Richard Francis Jones, MD

Figure 1. African-American/Black practicing urologists in the workforce.

Richard Francis Jones, MD was the first Black diplomat of the American Board of Urology. He received his certification in 1936. In 1947, Dr Jones initiated a urology training program at Howard University. This program proved to be critical for providing Blacks access to urology training.¹ In that vein, R. Frank Jones Urological Society (RFJUS) members are dedicated to increasing the number of Black urologists who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community. RFJUS also serves as the Urology section of the National Medical Association. The National Medical Association (NMA) is the collective voice of Black physicians and one of the leading forces of parity and justice in medicine.

Currently, there is a paucity of Black urologists in training programs in the United States. Blacks comprise 13.2% of the U.S. population but only represent 5.7% of matched urology residents (2023)² and 2.4% of practicing urologists (AUA census 2021, Figure 1).³ These numbers have significant implications for Black patients. Race concordant care increases the likelihood of Black patients seeking preventive care through successful patient-to-provider communication.⁴

One of the recommendations of the AUA Diversity and Inclusion Task Force was to create an AUA Diversity and Inclusion committee which aims to identify specific and actionable steps for how the AUA can advocate for and foster a diverse and inclusive environment within the association. Five RFJUS members are members of the Diversity and Inclusion committee: Pamela Coleman, MD, Linda McIntire, MD, Gregory Broderick, MD, Denise Asafu-Adjeu MD, MPH, and Gjanje Smith-Mathus, MD, MPH.

Our current RFJUS president, Linda McIntire, MD, has championed a pipeline program called PROSPECT within the North Central Section. It is the first ever section-led collaborative pipeline program for underrepresented in medicine students. In its pilot year, 21 students from within the AUA geographic boundaries applied for 4 research fellowships in the program. The program is complete with a 15-week webinar lecture series on “Basic Urology” and “The Art of Scientific Investigation,” which is available to all program applicants, and an 8-week summer medical student research fellowship for 4 selected students.

To expose more Black students to urology, RFJUS created a social media action team (Figure 2). Our team consists of high school, undergraduate, and medical school students, urology residents, and urologists. Through this team, we allow students to create posts for our social media platforms. The urologists formulate the content goals, and the students create posts and manage the platforms. One of our more exciting projects is the Spotlight in Urology. The students reach out to a Black urologist and interview them using a template they created. The interview is then posted on our social media pages. Our goal is to use social media to expose more Black students from high school to medical school to the field of urology and to show them examples of successful Black urologists. We also aim to provide resources to all students who are interested in pursuing Urology as a career choice.

At both the AUA and NMA national conferences, RFJUS sponsors a Mentorship Reception for Black students, residents, and fellows (Figure 3). RFJUS targets the host city’s medical schools to invite all Black students who may be interested in a career in urology. At the Mentorship Reception, students are encouraged to meet Black urologists and urology trainees to gain insightful information about the field of urology. We also give a presentation introducing the students to the national urology pipeline programs.

For many years, Willie Underwood III, MD, MSc, MPH has organized the William Baker Urology Research Forum. Black medical students, residents, and fellows present their research at a national conference. Plaques are given to all participants, and monetary prizes are awarded to the best presentations. Medical students and residents can apply for a travel award provided by NIH (National Institutes of Health) and the NMA to participate in the NIH/NMA Academic Career Development Workshop.

At the NMA National Conference (2022) in New Orleans, Louisiana, Denise, Asafu-Adjei, MD, MPH and Glen McWilliams, MD organized and co-chaired the RFJUS scientific session. The session featured young Black urologists from across the country to give lectures on disparities with urology (Figure 4). The lectures covered every subspeciality of urology:

• Disparities in [Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia]/Female Urology (Sophie Goodridge, MD)
• Disparities in Prostate Cancer (Ashanda Esdaille, MD)
• Disparities in Endourology Treatments (Kymora Scotland, MD, PhD)
• Disparities in [Erectile Dysfunction] Management (Denise Asafu-Adjei, MD, MPH)
• Disparities in Female Sexual Dysfunction (Maria Uloko, MD)
• Infertility Disparities (Tolu Bakare, MD)
• The Impact of Our Research (Arthur Burnett, MD)
• Pathway to Hospital Leadership (Tracy Downs, MD)
• The Business Mindset for the Urologist (Jennifer Miles-Thomas, MD)
• Building a Urology Program at [a Historically Black College and University] (Pamela Coleman, MD)
• Innovative Careers as a Urologist—From the [Operating Room] to Industry (Ronald Morton Jr, MD, FACS)
• Social Media for the Modern Urologist (Joseph Aquaye, MD)

Additionally, RFJUS is committed to patient advocacy. RFJUS members participate in many roles within the AUA and Urology Care Foundation to promote better patient health outcomes. In concert with our upcoming NMA scientific session, RFJUS is planning a community prostate cancer screening event in New Orleans, Louisiana. We will partner with local urologists and churches to provide the community with this invaluable service. RFJUS members are creating an educational video on prostate cancer screening for viewing during community prostate cancer screenings.

List of upcoming RFJUS events:

• AUA23 Chicago, Illinois
  • Saturday, April 29, 2023, 5-8 pm. CityPoint Loft: RFJUS Mentorship Reception
  • Sunday, April 30, 2023 1-4 pm. Hyatt Regency Chicago: RFJUS Society Meeting “Resistance and Resilience: Responding to Longstanding and Contemporary Challenges to the Advancement of Health Equity”
• NMA23 New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Saturday, July 29, 2023: RFJUS Mentorship Reception
  • Saturday, July 29, 2023: RFJUS/NMA Community Prostate Cancer Screening Event
  • Sunday, July 30, 2023: RFJUS William Baker Urology Residents Research Forum
  • Monday and Tuesday, July 30-July 31: RFJUS Scientific Session