I complete my term as President-elect and assume the role of President of the AUA with a sense of appreciation and responsibility.

Over the past year, I have been reminded of the commitment we all maintain to the profession of urology and to the improvement of our patients’ lives. We will all face challenges in the years ahead, regardless of when we trained and where we practice. Even with this geographic and professional diversity among our membership, however, we share a common mission: to promote the highest standards of urological clinical care through education, research, and the formulation of health care policy.

Looking ahead, I’m eager to continue working with the AUA Board of Directors, the committees and councils, the AUA staff, and the AUA volunteers, who are all enthusiastic champions of our mission.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Allyship

As the AUA remains focused on the prioritization of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, I intend to work toward further development of opportunities for participation and leadership among women and other underrepresented groups. In order to achieve this goal, it is important that we embrace allyship—with all of our members actively serving as allies to underrepresented colleagues, in solidarity with their positions and consciously working to sustain and support them.

Health Policy & Legislative Affairs

We’ve made huge strides in advocating to ease the specialty physician workforce shortage, making telehealth expansion permanent, diversifying clinical trials, and reforming the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. In fact, this past spring, the SPARC (Specialty Physicians Advancing Rural Care) Act was introduced in the Senate. The Act establishes a loan repayment program for specialty physicians who elect to practice in a rural community, where many Americans lack access to close and readily available specialty care. Our efforts in this arena will allow us to continue to provide superb clinical care to our patients and maintain the joy that we derive from providing that care.

Strengthening Partnerships With AUA Sections

AUA members in North and Central America are divided into 8 geographic regions, or Sections. The AUA maintains a reciprocal membership requirement with members residing within those Sections. During my tenure as AUA President, I would like to further develop the mutually supportive relationship between the Sections and the AUA. A great deal of health policy work is being done very effectively at the state and local levels, and we will continue supporting those efforts and working together on relevant issues.

Mentoring

While the AUA is already doing a great job creating new, and fostering existing, mentorship opportunities such as the Leadership Program, the Urology Scientific Mentoring and Research Training (USMART) Academy, and the FUTURE in Urology program, clinical and academic urology grows more complex with each new governmental policy, staffing shortage, and financial hurdle. By continuing to grow and facilitate the sharing of experiences and insights, we can provide much needed support to colleagues across the country and around the globe.

Innovation & Technology Development

The first AUA Innovation Nexus event, held in May, was tremendously exciting, bringing together startups, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, investors, and urologists to advance urological discovery and create solutions that improve patient care and save lives. I look forward to the fall event and to continuing to build on these foundational elements to foster innovation, technological expertise, and discovery.

This is only the beginning of what we can achieve together. I’m excited to serve you over the next year!