Nicholas G. Zaorsky, MD, MS, is an academic radiation oncologist, board-certified physician, and independently funded clinical investigator. His areas of expertise include genitourinary cancers (prostate, bladder, kidney), skin cancers (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma), and metastatic disease. Dr. Zaorsky graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2007 with dual degrees in Hispanic Languages and Literatures and Neuroscience, both summa cum laude. He earned his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine in 2011, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society and received the Dr. Harold Lamport Biomedical Research Prize. His postgraduate training included an internship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, a research fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University and the Kimmel Cancer Center, and residency in radiation oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, where he served as Chief Resident.
He later earned a Master of Science in Clinical Research from Penn State University. From 2017 to 2021, Dr. Zaorsky served as Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Penn State College of Medicine. In 2021, he joined University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine as Associate Professor, Vice Chair of Education, and Director of Genitourinary Oncology. In 2025, he became a Tenured Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. In 2026, he joined the Department of Radiation Oncology at Mayo Clinic Florida as a Professor. Dr. Zaorsky has received numerous awards for research, education, and mentorship, including multiple institutional teaching and mentoring honors, national recognition as a top peer reviewer, and repeated distinctions from Cleveland Magazine and Doximity/US News & World Report.
He is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society for Radiation Oncology, the American Radium Society, the American College of Radiation Oncology, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, serving in leadership roles for national guidelines and accreditation committees. He has delivered over 150 invited lectures and presentations and has authored or co-authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, including Nature Communications, The Lancet, JAMA Oncology, Annals of Oncology, and Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Over his career, Dr. Zaorsky has contributed to more than 10 national and international clinical guidelines, enrolled hundreds of patients on clinical trials, secured over $1.5 million in federal and foundation research funding, and helped train more than 1,000 physicians and scientists. For more than a decade, Dr. Zaorsky has taught scientific writing, peer review, and publication strategy to medical students, residents, fellows, faculty, and research teams.