Figure. The late Dr Belker.

Arnold Belker, MD, died on August 26, 2023 (Figure). Dr Belker was a highly respected leader in urology. Dr Belker first attended Indiana University prior to completing his undergraduate and medical education at University of Louisville. He was a clinical professor in the Department of Urology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. After completing his internship at Tufts-associated New England Medical Center in Boston, he did his residency at the State University of Iowa Hospitals working under Dr Rubin Flocks. In 2016 he was recognized by the AUA when he was the recipient of the Presidential Citation Award, which is presented to individuals deemed to have significantly promoted the cause of urology. He is listed in the AUA’s esteemed William P. Didusch Center for Urologic History for his accomplishments in microsurgery and male infertility. Indeed, he was among the first urologists in the country to perform microsurgical procedures and taught these skills to many urologists.

Although he was a private practitioner, Arnold was the most academically impactful in our field. He organized and/or served as a faculty member for many microsurgical courses sponsored by the AUA. Arnold published a landmark article concerning the results of 1469 microsurgical vasectomy reversals in a collaborative study that he organized with urologists at the Universities of California at San Francisco, Michigan, Oregon, and the Cleveland Clinic. He served on 2 different AUA guideline committees, 1 for erectile dysfunction and 1 for male infertility, as well as an AUA best practice committee on male infertility. He published over 90 manuscripts and book chapters, and served on the editorial boards of 4 journals and as a reviewer for 7 other journals. He also served as editor for an issue of Urologic Clinics of North America.

Arnold also served as president of 3 professional societies, including the American Society of Andrology (where he received the Distinguished Service Award) and the Society of Reproductive Surgeons (which honored him as the recipient of its Distinguished Reproductive Surgeon Award “in recognition of his many contributions as a reproductive surgeon, and for his role as the ‘ongoing conscience’ of science in the field of male reproductive surgery”). Arnold, recognizing the important role of the reproductive urologist in the care of the infertile couple, as well as the need for those working in the field of urology to have a voice on the board of directors, played the key leadership role, together with Drs Marc Goldstein and Dolores Lamb, in the creation of the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology as a formal affiliated society of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (formerly the American Fertility Society). In recognition of his many contributions, the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology presented him with the Distinguished Reproductive Urologist Award “for significant contributions to the field of reproductive urology and for service to the organization.” He contributed markedly to the Society for the Study of Male Reproduction, an affiliated society of the AUA, where an anonymous donor established an endowed fellowship travel award in his honor.

Arnold will always be remembered for his authoritative, booming voice and his wonderful sense of humor. He always enjoyed serving as a “politically influential” mentor for many of us, providing us with opportunities for networking and high-profile positions. He loved interacting and talking at length with everyone he met. He and his wife, Terry, traveled all over the world, where he served as an invited speaker at prestigious conferences in urology and in reproductive medicine in numerous countries. He is also survived by his son, daughter, and 3 beloved grandchildren.

Most importantly, in addition to being a man of the highest ethical and moral character, Arnold exemplified Sir William Osler’s aphorisms, “Do the kind thing and do it first!” and “The secret of good patient care is in caring for the patient.” He was such a superb mentor for so many of us. He taught us how to be an effective advocate for new and better methods without antagonizing or hurting others. He was also the most academically successful private practitioner in our field. We will miss him terribly.