fbpx
Donate Toggle Menu
brad leibovich

Dr. Bradley Leibovich is a member of the KCA’s Board of Directors and currently works as the Chair of the Department of Urology at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Rochester, Minnesota.

We spoke with Dr. Leibovich about serving on the Board and his work in medicine.

Dr. Bradley Leibovich (Left) with Dr. Brian Rini, both members of the KCA’s Medical Steering Committee and Co-Chairs of the KCA’s first Think Tank: Coalition for a Cure prior to IKCS 2019.

What motivated you to get involved with the Kidney Cancer Association?
I first got involved with the Kidney Cancer Association because it was a great academic experience. Most of my career has been focused on kidney cancer and the KCA was the only meeting that focused solely on kidney cancer practice and research. The meetings were a great place to learn, meet others, and share my work with those also devoted to this field.

My interest evolved as I learned more about the other activities of the KCA including the patient-facing work and advocacy components. As I understood those aspects and the people working on them, it became clear that this was something I wanted to be more involved in and I offered help where I could. From there, I went from serving as Program Committee Chair, to Medical Steering Committee membership, Medical Steering Committee Chair, and eventually Board Member.
 
How long have you been working with the KCA?
I have been involved at some level with the KCA for more than 15 years and have attended every one of our national meetings during that time. I have had the honor to serve on the board for about a year now.
 
What is your favorite travel destination and why?
 It’s hard to pick just one, but my favorite destination would have to be backcountry skiing in Canada. I like to get away from the crowds and into the mountains, skiing where nobody else has before. I also enjoy Central Minnesota for some of the best mountain biking on the planet and Hawaii to relax and explore with my wife.
 
What do you like to do in your free time?
 Mostly mountain biking and skiing. I really enjoy being in the woods or the mountains.
 
What is one thing most people do not know about you?
 I am pretty transparent so not too much to discover, I am definitely an introvert. I also was a race car driver for quite a while but stopped about three years ago when the mountain biking trails around here started to get so great.
 
What prompted/inspired you to go into the medical field? 
I enjoy taking care of people and I like to make lives better if I can. Initially I thought I would be a basic scientist but found that I really enjoyed interacting with patients. People can help each other in so many ways, but I especially enjoy the instant gratification of caring for patients and developing those relationships.  Whether that is simply providing information, offering hope, or removing a tumor, it is wonderful to be able to be involved with this type of work.

Recent Blog Posts

image for blog post One Year Cancer-Free

One Year Cancer-Free

March 29, 2024

This is a guest post by Amy Homnick whose husband Brian Travalja has stage 3 renal cell carcinoma. This story…

Read More

1 thought on “Spotlight: Dr. Bradley Leibovich of the KCA’s Board of Directors”

  1. Dr Leibovich just removed my left Kidney and adrenal gland May 28, 2020. I have stage four RCC and was diagnosed November of 2018. I was first turned down for Radical Naphrectomy because I had too much metastasized cancer in my body including eight lesions in my brain. The Mayo (hope saying the Hospital name is OK otherwise Medical Team) team worked to address all the cancer prioritizing treatments and staying on top of the newest systemic therapies available for me.
    In February of 2020 after nine months of systemic therapy I was told by my Oncologist that “It is time to revisit having your kidney removed”. Those words I never thought I would hear in my lifetime! All the treatments I had received since my diagnosis had either removed (shoulder mass surgically) killed (two radiation sessions, two Gamma Knife procedures and refractionalized radiation) or killed the cancer via systemic treatments. Surgery was scheduled for April 7, 2020 but was delayed due to corona virus until May 28th.
    Dr Leibovich came to my hospital room after the operation and said it looked like the systemic therapy drugs had done their job very well as it appeared most of the cancer in my kidney was dead. What GREAT news that was and Dr Leibovich took time to come and share that moment with my wife and I. I was released one day after my laparoscopic Radical Nephrectomy and adrenal gland removal. I received a call from Dr Leibovich a few days later to inform me that the pathology report actually stated that ALL the cancer in my kidney and adrenal gland was dead. They are optimistic that it is also dead in the rest of my body. Only time will tell but I am so blessed to be were I am right now. Thanks to God and my talented and caring Medical Team I can look forward to being with my family for quite some time and like Dr Leibovich enjoy the great outdoors in Wisconsin (right nest door to MN) fishing, hunting, hiking and golfing. Our big differences are he is Twins fan and I am Brewers fan. Never asked him about Packers and Vikings. Thought that was better left alone. He is a beautiful, caring person, I am blessed to have him as my surgeon and most important my friend. God Bless you my friend.
    He is a perfect person for the position he holds at the Kidney Cancer Association.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *