Michael Palese

Dr. Michael A. Palese, is an American urologist specializing in robotic, laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery, with a special emphasis on robotic surgeries relating to kidney cancer,kidney stone disease and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Palese is the Chairman of the Department of Urology at the Mount Downtown. He is Vice Chairman of operations for the department of urology at the Mount Sinai Health System He is a professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. He is also the Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery for the Mount Sinai Health System and specializes in robotic, laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery.

As a board-certified urologist and fellowship-trained surgeon, Palese specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney, ureter, adrenal, bladder and prostate disease.

Palese performed the first robotic radical nephrectomy, robotic partial nephrectomy, robotic donor nephrectomy, robotic nephroureterectomy, robotic adrenalectomy, and robotic ureteral reimplant & reconstruction at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. He holds several patents for the design of novel surgical devices. He pioneered Single Port (SP) Robotic Donor Nephrectomy surgery and performed the world’s first procedrure in 2019.

Palese has been included in the Castle Connolly's List of America's "Top Doctors" every year from 2010 to 2026 and The New York Times publication of "Superdoctors" every year from 2009 to 2026.

Biography Palese graduated from Cornell University in 1993 with a double major degree as well as a minor degree in Human Biology. He received his medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 1997. He completed his general surgery and urology residency at the University of Maryland Medical Center and performed research at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was a research resident. He finished a fellowship in robotic and laparoscopic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University in 2004.

In 2004, Palese joined Mount Sinai Medical Center where he established the robotic surgery program for the Department of Urology. He served as the Chief of Urology at the North General Hospital in New York City from 2004 to 2008. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Urological Association, the New York section of the American Urological Association, and the Society of Laparoscopic Surgeons (SLS).

Board Certification American Board of Urology

Honors and awards

America's Top Doctor: Castle Connolly Medical LTD - 2025 (24th Edition), 2024(23rd Edition), 2023 (22nd Edition), 2022 (21st Edition), 2021 (20th Edition), 2020 (19th Edition), 2019 (17th Edition), 2018 (16th Edition), 2017 (15th Edition), 2016 (14th Edition), 2015 (14th Edition), 2014 (13th Edition) America's Top Doctor for Cancer: Castle Connolly Medical LTD - 2025(20th Edition), 2024(19th Edition), 2023 (18th Edition), 2022 (17th Edition), 2021(16th Edition), 2020 (15th Edition), 2019 (14th Edition), 2018 (13th Edition), 2017 (12th Edition), 2016 (11th Edition), 2015 (10th Edition), 2014 (9th Edition) Super Doctors of New York (The New York Times) -2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 New York Magazine: Top Doctors -2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011*New York Metro Area Top Doctor: Castle Connolly Medical LTD - 2025 (28th Edition), 2024 (27th Edition), 2023 (26th Edition), 2022 (25th Edition), 2021 (22nd Edition), 2020 (23rd Edition), 2019 (22nd Edition), 2018 (21st Edition), 2017 (20th Edition), 2016 (19th Edition), 2015 (18th Edition), 2014 (17th Edition), 2013 (16th Edition), 2012 (15th Edition), 2011 (14th Edition), 2010 (13th Edition) Guide to America's Top Surgeon -2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 Best Doctors in America -2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 Best Urology Video: Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons 2023 Saul Horowitz Jr. Award 2021 Cornell University Extern Program Sponsor 2008-2018 Best Video/Multispecialty: Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS) 2014 Best Video/Urology: Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS) 2014 Best Poster Presentation: Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS) 2014 Best Video/Multispecialty: Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS) 2012 Best Reviewer Award - Journal of Urology (Kidney Section) 2011 Best Video/ Urology: Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS) 2005 Fellow; American College of Surgeons (ACS) 2004 Resident Achievement Award: Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS) 2003 Pfizer Scholar Award and Grant 2003 Gerald P. Murphy Scholar 2003 Emil Tanagho Prize for Best Innovative Research; International Society for Sexual and Impotence Research (ISSIR) 2002 Sponseller Award for Excellence in Research 2002 National Kidney Foundation of Maryland Grant; (NKF) 2001-2002

Clinical trials

Current clinical trials include: High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) Ablation for Treatment of Prostate Tissue in Bladder Outlet Obstruction (HIFU for BOO) ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT07194187. Sponsor Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Information provided by Michael Palese, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Responsible Party). Last Update Posted 2025-09-26. GCO#1: 19-0017(0001) ISMMS. A head-to-head comparison of Rezum and UroLift for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Dates: 1/11/2019 until 1/10/2023 inclusive. GCO#13-0476/BRANY File #12-11-438-05/Argos Therapeutics Protocol AGS-003-007. An International Phase 3 Randomized Trial of Autologous Dendritic Cell Immunotherapy (AGS-003) Plus Standard Treatment of Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma (ADAPT) Role: Principal Investigator. GCO# 11-1290-00001-01-PD. MSSM Project_Focal Cryotherapy for the Treatment of Localized Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate. Role: Principal Investigator. GCO 99-415. Tissue Banking of Prostate, Kidney, Bladder Tissue and Blood. GCO 03–0962. A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Phase 3 Trial of Immunotherapy with Autologous Antigen Presenting Cells Loaded with PA2024 (Provenge®, APC8015) in Men with Metastatic, Androgen Independent Prostatic Adenocarcinomas. GCO 03-0962(2). An Open Label, Single Arm Trial of Immunotherapy with Autologous Antigen Presenting Cells Loaded with PA2024 (APC8015F) for Subjects With Objective Disease Progression and Disease-Related Pain on Trial D9902 Part B (PB01). GCO 08–0813. A Randomized, Multicenter, Single Blind Study in Men with Metastatic Androgen Independent Prostate Cancer to Evaluate Sipuleucel-T Manufactured with Different Concentrations of PA2024 Antigen (P07-2). GCO 09–1509. An open label study of sipuleucel-T in men with castrate resistant prostate cancer. GCO 10–0751. A Phase I Neoadjuvant Study of In-Situ REIC/Dkk-3 Gene Therapy Followed by Prostatectomy in Patients with High Risk of Localized Prostate Cancer (MTG-REIC-PC001).

Book chapters Alexander C. Small and Michael A Palese. Ethanol Injection of Prostate. Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Modern Alternative to Transurethral Resection of the Prostate. Springer, New York, 2015: 163-172. Wedmid A and Palese MA. Complications of Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy. Complications of Laparoscopic and Robotic Urologic Surgery. Springer, New York, 2010:127-142. Palese MA, Del Pizzo JJ, Munver R and Poppas D. Robotic assisted adult and pediatric pyeloplasty. Textbook of Laparoscopic Urology. Informa Healthcare, New York, 2006:303-311. Palese MA, Mulhall JP and Goldstein I. Surgical treatments for vasculogenic erectile dysfunction. Atlas of Male Sexual Dysfunction. Current Medicine LLC, Philadelphia, 2004:115-125.

Publications