Linthicum, MD, November 17, 2016-As part of its ongoing participation in the ABIM Foundation's Choosing Wisely campaign, the American Urological Association today recognized Dr. Danil Makarov as well as the team of Drs. Mitchell Humphreys, Peter Black and Ithaar Derweesh as "Choosing Wisely Champions."

Announced earlier this year, the Choosing Wisely Champions program is an initiative to recognize clinicians who are leading efforts to reduce overuse and waste in medicine. More than a dozen leading medical specialty societies have committed to participate in the Champions component of the Choosing Wisely campaign.

The AUA's 2016 Choosing Wisely Champions were selected for their commitment to the Choosing Wisely program, for advancing the campaign at the Association level (as well as in their local practices) and demonstrating leadership in these efforts.

Dr. Makarov is recognized for his research on physician adherence to clinical practice guidance documents that demonstrated a need for tools and education (such as Choosing Wisely recommendations) to inform appropriate care. Dr. Makarov is an Assistant Professor and Director of Health Services Research in the Department of Urology at the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine and NYU Langone Medical Center in New York. He is also a SOLVE faculty member and assistant professor of health policy at NYU Wagner School of Public Service.

Drs. Humphreys, Black and Derweesh, as part of their participation in the AUA Leadership Program, conducted a membership survey focused on adherence to Choosing Wisely statements, with a focus on the AUA's first list of recommendations, and worked with electronic medical record vendors to incorporate clinical decision support into systems to alert providers to the AUA's recommendations. Dr. Humphreys is a consultant and professor in the Department of Urology at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, and serves as the associate dean of the Mayo School of Continuous Professional Development and is the Endourology Fellowship director. Dr. Black is a urologic oncologist at Vancouver General Hospital, as well as a research scientist at the Vancouver Prostate Centre and an associate professor in the Department of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Derweesh is a professor of surgery in the Division of Urology at the University of California, San Diego, where he also serves as program director of the Urologic Oncology Fellowship.

In addition to participating in the Champions program, AUA has also previously released two lists of "Five Things Clinicians and Patients Should Question" that identify areas of potential waste or overuse in urology. To date more than 75 medical specialty societies have collectively published nearly 500 recommendations of tests and treatments they say may be unnecessary and clinicians and patients should discuss.

,"As the Choosing Wisely program expands across the nation and the world, a natural next step is to recognize those who are implementing it effectively in their practices to improve patient care," said AUA Science &, Quality Chair Dr. J. Stuart Wolf, Jr. "The AUA is pleased to recognize Drs. Makarov, Humphreys, Black and Derweesh for their commitment to advancing Choosing Wisely."

For more information on Choosing Wisely visit ,www.choosingwisely.org.

NOTE TO REPORTERS: Expert spokespeople are available to discuss this story. Please contact the Communications Office at 410-689-3932 for more information or to arrange an interview.

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:
Wendy Isett, AUA
410-689-3789
wisett@auanet.org