As the Treasurer of the AUA, I often reflect on the financial aspects of the many successful AUA partnerships. Of course, there is more to long-standing relationships than the bottom line. Regardless and importantly, the AUA has developed wonderful working partnerships with industry that translate to integral support for our annual meeting and mission-related programs in education, research, and advocacy, as well as directly to patient benefit. Successful physician/industry partnerships provide mutual education and form the basis for continued interaction and growth.

The physician/industry partnership can also be personal and start as a simple respectful one-on-one interaction. I was poignantly reminded of the formative impact of that interaction at the June AUA dinner for leaders from industry. In particular, Lee Sullivan, senior global market development director of Boston Scientific, reminded me of her early days as a field representative in Florida. She recounted how I was always willing, patient, and immersive in providing experience and advice to her as she learned about urology. It was something she has carried her entire career. When she graciously expressed her appreciation to me at the dinner, I was visibly moved. So was our VP of Publications, Jennifer Regala, who was sitting next to her. Jennifer is always contemplating content of interest to the 26,000 readers of AUANews and quickly proposed that Lee and I write an article addressing the human side of the physician/industry relationship. Jennifer is very hard to say no to.

In an effort to make the content of this article pertinent and useful, we have had several strategy sessions including with the AUA publication team and the team at Boston Scientific. Our hope is to emphasize that relationships have a start and a future. Boston Scientific is a wonderful partner that provides support to the AUA at multiple levels, including the newly initiated medical student fellowship supporting diversity. There was a beginning and because of that, subsequent growth and learning on both sides.

Before I began my academic career, I spent decades as managing partner of a rural, large group private practice in Florida. I always appreciated the relationships with the field representatives of our pharmaceutical and device manufacturers. The information flow was 2 ways. Not only were they providing me with timely product updates, but I was also teaching them the basics of clinical urologic application. I was appreciative of the education they provided and, in the end, I knew they were too. That is exactly how I first met Lee Sullivan as a new field representative. I fostered her education, including taking her into the operating room with me. We built a foundation. Lee is now firmly established as a senior global market development director of Boston Scientific, and I moved back to my training institute for an academic practice 13 years ago.

A solid, respectful, and appreciative foundation can begin simply as a personal relationship that leads to growth and evolution of purpose. Simple beginnings lead to trust and growth. Each relationship has unique opportunities. I am reminded in my current role as AUA treasurer, how symbiotic the physician/industry relationship can be and has become.

Harnessing Collaboration: A Vital Pillar in Advancing Patient Care

As Dr Stringer referenced earlier, I had the pleasure to be seated with him at a recent AUA industry dinner. As the meal progressed, it occurred to me to ask what he’s most proud of. As a true mentor and teacher, Dr Stringer responded by highlighting his work with residents and noting his sense of accomplishment when he saw them succeed in their own careers.

Given my own experience with Dr Stringer, his answer didn’t surprise me, but it did make me realize the breadth of his impact among his colleagues as well as industry representatives, like me.

When I first began working as a Boston Scientific field representative, I admittedly had a lot to learn about procedures and how physicians were caring for their patients. During one fateful office visit, I met Dr Stringer. Little did I know that this would be the start of a professional relationship that would help guide my career.

Soon, Dr Stringer began inviting me into surgeries where he took the time to walk through the steps of various procedures and allowed me to see our technologies in patient care firsthand. In these moments, I was able to better grasp how our technologies were being used by physicians.

Eventually I was able to build similar bonds with other physicians. This gave me access to real-life testimonies and clinical input, which then helped me understand what challenges they were facing day-to-day. This kind of authentic feedback from physicians is invaluable to Boston Scientific as it develops new medical technologies to help physicians care for their patients. It enables us to create and bring better solutions to our customers. Dr Stringer was often an early adopter of our new therapies, giving me honest feedback on our products and allowing for this cycle of innovation to continue.

As time went on our professional relationship evolved, yet interaction with Dr Stringer continued to impact my daily activities. In 2018, I became the AUA liaison for Boston Scientific and began working directly with the board, including Dr Stringer as treasurer. This collaboration through the AUA was potentially the biggest opportunity to bring impactful change to the urology community.

Currently there is a severe shortage of urologists entering the field, which is acutely felt in the lack of gender and racial diversity in the industry. To help address this, we worked with the Urology Care Foundation™ and the AUA Board to establish the Boston Scientific Medical Student Innovation Fellowship Award to support the education of medical students from racial and ethnic backgrounds underrepresented in urologic research.

This past April, Daniela Orozco Rendon from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College was named as the first recipient of the award. It’s an exciting step forward to help cultivate more diversity in the urology field and support the future of this specialty. It represents a strong example of what we can accomplish when we work together to address relevant topics affecting the urology community.

Looking back on this journey and my relationship with Dr Stringer, I am eternally grateful for the experience and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. Perhaps the biggest lesson I’ve taken away is that collaboration is key. When urologists and industry representatives forge meaningful connections through societies such as the AUA, with the mutual goal of advancing clinical education and patient care, positive results are inevitable.