BALTIMORE, Dec. 19, 2023 (GLOBAL NEWSWIRE) -- The American Urological Association (AUA) and the Urology Care Foundation, the official foundation of the AUA, are pleased to recognize 13 researchers as recipients of the 2023 Urology Care Foundation Research Scholar Awards. Research Scholar Awards support future research leaders and ensure they receive the necessary training and guidance for a successful research career.

These awards provide $40,000 annually for one or two-year mentored research training for clinical and postdoctoral fellows or early-career faculty. The program has invested over $25 million to support over 600 Research Scholars, most of whom have remained in committed research career tracks and now serve as leaders in urologic research and clinical practice.

"The Urology Care Foundation is dedicated to improving urologic health worldwide by supporting research, providing patient education materials, and promoting humanitarian initiatives,” said Harris M Nagler, MD, FACS, Urology Care Foundation President. “By providing support for researchers, we help develop individuals who will enhance our capacity to prevent, detect, and treat urologic diseases, thus advancing urologic health for everyone.”

Congratulations to the 2023 awardees:

AUA Mid-Atlantic Section William D. Steers, MD Award: Maya Overland, MD, PhD, will receive this two-year award for a study titled “In vivo testing of bacterial microtraps as a novel mechanical antibiotic alternative for the urinary tract” at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia under the mentorship of Stephen Zderic, MD.

AUA New England Section Wyland F. Leadbetter, MD Award: Iman Al-Naggar, PhD, will receive this two-year award titled “Targeting aging pathways in lower urinary tract dysfunction” at The University of Connecticut Health Center under the mentorship of George Kuchel, MD and Peter Albertsen, MD.

AUA New York Section E. Darracott Vaughan, Jr., MD Award: Unwanaobong Nseyo, MD, will receive this one-year award titled “Characterizing provider-driven disparities in advanced therapies for overactive bladder among racial/ethnic minority women” at Weill Medical College of Cornell University under the mentorship of Larissa Rodriguez, MD.

AUA South Central Section Award: Betsy Salazar, PhD, will receive this two-year award titled “Spinal and supraspinal regions involved in control of bladder function after a spinal cord injury” at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute under the mentorship of Rose Khavari, MD.

AUA South Central Section Award: Yufen Zhang, MD, PhD, will receive this one-year award for a study titled “The spinal mechanism of pelvic pain sensitization and voiding dysfunction” at Washington University in St. Louis under the mentorship of Vijay Samineni, PhD.

AUA Southeastern Section Award: Bashir Al Hussein Al Awamlh, MD, will receive this one-year award for a study titled “Assessment of resource utilization following treatment of localized prostate cancer using a novel data source” at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center under the mentorship of Daniel Barocas, MD.

AUA Southeastern Section Award: Joshua Linscott, MD, PhD, will receive this one-year award for a study titled “Utilizing cell free DNA to detect minimal residual disease and monitor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in muscle invasive bladder cancer” at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute under the mentorship of Roger Li, MD.

AUA Western Section Award: Christi Butler, MD, will receive this two-year award for a study titled “The utility of conjoint analysis with patient-decision making for GAS” at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine under the mentorship of Thomas Chi, MD.

Endourological Society Joseph Segura, MD Scholarship in Endourology and Stone Management: Heiko Yang, MD, PhD, will receive this one-year award titled “The role of macrophages in Randall's plaque formation” at the University of California, San Francisco, under the mentorship of Marshall Stoller, MD.

Endourological Society Raju Thomas, MD Award: Wilson Sui, MD, will receive this one-year award for a study titled “A randomized controlled trial of preoperative prophylactic antibiotics for ureteroscopy in moderate to high infectious risk population” at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine under the mentorship of Thomas Chi, MD.

Society of Urologic Oncology Award: Meera Chappidi, MD, will receive this one-year award for a study titled “Development and validation of a novel prognostic biomarker model to improve risk stratification of prostate cancer patients on active surveillance” at the University of Washington under the mentorship of Daniel Lin, MD.

Society of Urologic Oncology Award: Richa Singh, PhD, will receive this two-year award for a study titled “Characterizing the mechanistic co-operation of DNMT and EZH2 in mediating lineage plasticity in advanced prostate cancer” at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University under the mentorship of David Rickman, PhD.

Society of Urologic Oncology Specialized Programs of Research Excellence Award: Christopher Gaffney, MD, will receive this one-year award for a study titled “Inducing anti-tumor immunity in localized and metastatic prostate cancer using a novel intratumoral agonist anti-CD40 antibody as a cancer ‘vaccine’” at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center under the mentorship Howard Scher, MD.

"Recruiting unique young urologists has been a focus of the AUA and Urology Care Foundation over the years because we have seen how impactful their research can be and how we can help advance their careers,” said Steven Kaplan, MD, FACS, chair of the AUA's Research Council. “We are proud of our 2023 awardees and recognize the substantial impact their work will have on advancing the field of urology.”

To learn more about the Urology Care Foundation Research Scholar Awards visit: https://www.auanet.org/research-and-data/research-awards/aua-funding/research-scholar-awards

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 nearly 24,000 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.

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:

Corey Del Bianco, Corporate Communications & Media Relations Manager

443-909-4033,

cdelbianco@AUAnet.org

SOURCE Urology Care Foundation & American Urological Association