Dr Raji Kooner stands in front of the da Vinci surgical system as painted for the 2011 Archibald Prize by 2011 Sulman Prize winner and former GP Peter Smeeth.
The work quietly records an early chapter in Australian robotic urology - the surgeon and the machine that together carried the first robot-assisted radical prostatectomy in NSW into routine clinical practice.
Video introduction
A short video introduction to Dr Kooner, his training and his approach to urological surgery.
International training and mentors
Personally mentored by, and regularly visits, leading international pioneers in robotic and laparoscopic urological surgery:
Mentoring and proctoring
Dr Kooner mentors and proctors surgeons in robotic urological surgery in Australia and internationally. He completed advanced one-on-one laboratory training in Single Port robotic surgery at Intuitive Surgical Headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, and in January 2026 performed the first pure Single Port robotic prostate procedure in NSW, supported by Dr Ryan Nelson (USA).
He is actively involved in prostate cancer research, regularly reviews his own operative data and outcomes, and presents results at national and international meetings.
Invited presentations and conference activity
- World Urology Conference (SIU), 2004
- Presentation of open radical prostatectomy outcome data.
- Laparoscopic Prostatectomy Conference, Sydney, 2004
- Organised by Dr Kooner with international expert Dr Bertrand Guillonneau.
- NSW Urology Conference, 2006
- Laparoscopic prostatectomy outcomes.
- Australasian Urological Society Annual Scientific Meeting, February 2007
- Presentation.
- Society of International Urology (SIU) Congress, Paris, September 2007
- "Successful Implementation of a Robotic Prostatectomy Program: A No-Complication Learning Curve" (Kooner R, et al.).
- Australasian Urological Society Meetings, 2008 and 2009
- Robot-assisted prostatectomy outcomes.
- European Association of Urology Annual Congress, 2009
- Robot-assisted prostatectomy outcomes.
- 1st Asia Pacific Prostate MRI Conference, Melbourne, August 2014
- Invited speaker.
- EAU Robotic Urology Section (ERUS) Annual Meeting, 2019
- Dr Kooner's educational video used as the main teaching video.
Academic recognition
- Sir John Loewenthal Prize - Surgery and Clinical Surgery, University of Sydney.
- Clinical Demonstrator, Master Classes in Advanced Endourology - World Congress of Endourology, Edinburgh 1997; Australasian Urological Society Annual Scientific Meeting, Sydney 2000.
Further reading
Full peer-reviewed publications list · Complete curriculum vitae · Urology NSW (practice site)