AUANews Inside Tract

Join Dr. Andrew Harris, Chair of AUA's Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Committee, and AUA's President, Dr. Eugene Rhee, as they discuss the implementation and impact of The Virtualist Model, a QI initiative undertaken at Kaiser Permanente Southern California to address a call burden, which undermines joy in work and is an important driver of physician burnout.

We are pleased to announce that Dr Stephen Nakada, AUA Past President (2024-2025), has joined the AUANews editorial board as the new Associate Editor for Leadership and Business. He will be leading a new series on leadership within the AUA. The first installment features a conversation between Dr Nakada and current AUA Secretary Dr David Penson.

In this episode of AUANews Inside Tract, host Dr. Mark Edney speaks with Dr. Helen Burnie about the FDA's proposed updates to testosterone therapy labeling and what they could mean for urologists, patients, and the broader field of men's health. The discussion explores new evidence on cardiovascular safety, prostate cancer, BPH, and appropriate patient selection, while emphasizing the importance o...

In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Robles interviews the current AUA Science & Quality Fellow, Dr. Max Bowman, drawing on her own experience as a former fellow. He shares what motivated him to apply, the meaningful experiences he had, and the advice he has for future applicants. This episode gives an inside look into the program's impact and the unique opportunities it creates for the next generation o...

In this episode of the Capitol Stream series, members of the AUA's Government Advocacy and Policy team take listeners inside the effort to elevate men's health as a national public health priority. Melika Zand, Vanessa Cramer, and Mike Collins discuss the urgent health disparities facing men in the United States, the bipartisan push behind the State of Men's Health Act, and the strategy for buildi...

Dr. Gabriela Gonzalez and medical student Margaret Dearey share their experiences with the AUA's FUTURE Program at AUA2026, highlighting how mentorship, early exposure, and community support can shape career paths. From navigating a first AUA Annual Meeting to building meaningful connections, they discuss the program's impact from both mentor and mentee perspectives, and why others should get invo...

In this episode of AUANews Insight Tract, Drs. Divya Ajay and Evalynn Vasquez share their experiences participating in the AUA Academic Exchange Program in Brazil. From observing complex reconstructive procedures with Dr. Ubirajara Barroso in Salvador to engaging with the Brazilian urology community, they reflect on how international collaboration reshapes perspectives on training, patient care, a...

In this episode, AUA Public Policy Council Chair Mark Edney speaks with outgoing AUA President Dr. Lane Palmer as he reflects on his impactful year in leadership. Dr. Palmer shares insights on advancing advocacy, strengthening the specialty's voice in public policy, and the importance of PAC engagement. He also discusses key challenges ahead—including workforce needs and AI—while offering advice t...

Developed by the AUA Residents and Fellows Committee, each episode of the Training Transformed podcast series features an interview with a urology faculty member and resident physician surrounding an innovative facet of resident education at their institution. Tune in for our sixth episode as moderator, Dr. Kayla Graham, chats with Dr. Abhinav Khanna and Dr. Britney Honda about the surgical video...

In this episode of AUA News Inside Tract, Drs. Yahir Santiago-Lastra and Fenwa Milhouse break down genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), a common but often overlooked condition. They explore why fear of estrogen persists, clarify the safety of vaginal estrogen, and share practical, real-world prescribing tips to help clinicians confidently treat patients and improve quality of life.

In this episode of AUANews Inside Tract, Global Perspectives, pediatric urologists Christopher Jaeger, MD, and Priyank Yadav, MD, reflect on their experiences through the AUA/USI Exchange Program. They discuss pediatric urology training and practice in India and the U.S., lessons learned from different clinical environments, and how international collaboration can expand surgical perspective, stre...

Join Dr. Andrew Harris, chair of AUA's Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Committee, and Dr. Eugene Rhee, AUA's president-elect, as they discuss the importance of joy in work in urology and Dr. Rhee's vision for promoting joy through a new initiative he's calling the Joy in Urology Strategic Framework.

Quality Improvement and Patient Safety In this episode, Dave Friedlander, MD, MPH, joins Andrew Harris, MD, MBA, chair of AUA's Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QIPS) Committee, to discuss the implementation of a care pathway designed to improve discharge and follow-up for patients presenting to the emergency department with renal colic. They explore how this pathway has reduced emergency d...

In this episode of AUANews Inside Tract, Dr. Tim Bukowski and Valre Welch take listeners behind the scenes of a long‑running pediatric urology mission in Belize—most recently supported by a Urology Care Foundation Humanitarian Grant. They explore how a multispecialty, continuity‑based model is transforming care for children with complex conditions such as spina bifida. From surgical innovation and...

In this episode of AUANews Inside Tract, Dr. Sutchin Patel takes listeners inside the 2026 AUA History Exhibit, Explorations: Urology and Extreme Environments . Joined by former NASA flight surgeon Dr. Jeff Jones, the conversation explores how spaceflight and other extreme environments are shaping the future of urology, and why understanding history is essential as the field looks beyond Earth.

AUA Secretary, Dr. David Penson, previews the AUA2026 Keynote Ramon Guiteras Lecture with Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, exploring overdiagnosis, cancer screening, and the unintended harms of finding too much. From PSA testing to incidental imaging findings, this episode challenges how—and when—we look for disease.

Dr. Steven Kaplan, founder and director of AUA Innovation Nexus, sits down with Brian Hogan and Britton Garrett to discuss how the AUA Innovation Nexus is driving rapid growth in urologic innovation. From at-home diagnostics to AI and data-driven care, they explore what's transforming the field, what investors value, and key lessons for startup success.

During Testicular Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Phil Pierorazio sits down with Dr. Charles Freeman McCluskey, a urology resident whose career was shaped by his own diagnosis of bilateral testicular cancer. He shares his experience navigating early symptoms, misdiagnoses, and urgent treatment during the onset of COVID, and how that journey led him to urology.

In this episode of AUANews Inside Tract, Drs. Andrew Harris and Amanda North explore the AUA's new quality improvement brief, reframing burnout as a system-level issue that impacts patient safety—not just physician well-being. They discuss why quick fixes fall short and share practical strategies to restore joy in work through better workflows, team-based solutions, and smarter use of technology.

Developed by the Medical Student Membership Workgroup, the Urology Spotlight Series educates medical students about a particular subspecialty within urology, including common cases and procedures. In this episode, medical student Brandon Noorvash is joined by Dr. Sepehr Nowfar, a general urologist and Medical Director of the Cancer Center of Excellence at Unio Specialty Care - Los Alamitos, for a...

In this episode of AUANews Inside Tract's Igniting Discovery series, AUA's Research Grants Program Sr. Manager, Sarah Gross, speaks with Bryan Pinchuk, founder and CEO of InnoCare Urologics and a winner of the 2025 AUA Innovation Nexus Showcase. Pinchuk shares how his team redesigned the Foley catheter with a safety valve that automatically deflates when accidentally pulled, reducing injury risk f...

In this episode of AUANews Inside Tract, Dr. Stacy Tanaka, editor of AUANews , speaks with third-year medical student Allison Meling about their experience participating in the FUTURE in Urology program at the AUA Advocacy Summit. Together, they reflect on the importance of programs that support medical students, build community within the specialty, and empower the next generation of urologists t...

In this episode, Dr. Zach Feuer joins Dr. Andrew Harris, chair of AUA's Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QIPS) Committee, for a conversation on the implementation of a telehealth-based program for the evaluation of men referred for elevated PSA. They discuss how the implementation of this quality improvement project reduced the time from referral to prostate cancer diagnosis.

Developed by the AUA Residents and Fellows Committee, each episode of the Training Transformed podcast series features an interview with a urology faculty member and resident physician surrounding an innovative facet of resident education at their institution. Tune in for our fifth episode as moderator, Dr. Kayla Graham, chats with Dr. Max Bowman and medical student, Lynn Leng, about their revampe...

In this episode of AUANews Inside Tract, Global Perspectives, Dr. Kristen Scarpato and Dr. Boyd Viers reflect on their experience in the American Urological Association–European Association of Urology Academic Exchange Program. From operative efficiency and training differences to lasting professional relationships, they share key takeaways from their time in France and Germany, and why global exc...