E. David Crawford, MD

Editor-in-Chief, Emeritus
Grand Rounds in Urology
Jack A. Vickers Director of Prostate Research
Professor of Urology
University of California, San Diego

San Diego, California

Researcher-physician E. David Crawford, MD, Jack A. Vickers Director of Prostate Research and Professor of Urology at the University of California, San Diego, has devoted his career in medicine to educating the public about men's health issues and finding effective techniques and procedures to address prostate cancer, the most common malignancy affecting men in the United States.

Dr. Crawford received his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati and his postgraduate training included an internship and residency in urology at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati. He subsequently completed a genitourinary cancer fellowship at the University of California Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Dr. Crawford is an internationally recognized expert in benign prostate hypertrophy, urologic cancers, and in particular, prostate cancer. He has conducted research in the treatment of advanced bladder cancer, metastatic adenocarcinoma of the prostate, hormone-refractory prostate cancer, and other areas of urological infections and malignancies. He has authored or coauthored over 810 scientific articles, has published seven textbooks, authored over 60 book chapters, and provided more than 2,200 educational talks for patients and physicians.

In an effort to raise public awareness about prostate health, Crawford in 1989 founded the Prostate Conditions Education Council (PCEC). The non-profit organization is comprised of a consortium of leading physicians, health educators, scientists, and men's health advocates. PCEC's advocacy for free or low-cost prostate screening has affected the lives of millions of American men. He currently chairs the PCEC.

Crawford is an active member of many national and international organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Urological Association (AUA), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Within the AUA, he has been a member of the Committee to Study Urologic Research Funding and the prostate cancer clinical trials subcommittee. Crawford served on the board of governors, the scientific advisory board of the Southwest Oncology Group, and was chairman of the Genitourinary Cancer Committee for 27 years. This group is the largest clinical trials group in the world.

Crawford's involvement in the national prostate cancer arena has been widely recognized. He has received many honors and awards, including the CAP Cure Annual Award for Scientific Presentation in 1999 In 1997, he was presented with a 'Freddie Award" at the AMA International Health and Medical Film Competition for the program, ITV: The Cutting Edge Medical Report (Prostate Cancer: Understanding, Diagnosing, and Defeating), which Crawford hosted with special guest, retired General Norman Schwarzkopf.

Crawford again won a prestigious 'Freddie Award" 5 years ago... He is a member of Best Doctors of America and was named Healthcare Provider of the Year in the Denver Metro area by the Denver Business Journal.

He has been recognized as one of the Best Doctors of America for the past two decades and is recognized as one of the top 20 urologists in the country, for men, by Men’s Health Magazine. In 2018 he received the honor of being named the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year from the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine. In May of 2019, he received the Presidential citation from the American Urological Association recognizing for his “tireless role in genitourinary cancer research that has benefited countless urologic cancer patients.” He accepted the position of Editor in Chief of Grand Rounds in Urology in June of 2019. In 2021, he was the recipient of the Merle Stringer, M.D. annual award for excellence in medicine by the Florida State Medical Association.

Talks by E. David Crawford, MD

Next Generation Biomarkers – As Reflex, Combination, or First Line?

Posted by E. David Crawford, MD | May 2020

E. David Crawford, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Grand Rounds in Urology and Professor of Urology at University of California, San Diego, gives his expertise on next generation biomarkers in prostate cancer screening. Firstly, Dr. Crawford qualifies the new standard of PSA >1.5 ng/mL, specifically how it aids in early detection of disease and acts as a surrogate for BPH, prostate cancer, and prostatitis. Following this, Dr. Crawford reviews the clinical needs and genomic markers of prostate cancer. In conclusion, he describes his algorithm for PSA screening.

Point-Counterpoint: Oncotype Dx Genomic Prostate Score in Active Surveillance – Canary PASS Study

Posted by E. David Crawford, MD | Apr 2020

Daniel W. Lin, MD, and Eric A. Klein, MD, present a point-counterpoint on the conclusions of Dr. Lin’s recently published results of Canary PASS (Prostate Active Surveillance Study), which looked at the ability of the Oncotype DX genomic prostate score (GPS) for predicting adverse pathology (AP) in primarily low-risk prostate cancer patients undergoing active surveillance. Following each presentation, Dr. Lin and Dr. Klein also discuss several follow-up questions related to the study and, more broadly, the future of prostate cancer treatment with E. David Crawford, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Grand Rounds in Urology.

Is MRI Fusion Biopsy the New Gold Standard of Diagnosis? Con Argument

Posted by E. David Crawford, MD | Jan 2020

E. David Crawford, MD, argues that MRI fusion-guided biopsy should not be the gold standard of prostate cancer diagnosis. He cites MRI’s limitations in detecting clinically significant cancers and predicting extracapsular extension and tumor volume, as well as the existence of new technologies such as micro-ultrasound, in this point-counterpoint debate.

nmCRPC: Is Navigating the M0 Space the Next Moon Shot?

Posted by E. David Crawford, MD | Dec 2019

E. David Crawford, MD, presented this lecture during the 28th Annual Perspectives in Urology: Point-Counterpoint on November 16, 2019, in Scottsdale, New Arizona.

RADAR III: Next Generation Imaging

Posted by E. David Crawford, MD | Nov 2019

E. David Crawford, MD, reviews the findings and recommendations from the Radiographic Assessments for Detection of Advanced Recurrence (RADAR) III working group, and how its prior iterations, RADAR I and II, provided the rationale for the RADAR III manuscript. He discusses the next generation imaging modalities and radiotracers covered in RADAR III, as well as the group’s consensus on how they should be implemented in the evaluation of patients with prostate cancer.