Dear Dr. Denstedt,

We, the staff of the American Urological Association, congratulate you on your remarkable tenure as Secretary of the AUA. We have read the many tributes to your leadership pour in from around the world, and we have been moved to tears when reading about all you have done to advance urological health on an international level. We couldn’t let this issue publish without sharing our collective thoughts.

Figure 1. From left to right, Jennifer Regala, Director of Publications/Executive Editor, AUA; Dr. John Denstedt, pictured with the cover of the 2022 Celebrating Diversity with the AUA focus issue of AUANews, and Patricia Banks, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Development Officer, AUA.

There is no question that you represent the pinnacle of urological research, innovation, and mentorship. But what your peers don’t know about you is how you treated all of us while you served the global urological community.

You showed every single one of us kindness and compassion. You asked after our families, you thanked us for our contributions, you responded to our emails with such incredible speed it was astonishing, you showed up to every meeting on time and prepared, and you always made us feel like the work we do matters. You planned countless hours of Annual Meeting programming, read an infinite number of AUANews articles and grew the publication from a print newsletter to a multimedia digital ecosystem, served as an ambassador to urologists worldwide, and so much more, all while being a wonderful father, husband, friend, and mentor. Despite those responsibilities, you made it your priority to elevate us.

When COVID came, your calming presence encouraged us all to focus on the AUA’s mission: “…to promote the highest standards of urological clinical care through education, research and the formulation of health care policy.” And with your guidance, that is what we did. Although our global community was living through the most challenging time in modern history, you showed up, not only to excel at your job but to encourage us to do the same.

A phone call or, better yet, in-person meeting with you is always a treat. When we have the privilege to work with you, we prepare painstakingly for that precious time – and you always, without fail, notice our hard work. You are gracious, ask thoughtful questions, and collaborate with us on next steps.

This letter is not a goodbye. We know you will continue your hard work on behalf of the AUA. Rumor has it that certain staff members might be reaching out to ask you to serve as a Guest Editor on an upcoming AUANews focus issue. Stay tuned…

Thank you, Dr. Denstedt. We will never forget your tremendous accomplishments as AUA Secretary and AUANews Editor-in-Chief. Most importantly, though, we will always remember your partnership, support, kindness, and desire to make the world a better place.

Respectfully and with great admiration,

Your AUA Team.