The mission of the Society of Women in Urology (SWIU) is to support the professional development and career advancement of women urologists and urological researchers through education, advocacy and mentorship. SWIU, formerly known as “Women in Urology,” began informally at the 1980 AUA meeting in San Francisco with 5 women urologists and continued informally until 1992, when the group created an executive board and bylaws. SWIU now has more than 1,200 members, including approximately 300 board-certified female urologists, female researchers, urology residents and fellows, and postresidency, pre-board-certified women (fig. 1). SWIU also has female members who are non-urology MDs and PhDs.

SWIU has numerous ongoing initiatives.

SWIU created a speaker database to support the professional advancement of our members and encourage diversity of speakers. Members can highlight individual areas of expertise, both clinical and nonclinical. When looking for experts to be invited speakers, moderators and panelists for your organization, a copy of the searchable Excel spreadsheet can be requested. Please send an email and brief description of speaking opportunity to info@swiu.org. The database serves as a resource to sponsor and advance women–an opportunity to disseminate their expertise and amplify their clinical and academic work.

Figure 1. SWIU membership. Senior, Affiliate and Honorary percentages are too small to be visually represented in the chart.

We continue our advocacy. SWIU Advocacy Chair Dr. Priya Padmanabhan attended the 2021 Annual Urology Advocacy Summit and spoke on behalf of SWIU. She presented on the lack of female urological researchers, including barriers to participation and the need for more researchers. She highlighted the potential for improving the presence of female urological researchers and aiding their progress. Dr. Padmanabhan educated those involved to obtain federal funding on Capitol Hill for urological research while showcasing SWIU’s mission. Dr. Padmanabhan will attend the 2022 AUA Summit on behalf of SWIU.

SWIU Board of Directors elected to charge 4 task forces (TFs) to sponsor women to national appointments. The TFs amplify our mission and advance equity within our specialty in 2021 and 2022. Dr. Simone Thavaseelan designed these professional development opportunities as short-term, goal-oriented working groups that simultaneously fostered peer mentoring and community building. The TFs are outlined in figure 2.

Figure 2. 2021–2022 SWIU task forces. BOD, board of directors.

1. Achieving Equity & Focusing on Personal Action: Salary Pay Disparities TF. The group authored a review article summarizing available research identifying disparities and salary gaps among women urologists. The manuscript is being submitted for publication, and the findings illustrate how much work needs to be done to remedy this large salary inequity. The group also created a SWIU-endorsed parental leave policy focusing on the best evidence to support the well-being of parents and their baby. This policy is available on our website at https://swiu.org/docs/resources/swiu-sample-parental-leave-policy.aspx for women to advocate at their local levels. Ideally, this policy will be adopted by urology departments nationally. Finally, there is an open survey to women urologists to identify current data in compensation equity.
2. SWIU Census TF developed an inaugural census. The goal is to gain an accurate description of the population of women in urology to identify specific, relevant issues to our membership. This evidence will help to bridge knowledge gaps and address gender equity, underrepresentation in academia, work-life balance, barriers in family decision making and provide guidance for mentoring future female urologists. The census has been distributed to members, with collection and collation to be completed in early summer 2022.
3. The Role of Women Urologist in Advancing DEI in Urology Residency Recruitment TF provided directed mentorship to women applicants through personal statement review. A resource for incorporating antiracist and antisexist practices into the recruitment process was developed for dissemination. This guide is to encourage bias reduction in the application review and interview process. A Modern Guide of Reviewing Urology Residency Applications is available at https://swiu.org/resources/resident-application-review.aspx.
4. The Engagement of Women Urologists with Industry TF. A “how-to” manual is being constructed as a 101 curriculum/leadership development program for SWIU members interested in working with industry. The objective of the curriculum is to instruct members on how to create mutually valuable opportunities with industry.

SWIU continues to prioritize mentorship. A speed mentorship experience at our Annual Winter Conference provides medical students, residents, fellows and junior faculty an opportunity to meet established female urologists from across the country for brief introductory discussions. These introductions can serve as conversation starters for potential future interactions. In addition, targeted mentor/mentee dyads were paired at our annual conference based on interests for a longer series of interactions. SWIU has partnered with Intuitive to create the first of 2 mentoring/networking webinars. The first will be on “Courageous Leadership: From the Inside Out,” with Natalie Johnson, MS.

SWIU has a number of research and leadership awards to recognize achievement and excellence. The Elizabeth Pickett Research Award awards a female urological researcher a research grant. There is also the Intuitive Scholarship to advance robotic research. In addition, the SWIU-Intuitive Research Award supports the development of an outstanding woman research scientist in the area of robotics research. A SWIU-Intuitive Leadership and Innovation Award is given to 6 SWIU members who are early- to midcareer specializing in robotics. The award provides monetary support in developing a high-quality video of the awardee’s robotic technique for presentation. In addition, awardees participate in/lead ongoing virtual education opportunities supported by Intuitive. Furthermore, support for travel and professional activity to attend opportunities related to robotics is given.

Finally, we are excited to partner with the AUA. SWIU was asked to develop AUA courses with content relevant to our members and the global urological community. We look forward to welcoming AUA members to “Advancing Gender Equity in Urology: Allyship for Men and Advocacy for Women” at AUA2022.