Just over a year ago, March 2020, the world witnessed a seismic event, an event so disorienting and dislocating that the recovery is only partially complete. The pandemic was just that—a “pan” event that affected every person’s life in fundamental ways. For urologists like us, we dealt with not only the insecurity and fear for the health of our families, friends and patients, but for the first time, perhaps, our own mortality and risk. As Assistant Secretary of the AUA overseeing partnerships in Asia and Australia, the one thing that became amply clear serving during the lockdowns, sputtering returns to work and 2nd or 3rd lockdowns was that while our fears and suffering were real, we were never alone. Every single member of the AUA and our partners in Asia and Australia were enduring similar challenges and tribulations.

Just as our own ambulatory clinics and surgical suites shut down here in the U.S., I heard from colleagues in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, China, Singapore, Bangladesh, India and beyond that they too shut down elective cases last spring and summer. They too deployed to COVID wards, assisting as they could, and cared for patients by telephone or video visits. They too are seeing a surge in pathology as lockdowns lift and cancellations again as COVID rates surge in most countries. And like us, all of our international colleagues have lost their urology colleagues, residents, staff, and family and friends to this horrific virus.

But the human spirit is indomitable. In the midst of tragedy, our colleagues kept coming to the hospital to care for their patients—and many of those I spoke with personally experienced the illness, and many were hospitalized. What did they do during those periods in hospitals in quarantine? Science! Whether it is The Journal of Urology® or Indian Journal of Urology or International Journal of Urology or Asian Journal of Urology, they all saw large increases in manuscript submissions. The unexpected, unwanted downtime became a time for academic inquiry. Hypotheses were formulated, spreadsheets were created, data were aggregated, and papers were written.

The focus shifted too to education. The AUA’s Virtual Experience pivot in June 2020 democratized access to the meeting for urologists and trainees globally, and the opportunity was not missed. And the example was followed. The AUA and faculty leaders joined in for live virtual lectures, or recorded lectures for our partner societies at the Urological Association of Asia, Urological Society of India, Bangladesh Association of Urological Surgeons, Japanese Urological Association, and many more. And the AUA joined in an unprecedented series of live webinars hosted by urological societies around the world.

The vaccines are making their way through the health care systems in Asia and Australia, but “normal” still eludes us. Perhaps the collective hope of the urological world abides in meeting this September at the AUA meeting in Las Vegas. Plans are being made and flights are booked, and the AUA’s International Member Committee plans an in-person meeting after an 18-month hiatus. We will meet indeed, and hope, above all, that the event marks a return to finding community beyond Zoom images beamed across video screens—and friendships celebrated in person again.