Baltimore, MD, February 20, 2015 - ,The American Urological Association (AUA) today announced its Board of Directors has approved Aria F. Olumi, MD, as the new chair of its Research Council. He will assume his new role June 1, 2015.

An active member in the urology community, Dr. Olumi is an attending physician at Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Urology and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. In addition, he serves as director of the Urologic Research Program in the Genitourinary Oncology Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, as urology residency program director at Massachusetts General Hospital and as director of the Combined Harvard Urologic Oncology Fellowship Program, an alliance between Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, both in Boston, MA.

In his new role, Dr. Olumi will lead the AUA Research Council, providing strategic oversight of the AUA Office of Research and helping to develop and implement new initiatives to facilitate the advancement of urologic research. He will also oversee the activities of the following AUA research committees: Research Advocacy, Research Grants and Investigator Support, and Research Education, Conferences, and Communications.

"We are extremely pleased to welcome Dr. Olumi as our incoming chair of research," said AUA Secretary and member of the Research Chair Search Committee, Gopal H. Badlani, MD. "His superb credentials, range of expertise in urologic disease research and his unwavering dedication to advancing urologic research, make him ideally suited to lead the AUA's growing investments in research."

In addition to the duties mentioned above, Dr. Olumi will serve as research advisor to the Urology Care Foundation and work collaboratively with investigators and clinicians to advance research across the full spectrum of urologic disease, as well as increase and diversify funding opportunities. ,

"We are looking forward to working with Dr. Olumi in his new role as chair of research," said Urology Care Foundation Board Chair, Richard A. Memo, MD. "His commitment to helping advance research endowment and support, as well as developing programs to train and mentor medical students, residents, and clinical and research fellows is important to furthering a field of innovative researchers and surgeon-scientists and to accelerating urologic advancements for patients and providers."

A member of the AUA Research Council Since 2013, Dr. Olumi is also a member of the executive committee of the Society for Basic Urological Research, as well as a member of the executive committee for Society of Urologic Oncology fellowship programs.

Dr. Olumi received his medical degree from the University of Southern California, finished his urology residency at Brigham and Women',s Hospital/Harvard Medical School (Longwood Program) and completed three years of post-doctoral fellowship training in molecular medicine research at the University of California, San Francisco under the mentorship of world-renowned cancer biologist, Thea D. Tlsty, PhD. He has received extensive national-level funding from the National ,Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Cancer Institute, Department of Defense (DoD), Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Prostate Cancer Foundation, and other sources, as well as served on multiple National Institutes of Health, DoD, AUA and other grant review panels.

About the American Urological Association: ,Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology, and has more than 21,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy.

Contact:
Christine Frey, AUA
410-999-7091
Cfrey@auanet.org