The 2023 Society of Academic Urology (SAU) Winter Meeting took place January 20-21 in Frisco, Texas, and focused on themes of professional development as well as innovation in trainee recruitment and support. Not only were the talks and discussions engaging, but the energy, networking, and connection to other academic professionals, who might not ordinarily congregate in subspecialty society gatherings, were invaluable.

There were several meeting highlights. The first involved the kickoff session which focused on trainee wellness, featuring pioneering work to address this issue from the standpoint of departmental curricula and graduate medical education—related programming. In this sphere, Dr Jennifer Yates shared survey data from the University of Massachusetts outlining the importance of fertility preservation and reproductive health education among trainees. Dr Kerri Thurmon described the impact of her work and expertise as a professional coach, launching a successful female resident coaching program at the University of Colorado.

The meeting was notable for candid talks from professional leaders about their career lessons and advice. Dr Jay Raman reflected on a personal vignette from his first year as chair and gave an impactful talk on the role of emotional intelligence in leadership. Dr Christopher Kane described how the structure and culture of respect during his military training have since informed his executive managerial practices. Dr E. Ann Gormley highlighted mechanisms of seeking out meaningful leadership opportunities both nationally and internationally, delineating how her involvement in various organizations over the course of her career segued into subsequent opportunities.

Other themes in the program involved reflections on resident recruitment practices and clinical teaching. Dr Akanksha Mehta spoke about resources and tools for holistic application review in the modern, high-volume application era. Dr Hadley Wood reviewed important concepts in interpreting and writing letters of recommendation, including a presentation of standardized templates and a discussion on the importance of literary tone and adjectives in minimizing bias. In terms of resident curriculum, Dr Trushar Patel discussed the “hidden” or nonclinical resident curriculum, including his personal strategy on helping trainees cope with significant surgical complications. Discussions on surgical training and assessment also included a talk by Dr Christopher Anderson on how to strike a balance between trainee preparation and faculty entrustment to perpetuate surgical autonomy.

The last major theme of the meeting focused on identifying departmental strategies to maintain clinical productivity and quality metrics while still fulfilling the academic training mission. Drs Stephen Jackman and Victor Nitti gave companion talks on how to integrate trainees into the operating room and clinic, respectively, while still preserving efficiency. Dr Gary Lemack discussed resources and precedents to value and compensate faculty for nonclinical activities. Last, several issues surrounding call coverage were discussed, with Dr Andrew Freedman reviewing responsible and appropriate integration of adult providers into pediatric urology call pools and Dr Cheryl Lee describing coverage considerations to optimize faculty retention.

Several novel concepts in education and assessment were also presented at the meeting. One involved a pilot program by Dr Lou Kavoussi and colleagues on a skills assessment pilot for urology residency applicants. The SAU has since solicited comments and feedback on this proposal from constituents.

The last component of the meeting, which is perhaps best captured in the featured pictures rather than in words, was the social camaraderie: from the morning yoga session to the panel discussions to the evening cocktail session and dinner outings (Figures 1-3). Overall, the atmosphere was positive, collegial, and energizing for all who attended.

In sum, we hope the meeting was as enjoyable for all registrants to attend as it was for us to plan. A full description of the meeting schedule and talks can be accessed on the SAU website: https://sauweb.org/meetings/upcoming-meetings.aspx. We hope to see everyone at the next SAU meeting at the AUA on April 27!