SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Urology Care Foundation, the world's leading nonprofit urological health foundation and the official foundation of the American Urological Association (AUA) is pleased to announce the 2018 Research Awards of Distinction. These awards recognize urologists, scientists and educators who have distinguished themselves through their contributions to urology.

The following winners will be recognized at the Urology Care Foundation Research Honors Program and Reception, May 19, at the AUA Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, CA.

Craig A. Peters, MD, division director at Children's Health and chief of Pediatric Urology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, will receive the John W. Duckett, Jr., MD Pediatric Urology Research Excellence Award. Established in 2009 and provided through a fund established by Mrs. Peggy Duckett-Drach and the Society for Pediatric Urology, this award honors a physician-scientist or researcher for their outstanding work in pediatric urology.

Kenneth J. Pienta, MD, Donald S. Coffey professor of urology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, will be honored with the Richard D. Williams, MD Prostate Cancer Research Excellence Award. Made possible by Mrs. Beverly Williams, this award, which was established in 2013, is presented annually in recognition of an individual's outstanding and impactful work in prostate cancer research over the past 10 years.

Marshall L. Stoller, MD, professor and vice chair of Urology at the University of California, San Francisco, will be honored with the 2018 Urology Care Foundation Distinguished Mentor Award. This award reflects Dr. Stoller's longstanding commitment to fostering the next generation of urologic research leaders through his mentorship, exceptional training environment and guidance to early-career investigators.

Hunter Wessells, MD, FACS, professor and chair of urology at the University of Washington, will be recognized with the Urology Care Foundation Distinguished Alumnus Award. This award honors former Urology Care Foundation Research Scholars who have achieved a substantial body of impactful research and who demonstrate an unwavering commitment to scholarship and academic leadership in the field of urology.

Christina B. Ching, MD and Vivek Narayan, MD will be honored with the Urology Care Foundation Outstanding Graduate Scholar Award. Each year, a one- and two-year Urology Care Foundation Research Scholar is chosen to receive the Outstanding Graduate Scholar Award based on the quality and potential impact of their studies, overall research productivity and publications generated during the award period. Dr. Ching's two-year study, titled ",Role of Reg3 and HIP/PAP on Urothelial Antimicrobial Activity and Barrier Function Against Uropathogens,", advanced our understanding of urinary tract infections and Dr. Narayan investigated new ways to treat kidney cancer with his one-year project, titled ",Comprehensive Peripheral Blood Immune Cell and Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) Profiling for the Prediction of Clinical Response to Novel Immunotherapies in Renal Cell Carcinoma.",

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. We partner with physicians, researchers, healthcare professionals, patients, caregivers, families and the public to support and improve the prevention, detection and treatment of urological diseases through research and education. To learn more about the Urology Care Foundation and its programs visit: www.urologyhealth.org.

About the American Urological Association: The 113th Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association takes place May 18-21 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA. 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. To learn more about the AUA, visit www.AUAnet.org.

SOURCE Urology Care Foundation