BALTIMORE, Aug 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Urology Care Foundation, the world's leading nonprofit urological health foundation and the official foundation of the American Urological Association, is pleased to announce the 2024 Urology Care Foundation Humanitarian Grant recipients.

As one of the world's largest urology-specific humanitarian-focused grant programs, the Urology Care Foundation Humanitarian Grants aid the efforts of urologists and projects providing patient care and education in underserved areas, either within the United States or worldwide.

Congratulations to this year's grant recipients:

Laura Bukavina, MD, MPH, MSc – Dr. Bukavina is an assistant professor of urologic oncology at Cleveland Clinic Glickman Urologic Institute. Her upcoming mission to Ukraine with the Cleveland Maiden Association will mark her fifth trip to the area to provide focused surgical interventions and education sessions.

Timothy Bukowski, MD, FACS, FAAP - Dr. Bukowski is a clinical professor of urology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, with board certification in Pediatric Urology. For 25 years, he has served as a medical volunteer with the World Pediatric Project , a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting children in developing countries with access to diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical care. Each Spring, he travels to Belize with WakeMed urology nursing team members to provide surgical care to children with congenital and chronic urological conditions.

Michael Gross, MD – Dr. Gross is a urology resident with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Through a partnership with urologists at the Hospital de Gran Grand Yoff in Dakar, Senegal, Dr. Gross has planned for a host of surgeries for their most complex and refractory cases.

Kavita Gupta, MD – Dr. Gupta is an endourology fellow at the Mount Sinai Kidney Stone Center in New York City. In partnership with the Jeev Sewa Sansthan organization, Dr. Gupta will travel to India to deliver surgical and medical care for complex kidney stone disease.

Alex Hwang, MD – Dr. Hwang is a urology resident at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. Through his work with the Jeev Sewa Sansthan organization, he will travel to India to provide urologic health care to impoverished patients residing in rural areas.

Amir Khan, MD – Dr. Khan is a research fellow with the University of Maryland, Department of Surgery. Through partnership with the Pakistan Kidney Institute, their project will deliver an introductory course on clinical research methods and clinical trials followed by a research mentoring program.

Juan Martínez-Salamanca, MD, PhD - Dr. Martínez-Salamanca is the president of the Lyx Foundation, founded in 2019 to actively stimulate the creation of deep-rooted and self-sustaining projects through local leadership training. Dr. Martínez-Salamanca is currently championing a screening project for prostate cancer in Cameroon, where his efforts could potentially provide invaluable support to individuals who remain undiagnosed.

Glen McWilliams, MD – Dr. McWilliams serves as vice president of the R. Frank Jones Urologic Society (RFJUS) and holds several other prominent positions within the urologic field. With RFJUS, Dr. McWilliams will provide prostate cancer education and screenings to underserved populations in New York City.

Alberto Ramirez-Lopez, MD, FACS—Dr. Ramirez-Lopez is a urologist based in Puerto Rico and has been an integral part of the University of Puerto Rico Department of Urologic Surgery. With support from the university’s Urology Program, he will bring services to underserved areas in the outer Islands of Puerto Rico, which have limited availability due to a lack of infrastructure connecting them to the main Island.

Michael Sourial, MD, FRCSC—Dr. Sourial is an assistant professor of urology at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. He will travel to Hospital San Hermano Pedro, Catacamas, Honduras, along with two other U.S.-based urologists, to provide urologic services to a small rural village with little access to medical care.

"We were, once again, incredibly impressed by the exceptional quality of the grant applicants. The ongoing and increasing interest in these opportunities highlights the importance of humanitarian work to our members," said Harris M. Nagler, MD, president of the Urology Care Foundation. "The proposed projects will positively impact the communities they serve and inspire others to carry on these vital efforts."

Grants were made possible through funds from the American Urological Association Humanitarian Endowment, the Amerson Family Humanitarian Endowment, the Richard J. Fox Foundation Humanitarian Endowment, the Nathirmal N. Lalchandani Humanitarian Endowment, the Endourological Society Raju and Ginny Thomas Humanitarian Endowment, the Indian American Urological Association Humanitarian Endowment, the Nawazish Ali Mian Family Endowment, the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine & Urogenital Reconstruction, the Southeastern Section of American Urological Association & Puerto Rico Urological Association, and other contributors.

Learn more about the Urology Care Foundation Humanitarian Grant Program and the work of the 2024 grant recipients: urologyhealth.org/2024humanitarians

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 25,000 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 care policy.

Contact:
Corey Del Bianco, Corporate Communications & Media Relations Manager
410-689-4033
cdelbianco@AUAnet.org

SOURCE American Urological Association and Urology Care Foundation