Firstly, I hope that you and your loved ones are healthy, and that your practices are slowly transitioning to the new normal. The impact of the pandemic in our lives has been unprecedented, and the Southeastern Section was no exception, having to cancel our New Orleans meeting in March 2020 and converting our Nashville 2021 meeting to a virtual format. Nevertheless, these effects are of minor importance compared to the suffering some families have endured during the pandemic. I wish to thank our Executive Committee and recognize the outstanding effort by Samantha Florine and the WJ Weiser team to help us weather the storm.

We are excited about the variety of topics to be presented at our 2-day virtual meeting. Our Chair on Science and Education Dr. Chad Ritenour and Section Secretary Dr. Duke Herrell have prepared an outstanding program of timely topics which we are sure you will enjoy. We will begin on Friday, April 23 with 2 panel discussions, the first on the role and value of advanced practice providers (APPs) in urology practice, followed by a discussion on the challenges of opioid use in patients with stone disease. Consonant with the new NCCN guidelines, Dr. Todd Morgan will present an update on the clinical implications of genetic testing in both localized and castration-resistant prostate cancer. The prostate cancer discussion will also include a panel on the best current practices on tumor markers, prostate imaging and the changes in prostate biopsy strategies in 2021. After viewing the highlights of the best posters submitted, Dr. Andrew Peterson will present a summary on the presentation and challenges of urological injuries during military action.

Most importantly, this year we will be establishing an inaugural lecture in memory of Dr. Bedford Waters to honor his contributions to our field. This recurring lecture will be given annually and will focus on the importance of diversity, inclusion and racial and gender disparities in urology.

On Saturday we will offer a variety of topics of interest to both academic and community urologists, including a State-of-the-Art lecture of fertility preservation by Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy, and an exciting talk on the controversy of bladder preservation by Dr. Alex Kutikov entitled: “Modern Bladder Cancer Warfare: Does the “Leave No Bladder Behind” Ethos Still Apply?”

After our Presidential Lecture on female urology by Dr. Eric Rovner, our Ballenger Lecture honoree Dr. Michael Cookson will present the State-of-the-Art on contemporary management of advanced prostate cancer. A discussion of health policy issues will not be an exception this year in the annual Gee-Dineen Health Policy Forum. The annual Ambrose Reed Lecture will be given by Dr. Angela Smith, highlighting the importance of diversity and inclusion in urology, followed by presentations on financial toxicity in urologic oncology and quality metrics for the urologist.

I feel honored to represent the Southeastern Section this year and blessed to have had the guidance and advice of our talented Executive Board and WJ Weiser Associates during this challenging year. We hope that you can join us for our outstanding program!