Traditionally, the Society of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons (GURS) holds an annual full-day scientific program session inside the AUA Annual Meeting, and 2021 will be no different. This year’s AUA-GURS Session will take place on Friday, September 10 (10:00 am–5:30 pm) and will–as always–cover a wide range of reconstructive topics.

The GURS program committee has made a concerted effort to assemble an exciting scientific program embracing a vast and diverse array of hot and timely topics commonly faced by reconstructive urologists worldwide. This will include conventional and emerging challenges affecting both pediatric and adult populations, as well as transitional urology and gender-affirming surgery, resulting from growing interest and demand by patients and surgeons alike, as we progress towards a more modern, inclusive and equitable society.

Contemporary urologic reconstruction has evolved dramatically since the creation of the first official fellowship program by Charles Devine, Jr. at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia in 1975. In the years that followed, several other centers of excellence were established around the world and began training future generations, culminating in the establishment and validation of Reconstructive Urology as a unique urological subspecialty. This catalyzed the evolution of urologic reconstruction, opening a window of opportunity for continued advancement and refinement of techniques and teaching so that more urologists could take better care of a larger number of patients. The AUA has played a pivotal role in this arc of progress and mission.

The number of urologists interested and concentrating in male and female genitourinary (GU) reconstruction has witnessed a steady expansion, mirrored by the growing number of fellowship programs, the number of peer-reviewed publications and the number of events dedicated to this subspecialty.

The AUA-GURS 2021 scientific program will address a series of challenging topics, some of them still controversial, unresolved and, therefore, in continued search of more effective and standardized solutions. World-renowned experts will present and debate these topics with thought-provoking information and expertise at the highest level. The GURS is also proud to keep alive the tradition of 2 prestigious lectures, namely the F. Brantley Scott Lecture and the Charles Devine, Jr. Lecture, which will be delivered by 2 highly respected guest speakers for their impactful contributions to the field of reconstructive urology. This year’s F. Brantley Scott Lecture on “Improved Outcomes of Robot-Assisted Cystectomy and Intracorporeal Neobladder” will be delivered by Prof. Peter Wiklund from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. It will be followed by the Charles Devine, Jr. Lecture on “Transplantation of Genital Organs” that will be delivered by Dr. Dicken Ko from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Rhode Island. Both lectures will provide insight and will reflect a great step forward in reconstructive urology. An international panel of experts will follow with a dialogue on current concerns in Transitional Urology and Transgender Surgery.

In the second half of the session, controversial and challenging topics on GU Trauma will be addressed. This will be followed by an update on prosthetic surgery in the setting of priapism, and male urinary incontinence management by experts in these fields. The program will be rounded out with a presentation and discussion of important articles in reconstructive urology by urology residents and fellows. The session will conclude with a brief graduation ceremony for our recent GURS fellowship graduates.

On behalf of the GURS President, GURS Board of Directors and Members, and all reconstructive urologists, I would take this kind opportunity to express our gratitude to the American Urological Association and Dr. John Denstedt, AUA Secretary and AUANews Editor, for this long-standing and successful collaboration. I would also like to welcome all colleagues interested in and actively involved with reconstructive urology to join us for this year’s exciting AUA-GURS session. You will definitely leave this session equipped with better and more up-to-date resources for your routine clinical practice!