About Dr. Prag
Dr. Pragatheeshwar Thirunavuakarasu (Dr. Prag) is a surgeon certified in both General Surgery and Complex General Surgical Oncology by the American Board of Surgery. Dr. Prag is fellowship-trained in both Surgical Oncology and Hepato-pancreaticobiliary Surgery.
About Dr. Prag
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Areas of Practice
Colorectal
Cancer
Liver Cancer
Pancreatic
Cancer
Neuroendocrine Tumors
Esophageal & Gastric Cancer
Breast
Cancer
Sarcoma
Melanoma & Skin Tumors
HIPEC
Peritoneal Carcinomatosis
Palliative
Surgery
Robotic & Laparoscopic Surgery




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Education & Training
Madras Medical College
*Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery [M.B.B.S.] (M.D. Equivalent)
1999-2005

University of Pennslyvania
2006-2007
General Surgery Internship

University of Pittsburg Medical Center (UPMC)
2007-2013
General Surgery Residency
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UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
2009-2011
Research Fellow
Roswell Park Cancer Institute (University of Rochester, NY)
2013-2015
Complex General Surgical Oncology
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University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
2015-2016
Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary Surgery
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Certification & Licensure
Oklahoma State Medical Licensure
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2016-2020
Texas State Medical Licensure
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2015-2021
New York State Medical Licensure
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2013-2020
Fellow Of American College of Surgeons
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2019
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Memberships In Associations
American College of Surgeons
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American College of Surgeons, Oklahoma Chapter
Society of Surgical Oncology
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Selected Awards
Young Surgeon Research Award of the Western NY Chapter of the American College of Surgeons
2013
American College of Surgeons Resident Research Scholarship Award
2009-2011
Kamangar Ethics Award (Washington University at St. Louis)
2008
Damien Foundation Gold Medal
2003
Leela Krishnamurthy Award for Best Biomedical Scientific Paper (IABMS)
2000
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Books
David L Bartlett, Pragatheeshwar Thirunavukarasu, Matthew D Neal. - ‘Surgical Oncology – Fundamentals, Evidence-based Approaches and New Technology’. (ISBN: 978-93-5025-051-8). Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ld. (New Delhi – St. Louis – Panama City – London)
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Selected Publications
Thirunavukarasu P, Talati C, Munjal S, Attwood K, Edge SB, Francescutti V. Effect of Incorporation of Pretreatment Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen Levels into AJCC Staging for Colon Cancer on 5-Year Survival. JAMA Surgery Jun 17, 2015
Thirunavukarasu P, Sukumar S, Sathaiah M, Mahan M, Pragatheeshwar KD, Pingpank JF, Zeh H, Bartels CJ, Lee KK, Bartlett DL. C-stage in Colon Cancer: Implications of Carcinoembryonic Antigen Biomarker in Staging, Prognosis, and Management. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 2011 Apr 20;103(8):689-97
Thirunavukarasu P, Sathaiah M, Sukumar S, Bartels CJ, Zeh H 3rd, Lee KK, Bartlett DL. Meckel’s Diverticulum – A high-risk region for malignancy in the ileum. Insights from a population-based epidemiological study and implications in surgical management. Annals of Surgery. 2010 Feb;253(2):223-30
Thirunavukarasu P, Sathaiah M, Gorry MC, O’Malley ME, Ravindranathan R, Austin F, Thorne SH, Guo ZS, Bartlett DL. A Rationally Designed A34R Mutant Oncolytic Poxvirus: Improved Efficacy in Peritoneal Carcinomatosis. Molecular Therapy, 2013. February 26, 2013; doi:10.1038/mt.2013.27
Thirunavukarasu P, Gabriel E Attwood K, Kukar M, Hochwald SN, Nurkin SJ. Nationwide analysis of short-term surgical outcomes of minimally invasive esophagectomy for malignancy. International Journal of Surgery, Nov 18, 2015
Thirunavukarasu P, Aloia TA. Preoperative Assessment and Optimization of Future Liver Remnant. Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America Surg Clin North Am. 2016 Apr;96(2):197-205
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