“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”

– Helen Keller

It’s been a privilege to serve as Chair of the Research Council for the American Urological Association this past year. New partnerships, innovative ideas and several accomplishments have advanced the AUA’s Research agenda. Due to changes in the health care environment, the opportunities for urological research and discovery have been limited and currently lag behind other surgical subspecialties. To move forward, we as a specialty needed to leverage the enormous talent of those in urology practice as well as those in academia. I’d like to share some of the lessons learned and the progress we’ve made over the past year.

The AUA staff has been a great partner in refocusing the research structure and agenda, and continue to work with me to meaningfully influence the urological care of patients through discovery and research. Especially encouraging was the openness to make changes and look for new pathways to navigate an ambitious and comprehensive Research Strategic Plan (2021–2025) developed by the Research Council with input from our membership. Their passion and enthusiasm for improving current programs and creating new, innovative programs have been outstanding. Together, over the past year, we started working toward strategic goals including: (1) Increasing the capacity for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within Office of Research programs; (2) Increasing opportunities for independent urological researchers within our programs; (3) Increasing engagement of international urology researchers; (4) Increasing the AUA’s urological research impact through creation of a urology research incubator; and (5) Improving existing research programs.

To build a comprehensive program requires dedicated leaders and committee members who provide substantive input that advances our specialty objectives. As most of you know, the AUA Board has focused on DEI efforts to provide opportunities to individuals underrepresented in the field of urology. Particularly gratifying is the work of the Research DEI Workgroup that took on this challenge this past year. Under the leadership of Margarett Shnorhavorian, MD, MPH, this Workgroup made recommendations for increasing the diversity of individuals applying for research grants and attending our current research education programs. AUA staff are in the process of implementing these recommendations to improve current programs. Concurrently, I have asked this group to continue their efforts as we build new research programs within the Office of Research. In addition, we have worked with the Urology Care Foundation and several industry partners to increase research funding to encourage and support individuals underrepresented in urology to pursue a career in research.

The new LEAD (Leadership in Education, Achievement, and Diversity) Program, funded by the Urology Care Foundation and Urovant Sciences, supports 3 urology residents per year from racial and ethnic backgrounds that are underrepresented in urological research. The first class of awardees has been selected and the program is underway. Another exciting new program is the Boston Scientific Medical Student Innovation Fellowship. This Fellowship will support medical students to engage in 1 year of research training under the tutelage of a mentor urologist and prioritizes students from backgrounds underrepresented in urological research. The AUA Office of Research is currently accepting applications for this opportunity at: AUAnet.org/Innovation2023.

Efforts to develop enduring relationships with independent practice urology researchers have led to a new and fruitful partnership. Under the leadership of Deepak Kapoor, MD, an Independent Practice Research Workgroup was created in early 2022 with the goal of increasing and improving programming for independent practice urology researchers. We are excited to announce that the first annual Independent Practice Research Symposium will be held at our 2023 annual meeting in Chicago. All sessions for this half-day program will be developed and facilitated by leaders in independent urology research.

As the AUA continues its global outreach, we are currently developing an International Research Workgroup of urology researchers throughout the world. Scheduled to launch in the fall of 2023, this workgroup aims to understand the needs of international researchers in the field of urology so we can enhance collaborative efforts. These efforts have been met with considerable enthusiasm, and we will share progress over the ensuing months.

Finally, the Board of Directors of the AUA approved the creation of a new interface between innovators, entrepreneurs, and industry, the AUA Innovation Nexus. As stated in an earlier article in AUANews, this urology research incubator will support the transformation of early-stage ideas and concepts into tangible products to improve patient outcomes. Our Innovation Nexus Workgroup, made up of basic science, translational, and clinal leaders in urology, as well as industry pioneers, has created a full-day event for the first Innovation Nexus Program on April 27, 2023 in Chicago (preceding the AUA Annual Meeting). We will lead the way in urological discovery by encouraging new ideas, partnerships, and investments in urology.

In summary, it’s been a busy and gratifying year as the Chair of the AUA Research Council. I have been impressed and humbled by the many individuals I’ve met through this experience who are incredibly gifted both personally and professionally. The dedication of our volunteer committee members, grant reviewers, and others is beyond words, and there is no way to adequately thank them. I have great optimism that together we can continue to enhance opportunities for urology researchers and change the arc of urological discovery. Please join our efforts and, as always, feel free to reach out to me personally at Steven.Kaplan@mountsinai.org or tweet at @MaleHealthDoc. With enthusiastic partnership and collaboration, we have no limits!