It is my honor to serve as Western Section’s President in 2023 following the tremendously successful term of the previous President, Christopher Porter, MD. I have been a member of the AUA and Western Section since 1995. My current position is Professor of Urology at Stanford University. My wife, Nitay, joins me in welcoming you to the 99th Annual Meeting at the beautiful Everline Resort and Spa in Olympic Valley, Lake Tahoe, the site of our upcoming Annual Meeting (Figures 1 and 2). All urology health professionals are welcome to attend and register in the appropriate category offered online on our secure meeting website: www.surgewest.org.

The upcoming Annual Meeting in Lake Tahoe, a world-class ski resort, has generated much enthusiasm and interest (Figure 3). It is the first time ever that the Western Section has met here.

The Western Section AUA Program Committee plans to ensure a wide range of session topics, state-of-art the lectures, videos, Genitourinary Tumor Board, Round Table Program, VIP lectures, and cutting edge symposia providing approximately 32 category 1 continuing medical education credits.

One of the benefits of attending Western Section meetings is We Make it FUN for everyone! Aside from the daily scientific sessions, there are outdoor local enticements available for everyone’s enjoyment in the Lake Tahoe area. This Annual Meeting was intentionally preplanned for early October to enjoy the scenic Indian summer foliage in the mountains with a bit cooler temperature and a Sunday-to-Thursday meeting format. We will celebrate Octoberfest on Wednesday night—bring your lederhosen (short-length breeches, a traditional German garment) if you have them!

In addition to fine dining and shopping in nearby Olympic Village, local area activities include:

Nature walk tours—Everline Resort offers a hike along our nature trail.

Golf—The resort offers family golf specials in the late afternoon, giving families an opportunity to play a quick and easy round on the front 9 holes from our family tees (located approximately 150 yards from the green).

Footgolf—Footgolf is a combination of the popular sports of soccer and golf. Played on our golf course, players kick a soccer ball into holes with 21-inch diameter cups in as few shots as possible for all ages.

Hiking and backpacking—The resort’s nature trail connects you to a variety of trails around Olympic Valley’s peaks (ask the hotel concierge for tips on nearby trails in North Lake Tahoe) for mountain biking and scenic bike path rides, fly fishing and guided fly fishing, and bike rentals.

Stay connected! View our official meeting website, www.surgewest.org, for the meeting schedule, program topics, hotel and registration policies, virtual/hybrid option registration, and keynote speaker updates.

As always, the Western Section offers the best meeting in the West! Arrangement Chair Anne Schuckman, MD, of Los Angeles, who has diligently served for several years on the Program Committee, also welcomes everyone reading this to come to another phenomenal Annual Meeting at the Everline Resort and Spa, Lake Tahoe. We all look forward to welcoming AUA and Section members at our 99th Annual Meeting.