Mr Bhavan Rai

Mr Rai was appointed as a Consultant Urological Surgeon at the Freeman Hospital in September 2018, having previously served as a Consultant Urologist at the James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough from 2016. His practice is centred on delivering personalised, evidence-based care using the latest robotic surgical techniques to maximise cancer control while preserving urinary continence, sexual function and quality of life wherever possible.

He completed his surgical and urological training in Scotland before undertaking two prestigious high-volume robotic surgery fellowships, making him one of the few urologists in the UK to complete dual fellowship training in robotic urological surgery. His first fellowship was at the internationally renowned University of Leipzig Urology Clinic under Professor Udo Stolzenburg, a pioneer of minimally invasive radical prostatectomy. He subsequently completed the nationally accredited Royal College of Surgeons of England and BAUS Robotic Fellowship at the Lister Hospital, Stevenage.

Alongside his clinical practice, Mr Rai plays a leading role in shaping urological cancer care across the UK. He is Chair-Elect of the BAUS Section of Oncology, assuming office in January 2027, Chair of the GIRFT National Upper Tract Urothelial Cancer (UTUC) Pathway Group, Northeast and North Cumbria Cancer Alliance Clinical Lead for Urology, and Prostate cancer lead at Freeman Hospital, Newcastle.

He has led several national quality improvement programmes, including the landmark I-DUNC Audit, which evaluated the impact of diagnostic ureteroscopy on nephroureterectomy outcomes and informed improvements in the diagnosis and management of UTUC across the NHS. He has contributed as an expert member of the GIRFT Robotic Surgery Group and has contributed to national service redesign through NHS England’s Evidence-Based Interventions Programme.

Internationally, Mr Rai serves on the European Association of Urology (EAU) Guidelines Panels for Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer and Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma, as well as the EAU Methodology Committee, contributing to the development of international evidence-based clinical guidelines.

Mr Rai has established an international academic reputation in robotic surgery and uro-oncology. He has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications, textbook chapters and invited reviews, making him one of the most academically published urological surgeons in the North East of England. His work has attracted one of the highest research impact (H-index) scores among practising urologists in the region. He holds a Master’s degree evaluating MCM-2 as a urinary biomarker for bladder cancer and has led numerous systematic reviews, including Cochrane and EAU-endorsed reviews that have influenced international clinical practice. His research interests include urological oncology, robotic surgery, surgical outcomes, healthcare quality improvement, surgical education and the application of artificial intelligence in urology.

He has served as Principal Investigator on several major multicentre clinical trials, including ELIPSE, ATLANTA, IP5-MATTER and ASCERTAIN, helping to advance evidence-based treatment for patients with urological disease.

Mr Rai is passionate about education and surgical training. He previously directed the Newcastle Robotic Surgery Fellowship and is Course Director for the annual UK Cadaveric Robotic Surgery Training Programme. He is a Hands-on Trainer (HoT) for the European Urology Residents Education Programme (EUREP), a faculty member on numerous national and international robotic surgery courses and co-founder of UROGRIPP, an internationally recognised educational webinar platform for urologists.

He serves on the Editorial Boards of the British Journal of Urology International (BJUI) and the Journal of Clinical Urology and is a Scientific Committee member of The Urology Foundation, reflecting his commitment to advancing research and education within the specialty.

Mr Rai is also a passionate advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion. He developed the Women in Urology webinar series as part of the i-TRUE training programme and co-founded the PRISM and YIPE Awards through the International British Urology Society (IBUS), recognising and promoting excellence, inclusivity and the next generation of leaders in urology.