Dr. Nirmish Singla

Dr. Nirmish Singla is an Assistant Professor of Urology and Oncology in the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins University. He serves as the Director of Translational Research in Genitourinary Oncology and helps lead the multidisciplinary Kidney Cancer Program at Johns Hopkins.

Dr. Singla received his undergraduate degree (B.S.E.) in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Michigan and his medical degree (M.D.) from the University of Michigan Medical School, where he was supported by a full-tuition Dean’s Merit Scholarship. While there, he worked in the renowned laboratory of Dr. Arul Chinnaiyan to identify urinary biomarkers in prostate cancer using gene fusions. He went on to complete his residency training in Urologic Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), where he served as Administrative Chief Resident. Following his residency, he received an NIH/NCI Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award T32 grant and spent an additional year at UTSW as a postdoctoral research fellow in Urologic Oncology through the Physician Scientist Training Program. During this time, he earned a Master of Science in Clinical Science (M.S.C.S.) degree through the Center for Translational Medicine at UTSW and helped develop and pioneer a Physician Administrative Fellowship program. He then completed a specialized clinical fellowship in urologic oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York through the Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO) before joining Johns Hopkins.

During his advanced surgical training in complex urologic oncology at MSKCC, Dr. Singla gained clinical expertise in all areas of urologic oncology, including adrenal, kidney, upper tract, bladder, prostate, penile, urethral, and testicular cancers. Dr. Singla’s clinical practice spans the complete spectrum of genitourinary oncology and includes mastery of both open and minimally-invasive (endoscopic, laparoscopic, and robotic) techniques. Dr. Singla strives to provide personalized and compassionate care for patients affected by urologic cancer by integrating cutting-edge technologies and multidisciplinary approaches to treatment.

Dr. Singla has been intimately involved in basic, translational, clinical, and engineering research endeavors across all urologic malignancies. He has a specialized clinical and translational research interest in kidney cancer. While at UTSW, he became integrated into their renowned, multidisciplinary Kidney Cancer Program, which is one of only two programs in the country to receive a multimillion-dollar Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant from the NCI for Kidney Cancer. In particular, Dr. Singla is interested in studying the biology of kidney cancer on a molecular level, focusing on prognostication in localized and advanced disease, identifying diagnostic and therapeutic targets, understanding mechanisms of therapeutic resistance, and designing multidisciplinary clinical trials to reduce morbidity, personalize treatment, and improve outcomes in patients. He has directly mentored several students, residents, and fellows in both clinical and translational research pursuits.

As the Director of Translational Research in GU Oncology at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Singla’s overarching goal is to help scientific discoveries in the laboratory materialize for patients with urologic cancers in the clinic. His primary focus is to help build and lead a multidisciplinary clinical and translational Kidney Cancer Program at Johns Hopkins. He also shares clinical and research interests in testicular, prostatic, and urothelial malignancies, including upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, Dr. Singla co-authored >150 articles, 10 book chapters, and >230 local, national, or international presentations. He serves as an ad hoc reviewer for multiple renowned urologic journals and has earned numerous awards and national recognition for his academic work.