The International Prostate Cancer Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable organization with a voluntary faculty of international expert physicians and survivors who have joined in the fight against prostate cancer. Our mission is to cure those afflicted with the disease and to help prevent it in those who are predisposed to it. 

Vipul R. Patel, MD, FACS
Foundation Founder

Vipul Patel, MD, FACS is the medical director of the Global Robotics Institute at Florida Hospital Celebration Health and medical director of the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute Urologic Oncology Program. 

He leads one of the world’s most experienced robotic surgery teams and travels around the world to educate physicians and care for patients. He is the editor emeritus of The Journal of Robotic Surgery and editor of the first-ever robotic urology textbook. Dr. Patel is world-renowned for his contribution to the field of robotic surgery and is committed to personalized patient care and quality outcomes. He is one of the most experienced robotic surgeons in the world and has personally performed almost 18,000 robotic prostatectomies.
To see more on Dr. Patel visit the Founder page.

Ralph Jordan

Ralph E. Jordan is a recognized leader, innovator, and entrepreneur in the health care industry. In 1988, Jordan founded Trident Health Resources, an international perfusion management services company where he currently serves as CEO. Jordan began his career with Baxter Laboratories and with Johnson & Johnson. In the 1980's he founded several successful enterprises. Among the innovative products developed, manufactured, and marketed was a state-of-the-art electrosurgical scalpel; a patented process that coated electrosurgical blades to prevent tissue adherence; helped form a biotech research company that developed a successful process using monoclonal antibodies that successfully predicted the sex of a bovine embryo; developed a miniaturized laser that was used on the posterior capsule of the eye after cataract surgery; and developed a microsurgical diamond knife that was used for RK surgery (radial keratotomy). Jordan was instrumental in the formation of Cryo-cell International, a company that harvests and cryo-preserves stem cells from cord blood. He is an alumnus of Frostburg State University and is on the advisory board for the School of Business, the University Foundation, and is a founder of the Sloop Leadership Institute.

Anthony J. Nicholson

Tony Nicholson started his entrepreneurial career in 1962, shortly after he graduated from college. He attended Tulane University, where he was very engaged in the college life. He was a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity, which he joined in 1956, and he was elected senior class president in 1960. That same year, he graduated from Tulane with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

After graduation, Nicholson began working in new site acquisition and lease negotiation for the McDonald’s Corporation. This experience led Nicholson to Site Finders Unlimited, a real estate brokerage, where he offered site locations to food chains. Within a short period of time, Nicholson had mastered the business and decided to start his own company, Anthony J. Nicholson Inc. The company’s main function was as a real estate brokerage dealing in the placement of first, second and land mortgages. In this position, Nicholson could place several million dollars-worth of land mortgages, the largest being the Tyson Corner Shopping Center in Washington, D.C. At that time, this was the largest shopping center in the United States.

Soon thereafter, he expanded his services to financing and managing apartments. This decision led him to the Orlando area in 1967. Once in Central Florida, he joined in limited partnerships with interests in some 2,000 apartments from West Berlin, New Jersey, to Orlando, Florida. He was responsible for locating properties, selling properties and managing the assets for the partners. He also owned and operated more than 850 apartment units in Louisiana.

Meanwhile, Nicholson’s Orlando-based business empire started to grow. In 1981, he founded Alltelco, Orlando’s first long-distance telephone resale company, which he sold in 1990 to Phone One. Not long after, he founded Hi-Res Magazine, which was internationally distributed by Dell with 150,000 copies in monthly distribution. Nicholson then bought Microfilm Services in Orlando and formed Dakota Microfilm Services, which he sold in 1996.

In the mid-80s, Nicholson even brought a touch of Hollywood to Orlando. In 1985, he formed Nicholson International Productions Inc., a company that promoted concerts and managed and produced videos here in Florida. The company co-produced Richard Harris in Camelot and produced “Swayze Dancing,” featuring actor Patrick Swayze. The video won the ITA Gold Video Award for production. Additionally, the company is responsible for employee leasing and real estate acquisition.

After working in video production, Nicholson then ventured into radio production. He purchased “Pirate Radio” in Panama City, Florida, and under his direction, the station soon rose to No. 1. He owned the radio station for two years before selling it in 1992.

Although Nicholson wore many different hats over the course of his career, his focus was on real estate development and building. He founded Nicholson Homes, and was the president and co-owner of the company, along with his wife, Sonja. Since 1995, Nicholson has overseen the development of more than 3,000 homes and 10,000 lots in the Orlando area.

Over the past few years, Nicholson’s focus has shifted toward the arts. He has been a limited partner in Broadway shows such as “Porgy and Bess,” “The Best Man,” starring James Earl Jones; and “Evita,” starring Ricky Martin. He has also invested in “Matilda” and “Cinderella.”

Professionally, Nicholson has been involved in many organizations. He has been elected to the board of directors for Who’s Who Worldwide Business Leaders, the New York City Center, the Orlando Area Apartment Association, the Florida Apartment Association and the National Apartment Association. He also serves as president of the Orlando Area Apartment Association, the Committee of 200 for the Orlando Area Chamber of Commerce and the Walt Disney Memorial Cancer Center at Florida Hospital.

Nicholson’s present companies include Nicholson USA Properties Inc., Affordable Homes of America Inc., Magic Housing Inc., United States Financial Services Inc., U.S. Title Co., and Systems and Solutions International. He is also one of the owners of the Orlando Predators.

Oscar Robertson
Foundation chairman

Oscar Robertson (The Big O) has made an indelible impression on the game of basketball and on American society, off the basketball court as well as on. At every level -- high school, college, the Olympics, and the NBA -- The Big O set new standards of excellence and changed the way the game was played. He is the NBA's all-time leader in triple-double games (points, rebounds and assists) for a career with 181 and a single season with 41, and in rebounds by a guard. As President of the NBA Players Association, Robertson filed a class action anti-trust lawsuit in 1970 on behalf of his colleagues, seeking to prevent an NBA merger with the ABA until issues regarding the reserve clause, the draft, and other restrictions on player movement were resolved. As a result of a 1976 settlement known as the Oscar Robertson Rule, NBA players became the first to gain free agency. In 1992, he was one of five founders of the National Basketball Retired Players Association, dedicated to improving pension benefits and medical care for an earlier generation of players, and served as its first president from 1992-1998.

For his achievements in both college and professional basketball, Robertson was named "Player of the Century" by the National Association of Basketball Coaches in 2000. He was one of the first five inductees into the NABC's Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. He has been enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame since 1979 and was inducted into the International Basketball (FIBA) Hall of Fame in 2009. A street in his hometown of Indianapolis now bears his name, and an eight-foot high statue stands on the University of Cincinnati campus as a monument. He holds an honorary doctorate in humane letters from the University of Cincinnati as well as its Lifetime Achievement Award for Entrepreneurship and its William Howard Taft Medal, the highest honor it bestows on an alumnus. Robertson is also honored by Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce as a Great Living Cincinnatian.

He is the author and publisher of "The Art of Basketball," the definitive guide to fundamental skills development for boys and girls of all ages. His autobiography, "The Big O: My Life, My Times, My Game," was published in 2003. He has contributed bylined essays on basketball to The New York Times and TIME Magazine. At University of Cincinnati, he was a three-time first team All-American, the first player to lead the NCAA in scoring three straight years, and the first to win National College Player of the Year honors three times. (In 1998, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association renamed its men's college Player of the Year Award the Oscar Robertson Trophy.) He co-captained the undefeated 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal team. During his 14-year NBA career, The Big O led his teams to 10 playoff appearances including an NBA championship with the Bucks in 1971. He was the NBA's Rookie of the Year in 1961 and Most Valuable Player in 1964. He was a 12-time NBA All-Star and was voted Most Valuable Player in three All-Star games. In 1961-62, he became the only player in NBA history ever to average a "triple double" for an entire season. 

Since his retirement, The Big O has been active as an entrepreneur, broadcaster, and author. He serves as President of OR Solutions, founder of Big O Foods, and as general partner in Oscar Robertson Media Ventures. Mr. Robertson is involved in numerous charitable and community activities, including the NBA Legends Foundation, the Boys Club of New York, and the National Kidney Foundation. The Oscar and Yvonne Robertson Scholarship Fund at the University of Cincinnati annually provides three different kinds of scholarships to students. The Robertsons also serve as co-chairs of UC's $1 billion capital campaign.

Nikki G. Setzler

On March 7, 2012 - Senator Nikki Setzler went public on the senate floor with his battle against prostate cancer, creating awareness about the importance of PSA screening. We are proud to have him on our board, and very excited to support him as he goes public with his fight. After undergoing surgery in August of 2011, performed by our chairman Dr. Vipul Patel, we are happy to report he is cancer free and doing well. We appreciate his support and willingness to speak publicly to help educate and create awareness on the importance of PSA screening.

Click to watch the video!! At the 5:00 minute mark he discusses his surgery and treatment, at the 10:00 minute mark he discusses the importance of PSA screening, and at the 11:29 minute mark he discusses The International Prostate Cancer Foundation.

Vinod Thomas

Vinod Thomas is Director-General and Senior Vice President of the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) at the World Bank Group. He reports directly to the Board of Executive Directors and oversees the impact of the activities of the World Bank, IFC and MIIGA. During his tenure since August 2005, he has led IEG with a new mandate -- unifying the work across public and private sectors, strengthening IEG's independence as well as engagement with Operations, and fortifying the quality and impact of evaluation. He was formerly Country Director for Brazil and Vice President of the World Bank, a position that he held from October 2001 to July 2005. Prior to that, he was Vice President of the World Bank Institute, where he led the Institute's efforts to improve its focus, quality and impact.
 
Before heading WBI, he held positions as Chief Economist for the World Bank in the East Asia and Pacific Region. He was the Director for the World Development Report, entitled "The Challenge of Development" (Oxford University Press, 1991) which assessed crucial issues for inclusive and sustainable growth. He was also Chief of Trade Policy and Principal Economist for Colombia. 

Vinod Thomas joined the Bank in 1976. He has a Ph.D. in Economics from of the University of Chicago. He is the author of over a dozen books, numerous journal articles and opinion pieces in areas from trade and macroeconomics to project evaluation and finance. Among the books are: The Quality of Growth (Oxford University Press, 2000), From inside Brazil (Stanford University Press, 2006), and Best Practices in Trade Policy Reform (Oxford University Press, 1991). He has taught at Vassar College, New York and the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Wilson Dondo

Wilson Dondo, born in Brazil, married with Lirian Dondo. Children's are Nigel Dondo (26) and Nathalia Dondo (23).

Graduated in Business and Master’s degree in Marketing. President of Nigata of America Corporation. Board member and co-founder of Sportsmanias Inc., the fastest growing sports app. Shareholder of Dolphin Films (nasdaq: dlpn), a film production company. Board member of VMD Group. Proud Booster to Florida State University (Go Noles) and Florida International University (Paws Up).

Mark Nejame

Mark NeJame was born in Orlando, Florida. In 1976, he received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Florida and graduated with his Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida, College of Law, in 1980. He has been admitted to multiple courts throughout Florida and has practiced in numerous states and districts throughout the United States and the Caribbean. Although most of his cases are in Central Florida and throughout the State of Florida, he has represented clients and handled cases in Georgia, Texas, Massachusetts, California, New York, Virgin Islands, New Jersey, Michigan, North Carolina and Virginia. He routinely practices in both State and Federal courts. He is the principal, Senior Partner and founder of NeJame Law a/k/a NeJame, LaFay, Jancha, Ahmed, Barker, Joshi & Moreno, P.A.

He has chaired a variety of charities including The Heart Fund Ball, Shepard's Hope and Fashion Funds the Cure. Significantly, Mark along with his wife Josie, founded Runway to Hope in 2011, a charity benefitting children with pediatric cancer. 

Zahir Kanji
Foundation Treasurer

As Founder and Managing Member, Zahir "Ken" Kanji brings over 40 years of Corporate, Audit, Managerial and Financial Accounting experience to Financial Accounting Services, PLC. Zahir obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of California, a Master’s Degree in Accounting from Nova University, and has been a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Florida for over 25 years. Zahir currently serves on the board of directors for Platinum Federal Credit Union and the United Financial Bank of Florida. Zahir also is a Registered Representative for Genworth Financial Securities Corporation.

Rasesh Thakkar

Rasesh Thakkar is senior managing director of Tavistock Group and a member of the board of directors. For the past 20+ years Rasesh has focused on mergers and acquisitions, operations and strategic planning for the Group. He helps determine overall strategy, targets sectors for investment, negotiates acquisitions and sales, and transitions acquisitions into the Group's holdings. He has been a key leader in the cities he has lived in and most recently has been the leading force in forming Lake Nona's Medical City which the Tavistock Group owns. He has lived in the United States, South America and Europe on behalf of the Group.

Currently, he serves on the Board of Trustees for the Central Florida Partnership, the Governors’ Council of the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission and the Board of Governors for M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando. Rasesh is also a member of the State of Florida Governor's advisory council known as The Florida Council of 100, the Board of Trustees of the Tavistock Foundation, Board of Directors of the UCF Foundation, and the Board of Directors for BioFlorida.

Ranjan Perera

Dr. Perera is an Associate Professor and the Director of Analytical Genomics and Bioinformatics at Sanford-Burnham Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona Orlando FL. Prior to joining Sanford-Burnham in 2009, Dr. Perera held faculty positions at Mercer University's School of Medicine as an Associate Professor and Director of Genomics and R&D at Anderson Cancer Institute at Memorial Health Medical Center. He received his Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Moscow State University, Russia and the University of Gent, Belgium. Dr. Perera completed his postdoctoral studies in gene targeting and DNA recombination at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  Prior to his academic affiliations, he held leadership positions at several major biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, including ISIS Pharmaceuticals and Life Technologies Corporation (formerly Invitrogen Corporation) in San Diego California.