Kiran Turaga, M.D., MPH
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Dr. Kiran Turaga is a surgical oncologist at Yale School of Medicine in Connecticut. He specializes in treating cancers and advanced tumors that are difficult to treat using traditional approaches, including malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. He values the use of new technologies that are improving cancer care, including laparoscopic and robotic approaches, as well as minimally invasive ways of treating cancer using radiation and interventional oncology.
Dr. Turaga is a highly respected innovator in the use of regional perfusion to treat cancers in which the disease has spread to only one or a few areas of the body, including the use of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. This approach delivers high doses of heated chemotherapy directly to the surgical field immediately after all malignant material has been removed. Speaking of the complex procedures, he says, “I can use these approaches to help patients live longer, lead healthier lives, and focus on the things that really matter.”[1]
Education and Career
Dr. Turaga completed his medical training at the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He completed his surgical residency from Creighton University and his fellowship from The Moffitt Cancer Center. He also holds a Master’s in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.
Following his fellowship, Dr. Turaga practiced at the Medical College of Wisconsin and at the University of Chicago Medicine, where he was Vice Chief of the Section of General Surgery and Surgical Oncology, Director of the Surgical Gastrointestinal Cancer Program, and Director of Regional Therapeutics. While there he created one of the premier programs for cytoreductive surgery and regional therapies in the nation and was the fellowship director for the Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship program for the University of Chicago/Northshore program.[2]
Dr. Turaga joined the faculty at Yale School of Medicine in 2023 as Division Chief of Surgical Oncology. He will also serve as Assistant Medical Director for the Clinical Trials Office at Yale Cancer Center.
Treatment Specialties
HIPEC, hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, is an innovative procedure that has provided many peritoneal mesothelioma patients with longer life expectancies. Dr. Turaga is one of only a few surgeons who are experts in the procedure, which involves surgery followed by the circulation of heated chemotherapy drugs in the abdominal cavity.
In addition to peritoneal mesothelioma, Dr. Turaga helps patients with other difficult cancers, including advanced GI cancers. He has expertise in using minimally invasive robotics equipment to perform surgeries.
Research Interests
Dr. Turaga’s research focuses on the development of novel diagnostics and therapeutics for oligometastatic cancer. He is currently the principal investigator for several clinical trials exploring the interface of immunotherapy and liquid biopsy in the surgical management of cancers, including malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Over the course of his career, he has published over 110 journal articles and has contributed scholarly works to foremost oncological textbooks about peritoneal surface malignancies. He has also served as the section editor for the Annals of Surgical Oncology for the regional therapies section. He is interested in disease prediction, modeling, and the delivery of optimal care for his patients.[1]
Honors and Awards
Dr. Turaga is a member of several professional organizations including the Mesothelioma Research Foundation Scientific Advisory Board, the American Society of Peritoneal Surface Malignances, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Society of Surgical Oncology, the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, and several others.
He has also been honored and recognized many times by his peers. He was given the Lee Biblo Award for Professional Excellence and the Distinguished Faculty in Program Innovation Award. He was named the Sharon Wadina Endowed Professor of Sarcoma Research and is a Bucksbaum Senior Faculty Scholar for Clinical Excellence.
Patients who turn to Dr. Turaga for consultation and treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma have a dedicated ally on their side. His research and devotion to excellence in patient care have made a major difference in the lives of so many dealing with this and other difficult malignancies.
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Terri Oppenheimer has been writing about mesothelioma and asbestos topics for over ten years. She has a degree in English from the College of William and Mary. Terri’s experience as the head writer of our Mesothelioma.net news blog gives her a wealth of knowledge which she brings to all Mesothelioma.net articles she authors.
Page Edited by Patient Advocate Dave Foster
Dave has been a mesothelioma Patient Advocate for over 10 years. He consistently attends all major national and international mesothelioma meetings. In doing so, he is able to stay on top of the latest treatments, clinical trials, and research results. He also personally meets with mesothelioma patients and their families and connects them with the best medical specialists and legal representatives available.