In the ever-evolving landscape of urology, excellence is not merely an aspiration; it is a relentless pursuit. As urologists, we are driven by a commitment to improving patient care, advancing medical knowledge, and fostering the next generation of skilled practitioners. It is within this spirit of unwavering dedication that I am honored to share with you a journey—one that has led to the establishment of a Training Center of Excellence.

I will uncover the crucial milestones and experiences that have defined my path, reinforcing the notion that excellence is not a solitary endeavor but a collaborative, dynamic venture. It is a journey marked by devotion, resilience, and an unwavering responsibility to the advancement of our field.

Through the efforts of my life’s work, I have done my best to improve the urological lives of many throughout Africa and beyond.

As a master trainer and international consultant in fistula and genitourinary reconstructive surgery, I have trained many surgeons over the years by way of organized hands-on surgical training workshops throughout Africa, the development of a Fistula Video Trainer for enhanced simulation training (Medical Simulation International, www.medsimintl.org), and the development of a comprehensive competency-based Fistula Manual (www.figo.org). Other major areas of influence throughout Africa have been in the fight against lymphatic filariasis (again, as a master surgical trainer), as well as the detection and treatment of prostate cancer in sub-Saharan Africa (Men of African Descent and Carcinoma of the Prostate [MADCAP]). I have also done much to further awareness, emphasis, and education in the area of female pelvic and reconstructive surgery beyond the issues of fistulae in African urology/surgery residency programs, thereby helping previously neglected and socially marginalized women.

Moreover, my ongoing efforts have included involvement in many national and international African organizations, nonprofit organizations, and numerous collaborations with academic centers around the world. Occupying various leadership opportunities has provided me high-profile platforms for advocacy, such as the roles I’ve held in the capacity of president of the West African College of Surgeons, president of the Pan African Urological Surgeons Association, a founding member and secretary general of the Senegalese Association of Urology, president of the African Society for Sexual Medicine, and international member of the European Association of Urology, International Society of Urology, International Society of Obstetric Fistula Surgeons, and the AUA, to name a few.

Furthermore, I started a nonprofit organization and continue to lead as director of IFRU-SF (Institute for Research and Training in Urology and Family Health, https://www.ifru.org), which is dedicated to capacity building and research in urology and reproductive health throughout all of Africa. Through this organization, I have been able to collaborate with many other global organizations and academic institutions to bring state-of-the-art medical research and training to Africa. As a tribute to my personal mentor, I started an outreach clinic in Yeumbeul, Senegal: the Aristide Mensah Health Center. Having officially opened just a few years ago, it is already a thriving multispecialty clinic, serving the various low-income communities outside of Dakar, with current efforts underway to develop a simulation and training center alongside the clinic.

Recently, IFRU-SF has evolved into something bigger: GloCare Health Institute. The institute is actively involved in community health, which is an approach to solving health problems based on community engagement. Its mission is to become a leading institution in sub-Saharan Africa in the fields of training, research, and comprehensive health care services.

The institute has obtained authorization from the Ministry of Health and Social Action to establish a community-oriented health care center. It integrates preventive, promotional, curative, and rehabilitative health services intended for the communities and delivered by the communities themselves under the supervision of public health personnel. Its aim is to expand health care services to the geographical and social periphery of the country, structure and strengthen local health care governance, and promote partnership between communities and health care facilities.

As a matter of fact, I am honored to say that we have established a partnership with Doylestown Health very recently. The collaboration between Aristide Mensah and Doylestown Health emerged from a shared vision of enhancing health care services and promoting knowledge exchange, and was made possible by my dear friend and brother Dr Albert Ruenes.

In conclusion, my mission for medical and surgical capacity building in Africa starts with me at home as professor of urology at the Cheikh Anta Diop University and as the former director of the Urology Department at the General Hospital Idrissa Pouye in Dakar, Senegal. Having built one of the most advanced and highly sought-after urology residency programs in West Africa, my training program has served to plant many “seeds” of urology as my trainees move on to lead hospitals and training centers of their own throughout Africa. With this, and all my educational, training, and advocacy efforts, I believe I embody the slogan of IVUmed, “Teach One, Reach Many.”