BALTIMORE, Md., March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Urology Care Foundation, the world's leading nonprofit urological health foundation and official foundation of the American Urological Association, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 Research Awards of Distinction. The awards acknowledge outstanding contributions to urology research, specifically in pediatrics and prostate cancer, and recognize the accomplishments of previous Urology Care Foundation awardees, the dedication of exemplary research mentors and the efforts of talented early- career scholars.

"We're proud to recognize this year's Urology Care Foundation Research Awardees," said Harris M. Nagler, MD, Urology Care Foundation President. "A major component of the Foundation's mission is to support and improve urological care by funding research and these awardees exemplify that mission through their outstanding contributions to the field of urology."

Congratulations to this year's recipients:

John W. Duckett, Jr., MD, Pediatric Urology Research Excellence Award 
Christopher Cooper, MD, FAAP, Vice-Chair of Urology and Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine

Established in 2009, the Duckett Award is named in honor of the late world-renowned pediatric urologist and professor and made possible through a fund established by Mrs. Peggy Duckett-Drach and the Societies for Pediatric Urology. The Duckett Award is presented annually to recognize outstanding work in the field of pediatric urology research.

Richard D. Williams, MD Prostate Cancer Research Excellence Award
Natasha Kyprianou, PhD, Professor of Urology, Oncological Sciences, Pathology, member of the Tisch Cancer Institute, and Vice-Chair for Basic Sciences Research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Established in 2013, the Williams Award is named in honor of the late urologist, scientist, mentor and humanitarian and is made possible through a fund established by Mrs. Beverly Williams. The Williams Award is presented annually to recognize outstanding and impactful research in the field of prostate cancer over the previous 10 years.

Distinguished Mentor Award
Alan Diekman, PhD, Professor of Urology, Biochemistry &amp, Molecular Biology within the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Established in 2003, the Distinguished Mentor Award recognizes researchers and physician scientists who have an outstanding track record of fostering the next generation of research by continually providing an excellent training environment and guidance to early-career investigators and is funded by the Urology Care Foundation.

Distinguished Scholar Alumnus Award
Glenn Preminger, MD, James F. Glenn Professor of Urologic Surgery at Duke University Medical Center

Established in 2003, the Distinguished Scholar Alumnus Award recognizes former Urology Care Foundation Research Scholars who have achieved a substantial body of impactful research and demonstrate an unwavering commitment to scholarship and academic leadership in the field.

Outstanding Graduate Scholar Award
Established in 2016, the Outstanding Graduate Scholar Award recognizes one one-year and one two-year Research Scholar Award recipient completing their Urology Care Foundation-funded research. Awardees are chosen based on the quality and difficulty of the applicant's project, the potential impact of their studies, demonstrated research productivity and publications generated during the award period and the Scholars' potential as future research leaders.

Zeynep Gul, MD, Society of Urologic Oncology Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, has received a 2022 Outstanding Graduate Scholar Award for a one-year research project on The Effects of Telemedicine on Health Disparities in Patients with Urologic Malignancies, conducted under the mentorship of Bruce Jacobs, MD, Jonathan Yabes, PhD, and Benjamin Davies, MD.

Renea Sturm, MD, Assistant Professor of Urology at the University of California Los Angeles has received a 2022 Outstanding Graduate Scholar Award for a two-year research project on Bio-inspired Urethral Design: Scaffold Creation and Evaluation, conducted under the mentorship of Nasim Annabi, PhD, Ali Khademhosseini, PhD, and Isla Garraway, MD, PhD.

The awardees will be celebrated at the Urology Care Foundation Research Honors Program held at the AUA Annual Meeting in May 2022. To learn more, visit https://www.auanet.org/research/research-funding/aua-funding/research-honors-program 

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. Collaborating with physicians, researchers, patients 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.

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 policy. www.AUAnet.org.

Contact:
Caitlin Lukacs
410-689-4081
clukacs@AUAnet.org 

SOURCE Urology Care Foundation