Arpita Desai, MD

Dr. Arpita Desai is a medical oncologist who specializes in caring for patients with genitourinary cancers (cancers of the genital or urinary organs). She particularly focuses on kidney and prostate cancers. She serves as medical director of the genitourinary medical oncology program at UCSF, where she leads efforts to deliver multidisciplinary, patient-centered care and advance innovative treatments. She also leads the UCSF kidney cancer program, which brings together clinical care, translational research and innovation to improve outcomes for patients with renal cell carcinoma. She also serves as medical director of the UCSF Von Hippel–Lindau multidisciplinary clinic, which integrates oncology, genetics, nephrology, ophthalmology, neurosurgery, endocrinology and other specialties to provide comprehensive, coordinated care for patients with Von-Hippel Lindau disease (a rare genetic disorder that increases a patient's risk of tumors). Through her leadership, research and national collaborations, Desai is committed to advancing precision medicine in kidney cancer and improving the lives of patients through both cutting-edge clinical care and translational research (lab findings that can lead to improvements in real-world patient care).

In research, Desai is interested in developing novel imaging and treatment strategies for renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer. She is particularly interested in integrating functional and molecular imaging to personalize treatment and improve patient outcomes. Her research program examines theranostics, hyperpolarized MRI and biomarker-driven approaches to optimize treatments for genitourinary cancers.

Desai earned her medical degree at Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in India. She completed a residency in internal medicine at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where she served as chief resident. She completed a fellowship in medical oncology at the University of Chicago.

Desai is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and American Association for Cancer Research and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Kidney Cancer Guidelines Panel. She has received a Cancer Research Institute Investigator’s Technology Impact Award, Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Merit Award and Dexter S. Levy, MD, Memorial Award for her commitment to teaching and excellence in patient care and has also been recognized with several awards for her mentorship and research.