Rate My Professor Joseph Liao

Joseph C. Liao is the Kathryn Simmons Stamey Professor and a professor of urology at Stanford University. He is a board-certified, fellowship-trained urologic surgeon and physician-scientist nationally recognized for contributions in cancer imaging and diagnostics. His clinical practice focuses on the care of patients with early-stage bladder and prostate cancer. Dr. Liao graduated magna cum laude with highest honors from Harvard College with an AB in biology in 1993 and earned his MD from Stanford School of Medicine in 1997. He completed his urology residency and fellowship in endourology and minimally invasive surgery at UCLA Medical Center. He joined the Stanford faculty in 2006 and currently serves as executive vice chair of the Department of Urology, with an appointment as incoming chair effective August 2026. He previously served for 15 years as chief of urology at VA Palo Alto Health Care System.

Dr. Liao’s research focuses on the development of precision diagnostics and therapy for major urological diseases, including bladder cancer, kidney stone disease, and urinary tract infections. His laboratory integrates genomics, imaging science, data science, and clinical medicine. He has served as principal investigator on multiple NIH R01 grants addressing molecular imaging, liquid biopsy, and artificial intelligence-assisted surgery for bladder cancer, as well as integrated biosensors for rapid uropathogen identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. He has authored over 180 publications in journals including Science Translational Medicine, Nature Medicine, Cell, Cancer Cell, PNAS, JAMA Surgery, and European Urology. Dr. Liao directs the NIH-funded K12 Urology Research Career Development Program at Stanford and has trained over 50 students and trainees, many of whom are leaders in academia and industry. He is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and is active in the American Urological Association, Endourology Society, and Society of Urologic Oncology. Professional Email: null