professor Vasdev also performs open cystectomy with both ileal conduit and neobladder formation.
In February 2017, Professor Vasdev led and commenced the Blue Light Cystoscopy programme for bladder cancer patients in North Hertfordshire, performing over 1000 robotic urological procedures over 7 years as a consultant. He continues to be amongst the highest volume robotic urology cancer surgeons in the UK ,with excellent patient outcomes.
Professor Vasdev is the UK’s first nationally accredited Robotic Fellow by the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the British Association of Urological Surgeons. As part of his fellowship in the UK and USA, he obtained a ChM in Urology with a Distinction from the University of Edinburgh/Royal College of Surgeon of Edinburgh for his thesis on the use of “Intraoperative frozen section of the prostate to reduce positive margin and improve nerve sparing during robotic prostatectomy”.
Professor Vasdev has published extensively and has over 190 peer-reviewed articles, 300 abstracts, 12 book chapters, written two textbooks on Urological Cancers and is on the editorial board of 15 international urological journals. He is on the national and international Fellowship accreditation committee at the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
Professor Vasdev is the ENHT Cancer Network lead for the Lister Robotic Urology/Vatikutti Foundation, USA collaboration. Professor Vasdev is an international proctor in Robotic Urological Surgeon and mentors’ hospitals and surgeons in Europe and Asia, across India, Hong Kong and Thailand, and is a clinical advisor to Prostate Cancer UK for the “best practice pathway national development programme”, which was released in September 2018 for national implementation. He is currently co-chair for the MRI implementation and biopsy standardisation. In 2022, Professor Vasdev performed Jordan’s first Robotic Surgery.
Professor Vasdev’s urological surgical training includes his basic surgical training at the National University Hospital, Singapore and Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. He then completed a six-year Higher Surgical Training on type-1 national training number in Urology in the Northern Deanery, Newcastle upon Tyne, training at large teaching hospitals including the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne; James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough and Sunderland Royal Hospital, UK. As well as robotic fellowship training at the Lister Hospital, Stevenage and City of Hope National Medical Centre, USA.