Dr. Vishal Choksi
- Lead Consultant, Head and Neck Cancer Surgery Services, Apollo Ahmedabad
- American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) Fellow from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (USA)
- American Board of Surgeons (ABS) certified (General Surgery, USA)
- MBBS (India)
Dr. Vishal Choksi is a surgical oncologist whose practice is dedicated entirely to head and neck cancer. He is Lead Consultant for Head and Neck Cancer Surgery Services at Apollo Ahmedabad and has more than 20+ years of surgical experience in India and the United States.
A distinguished alumnus of the prestigious Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York—widely recognized as the global epicenter of cancer treatment—Dr. Choksi is the only surgeon in India to have completed a fellowship under the American Head and Neck Society at MSKCC. He trained directly under the legendary Dr. Jatin Shah for two and a half years.
Prior to this, Dr. Choksi underwent five years of rigorous training at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and earned his Board Certification in General Surgery from the American Board of Surgery.
Dr. Vishal Choksi, a product of the prestigious Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), New York, which is regarded internationally as the Mecca of cancer treatment, is the only surgeon in India trained in a two and half year American Head and Neck Cancer Society Fellowship at MSKCC under Dr. Jatin Shah.
Previously, Dr. Choksi received training for five years at the renowned Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York under Dr. Joseph Cunningham Jr, one of the titans of surgery in New York. He acquired certification as a General Surgeon from the American Board of Surgeons. Armed with impeccable international credentials in head and neck surgery, Dr. Vishal Choksi chose to bring the benefits of his expertise to India. He has been instrumental in developing the Head and Neck Cancer Surgery Department at Apollo Hospitals in Ahmedabad. As the founder, he has created the Department into an important hub of head and neck cancer treatment in Ahmedabad.
His extensive activity involving a wide variety of head and neck cancers includes areas of special interest such as skull base cancers, oral cancers, thyroid diseases and minimally invasive procedures. He continues to explore new frontiers of knowledge in these areas by way of presenting papers at national and international seminars and conferences. He continues to upgrade his scientific knowledge through special courses and workshops, such as receiving additional training in MIVATS – Minimally Invasive Video Assisted Thyroid Surgery at the University of Pisa, Italy and Endoscopic Laser Surgery at the European Institute of Oncology, Italy.
But above all, an abiding passion of Dr. Choksi has been to explore the nexus between tobacco and oral cancers. An interest that began during his Head and Neck Cancer training at Memorial Sloan Kettering where he was awarded the prestigious T32 Training Grant by the National Institute of Health (USA) to study the molecular cell signalling related to tobacco and carcinogens.
Today, with a truly international patient base extending to more than 12 countries of Asia, Africa, Europe and North America, Dr. Choksi continues to widen his medical focus through his association with Apollo Cancer Center.
- M.B.B.S. – Pramukhswami Medical College, Sardar Patel University (1993-1999)
- Diplomate, American Board of Surgery – 2006
- American Head and Neck Society Fellowship (2006-2008)
- Training in Minimally Invasive Video-Assisted Thyroid Surgery (MIVATS) — University of Pisa, Italy, 2009
- Training in Transoral Laser Surgery of the Larynx — European Institute of Oncology, Italy, 2009
Dr. Choksi completed the American Head and Neck Society fellowship in the Head and Neck Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, under Dr. Jatin Shah – a two-and-a-half-year programme that combines complex cancer surgery, reconstruction, research and multidisciplinary care. During his research years he received a T32 training grant from the US National Institutes of Health to study molecular cell signalling related to tobacco and carcinogens – research directly relevant to the tobacco-related cancers common in Gujarat.
- Surgical Intern, Northshore University Hospital, Long Island, New York (2000-2001)
- Surgical Resident, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York (2001-2005)
- Chief Surgical Resident, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York (2005-2006)
- Post-doctoral Fellow, Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York (2006-2007)
- Clinical Instructor in Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York (2007-2008)
- Clinical Fellow, Division of Head and Neck Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York (2006-2008)
- Junior Lecturer, Gujarat Cancer Research Institute, Ahmedabad (2010-2011)
- Chief, Head and Neck Surgery, Apollo Hospital, Ahmedabad (2011-March 2015)
- Head and Neck Cancer Surgeon, Apollo CBCC Cancer Center, Ahmedabad (April 2015 to Present)
After returning to India, Dr. Choksi served as Junior Lecturer at the Gujarat Cancer Research Institute, Ahmedabad (2010–2011). He was Chief of Head and Neck Surgery at Apollo Hospital, Ahmedabad from 2011 to 2015, and has been Head and Neck Cancer Surgeon at Apollo CBCC Cancer Care since April 2015. He currently leads Head and Neck Cancer Surgery Services at Apollo Ahmedabad and consults at Anahat Oncology near Parimal Cross Roads.
- Surgery for oral cancer, including tongue, cheek, gum and jaw cancers, with reconstruction
- Throat and voice box cancer surgery, including laser surgery for voice box cancer where suitable
- Thyroid cancer and thyroid nodule surgery, including minimally invasive thyroid surgery
- Parathyroid surgery for adenoma and high calcium
- Parotid and other salivary gland tumor surgery with facial nerve preservation
- Neck dissection for lymph node spread
- Anterior skull base surgery and craniofacial resection with the multidisciplinary team
- Second opinions on diagnosis, staging and treatment plans