Sij Hemal, MD

Dr. Sij Hemal is an expert in all aspects of robotic urologic oncology and specializes in the management of malignancies of the prostate, adrenal gland, kidney, ureter, upper urinary tract and bladder, using both the multiport (Xi) and single port (SP) da Vinci robot platforms. He also treats benign urologic conditions, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), upper urinary tract reconstructive surgeries for ureteral strictures and UPJ obstruction using the robotic platform. Additionally, Dr. Hemal provides care for other common urologic complaints, such as elevated PSA, gross hematuria, hydronephrosis and renal mass.

Dr. Hemal specializes in surgical techniques, including robotic radical prostatectomy, robotic partial/radical nephrectomy, robotic cystectomy with intracorporeal urinary diversion, robotic nephroureterectomy and robotic adrenalectomy for urologic malignancies. For benign urologic conditions, he performs robotic simple prostatectomies, robotic ureteral reconstruction and robotic pyeloplasty.

During his undergraduate education in biomedical engineering at the University of Michigan, he received the James B. Angell Scholar Award for outstanding academic achievement. Dr. Hemal went on to do his residency training in urology at the No. 1 ranked training program in the country, the Cleveland Clinic. He then was selected through the American Urological Association (AUA) endourology match for the prestigious one-year robotic urologic oncology fellowship at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, under Dr. Inderbir Gill, a pioneer and internationally renowned leader in the field of urology. Dr. Hemal currently serves as an assistant professor of clinical urology at the Keck School.

Dr. Hemal’s research interests include pioneering new robotic urologic surgery techniques and clinical outcomes research in urologic oncology. While in residency at the Cleveland Clinic, he was deeply involved in helping develop single-port robotic surgery, which is performed through a single incision.

A frequent presenter at national and international urologic meetings, Dr. Hemal was awarded the Best Abstract Award at the AUA Plenary Session and, most recently, was awarded the 2023 American Urological Association’s Rising Star Award for the Best of Robotics Theater. Dr. Hemal has been featured on CNN, People Magazine and was also interviewed on the television show The Doctors for delivering a baby on an airplane, during an active medical emergency onboard a transatlantic flight.

In his free time, he enjoys hiking, running, traveling and playing tennis and cricket.