The Great Debate is designed to encourage a spirit of camaraderie and showcase the art of persuasion. Selected residents from each AUA Section will participate in a series of eight 10-minute debates on designated topics from different fields of interest submitted by recognized experts.
Witness influential and skilled rhetoric in action, and cheer on your Section representatives!
Saturday, May 14
2-4 p.m.
Room #344
Learn more about The Great Debate game format.
Read FAQs about The Great Debate.
The Residents and Fellows Committee would like to extend a special thank you to this year’s judges as well as the question writers who worked to create challenging and thoughtful debate cases for this year's event. View a full list of this year's Great Debate Judges and Question Writers.
Check out pictures from the 2019 Great Debate.
Mid-Atlantic Section
Avery Braun, DO
Einstein Healthcare Network
Graduation Date: 2022
Avery Braun currently serves as a PGY5 chief resident at the Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia. She is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio and received an undergraduate degree in Health and Exercise Science from Wake Forest University and graduated magna cum laude. She completed her medical degree with honors at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2017. Upon graduating residency in 2022, she will be headed to University of California – San Francisco to begin Society of Urologic Oncology fellowship training. She has an interest in implementation science and its utilization within the urologic oncology domain. Outside of residency, her hobbies include being an avid Peloton-er, jigsaw puzzler, podcast listener, and amateur debater.
Randall Lee, MD
Temple University Hospital
Graduation Date: 2022
Randall Lee is from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and currently a chief resident in urology at Temple University Hospital. He completed his undergraduate and medical education at Drexel University, where he graduated with honors and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society and the Arnold P. Gold Humanism Honor Society. His interest includes minimally invasive surgery for both urologic malignancies and reconstruction, and the advancement of robotic surgical education. Randall will be completing a fellowship in Advanced Robotics and Urologic Oncology at University of Southern California.
New England Section
Aparna Ashok, MD
Brown University
Graduation Date: 2023
At age 10, Aparna emigrated to the US from India. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University. She then attended St. George's University School of Medicine, where she headed the Indian Cultural Students Association and was part of the Bhangra and Cardiac Arrest dance teams. She matched categorical in General Surgery at the Carle Foundation in Champaign, Illinois. Aparna was recruited to Brown University as a PGY-2 in Urology. She will be applying for male genitourinary reconstructive surgery fellowship this fall. She then plans to practice Urology with her father in California's Central Valley.
Egor Parkhomenko, MD
Boston University School of Medicine
Graduation Date: 2023
Egor was born in Belarus but grew up in Toronto with his family. He received his Honors of Bachelor of Science at York University, Canada and completed his medical degree at St. George's University School of Medicine, Grenada. Prior to residency, Egor worked as a researcher under the mentorship of Dr. Gupta at Mount Sinai, New York and Dr. Landman and Dr. Clayman as a LIFT fellow at the University of California, Irvine. Egor is a PGY-4 urology resident at Boston University School of Medicine pursuing a fellowship in Endourology/minimally invasive surgery. Outside of work, he enjoys travelling, soccer, snowboarding, scuba diving and cooking.
New York Section
Tavya Benjamin, MD
The Smith Institute for Urology at Hofstra/Northwell Health
Graduation Date: 2022
Tavya is a Florida native, who completed her undergraduate studies at The University of Tampa where she obtained a Bachelors of Arts in Chemistry. She then completed her medical school training at the University of Central Florida. Currently, she is in her chief resident year, finishing her urology residency at The Smith Institute for Urology at Northwell Health. In July, she will begin her fellowship training in Interventional Urology in NYC. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, gardening, and reading.
Alexandra Tabakin, MD
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Graduation Date: 2022
Alexandra Tabakin grew up in New Jersey and attended Rutgers University where she studied genetics and Spanish. She earned her MD from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School where she is now completing her chief resident year. After residency, she hopes to pursue an academic career in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery.
North Central Section
Diego Aguilar Palacios, MD
Cleveland Clinic
Graduation Date: 2022
Diego Aguilar Palacios was born and raised in Cuenca, Ecuador and came to the USA seeking the best urological education. Currently, he is one of the chief residents at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Aguilar Palacios’ research efforts have largely been devoted to kidney cancer. Outside the hospital, he loves spending time with his wife and one year old daughter. He also enjoys grilling his own “parrilladas”, hazy IPAs and horse riding.
Ajay Gopalakrishna, MD, MHS
Mayo Clinic Rochester
Graduation Date: 2022
Ajay Gopalakrishna is currently a chief resident at Mayo Clinic Rochester. He hails from the Detroit area and attended Wayne State for his undergraduate studies and Duke University School of Medicine for his MD and MHS degrees. Following residency, he will be doing a Robotics fellowship at the Vattikuti Urology Institute at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, hiking, spending time with family and friends, and trying new food and drink.
Northeastern Section
Valentina Grajales, MD, MS
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Graduation Date: 2022
Valentina Grajales is currently a urology chief resident at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She is originally from Colombia and lived most of her life in Florida. She attended medical school at the University of Virginia. She will be starting her fellowship in urologic oncology at MD Anderson this year. She is a 2020 Urology Care Foundation Residency Research awardee. Her research focuses on health disparities in bladder cancer treatment and outcomes.
Alexis Steinmetz, MD
University of Rochester
Graduation Date: 2023
Dr. Alexis Steinmetz grew up in Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Medical Anthropology. She obtained her M.D. from Loyola University Chicago and spent a year as a Research Fellow in Africa. At the University of Rochester, Dr. Steinmetz continues to develop her career in oncology, global surgery, and health equity. She is applying for an SUO fellowship to further develop her interests in clinical trial design and the microbiome as a biomarker in bladder cancer. She spends her free time outdoors and training for marathons with her Vizsla, Pema.
South Central Section
David Cochran, MD
University of Oklahoma
Graduation Date: 2022
David Cochran is a fifth year urology resident at the University of Oklahoma. Originally from rural East Texas, Dr. Cochran attended Texas A&M for undergrad and medical school. He plans to practice general urology after graduation in June 2022.
Rodrigo Pessoa, MD, PhD
University of Colorado
Graduation Date: 2022
Rodrigo Pessoa currently serves as a urology resident in the Department of Surgery, Division of Urology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, concentrating his research efforts in the area of urologic oncology. Within this realm, he is focused on outcomes research, improving knowledge in risk stratification for localized prostate cancer, comparative effectiveness amongst minimally invasive techniques and ERAS implementation best practices and outcomes.
Southeastern Section
Samarpit Rai, MBBCh, BAO
Swedish Medical Center
Graduation Date: 2022
Sam is currently a fellow in minimally invasive advanced robotic urology at Swedish Medical Center, Seattle under the tutelage of Dr. James Porter. He graduated from residency at the University of Louisville, KY in June 2021. He is an ardent supporter of Roger Federer and enjoys playing tennis, reading, hiking, and swimming.
Max Shelton, MD
Tulane University
Graduation Date: 2022
Dr. Shelton is a PGY5 chief resident at the Tulane University Department of Urology. He graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine in 2017 and plans to return to Indiana University for the two-year HoLEP/Stone Endourology fellowship beginning this summer. He has enjoyed his time at Tulane and in New Orleans immensely and is looking forward to his wedding here this fall.
Western Section
Jasper Bash, MD
Oregon Health & Science University
Graduation Date: 2023
To ponder the mysteries of the perineum and let ones mind wander the corridors of the GU system is to truly plumb the depth of the human spirit. Jasper, a native Californian currently training in Oregon, let this truth guide him to Urology early in medical school, and it continues to lead him to a fellowship in Andrology and Infertility.
Grant R. Pollock, MD
University of Arizona
Graduation Date: 2022
Dr. Grant Pollock is a graduate of the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans, graduating in 2017. He is completing his residency training this year and moving back to the New Orleans area to practice General Urology at Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner. Dr. Pollock has over 10 publications accepted to peer reviewed journals since 2018. He has had 10 abstracts accepted into the AUA, Western Section, Society of Urologic Oncology, and The Arizona Urological Society meetings during residency. He is an avid New Orleans Saints, LSU Football, and New Orleans Pelicans fan.