BALTIMORE, Md., Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — As part of its growing global mission, the Urology Care Foundation is proud to announce Una Jeanie Lee, MD and David E. Rapp, MD have been selected as 2021 Urology Care Foundation Humanitarian Grant recipients and will each receive $4,500 in funding. As one of the world's largest urology-specific humanitarian focused grant programs, the Urology Care Foundation Humanitarian Grant supports the extraordinary efforts of individuals, projects or project teams providing direct urologic patient care to people and communities in underserved areas, either within the United States or abroad.

Through Dr. Lee's collaborative efforts with Medicine for Humanity and Mbarara University of Science and Technology, she and the team aim to evolve the obstetrical fistula care model into a self-sufficient, year-round repair, recovery and reintegration program for low-income East African women. A heartbreaking condition, obstetric fistula is often the result of prolonged and obstructed labor, which causes severe childbirth injury to the mother. The World Health Organization estimates in Uganda alone, there are more than 100,000 women enduring life with fistula, and nearly 2,000 women develop this condition each year. For every woman who receives treatment, more than 50 women go without. In Uganda, the magnitude of the problem overwhelms the local capacity and resources.

Dr. Rapp's initiatives will focus on providing urologic surgeries in Belize through the work of Global Surgical Expedition (GSE), a global charity he founded in 2012. Through this grant, Dr. Rapp, in conjunction with the work of GSE, will organize and send surgical teams to sites in Belize to support the delivery of urologic surgical care to men and women  suffering from such urologic disease as cancer (renal, penile, bladder), urethral stricture, urolithiasis, as well as life-altering female pelvic medical conditions.

"We are honored to present Drs. Lee and Rapp with the Urology Care Foundation's first Humanitarian Grants," said Harris M. Nagler, MD, President of the Urology Care Foundation. "Both reflect the spirit of true humanitarianism, as they give themselves without expectation of remuneration and provide services to all equally, impartially and cooperatively. Both are truly deserving individuals."

Grants were made possible through funds from the American Urological Association/Urology Care Foundation Humanitarian Endowment, as well as the Urology Care Foundation/Richard J. Fox Foundation Endowment.

Learn more about the Urology Care Foundation Humanitarian Grant Program and the work of Drs. Lee and Rapp.

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 23,000 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. To learn more about the AUA visit: www.auanet.org.

About the Urology Care Foundation: The Urology Care Foundation is the world's leading nonprofit urological health foundation, and the official foundation of the American Urological Association. Partnering with physicians, researchers, healthcare professionals, patients, caregivers, families and the public, the Foundation supports and improves urologic clinical care by funding research, developing patient education and pursuing philanthropic support. To learn more about the Urology Care Foundation and its programs visit: www.urologyhealth.org.

Contact:
Christine Frey, AUA
443-909-0839, cfrey@auanet.org

SOURCE Urology Care Foundation