Director of Gynecologic Oncology and Robotic Surgery, Englewood Health; Clinical Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
UW Major: Zoology
Within his first semester, however, Nagarsheth realized that although he loved music, becoming a professional drummer might not be in the cards. Armed with a strong background in science, he shifted to a premed path and earned his bachelor’s degree in zoology in 1993. Still, his time in the Humanities Building left a lasting impression.
“Jim would turn music lessons into lessons about life,” Nagarsheth says — lessons that guided him throughout his career, such as: “Life is like playing in a band: the song keeps going on, so if you make a mistake, get back on track the best you can.”
Nagarsheth went on to earn his MD from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, complete his residency training at Duke University, and return to Mount Sinai for fellowship training in gynecologic oncology. Through research on ovarian cancer prevention, advances in minimally invasive and robotic surgery, and pioneering work in patient blood management, he has helped shape the field of gynecologic oncology.
He is internationally recognized for advancing transfusion-free, or “bloodless,” surgery, allowing surgeons to perform complex operations without blood transfusions and improving safety and access for patients worldwide. He was an American Cancer Society 2024 Medical Honoree and recently served as president of the New York Gynecological Society. Today, he leads gynecologic oncology and robotic surgery at Englewood Health in New Jersey and serves as a clinical professor of gynecologic oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Still, this physician never stopped being a musician. After meeting at a 2008 medical conference, Nagarsheth and five fellow cancer surgeons formed the rock band N.E.D. (a nod to the phrase cancer patients hope to hear: “no evidence of disease”). They’ve toured the country and released three albums. Their advocacy has helped raise more than $1.5 million dollars for gynecologic cancer awareness, and earned national recognition, including the Foundation for Women’s Cancer Public Service Award. The band’s story was later captured in a documentary by Spark Media that was picked up by PBS world.
Nagarsheth continues to balance a wide range of pursuits and passions. He’s raising two daughters, who have come to know their father’s — and grandfather’s — alma mater at summer hockey camps in Madison. He serves as director of the Dizzy Gillespie Cancer Institute at Englewood Health, coordinating free health care for jazz musicians and carrying on the legendary trumpeter’s legacy of supporting fellow artists.
And in 2009, he published the book Music and Cancer: A Prescription for Healing, shaped in part by decades of conversations with Latimer. Nagarsheth later helped establish the James H. Latimer Excellence in Percussion Endowment to honor his longtime mentor and friend as well as support future generations of musicians like himself.
“UW–Madison has been a major influence on me and who I am as a person today,” he says.