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UHealth's interventional and structural heart experts provide the most advanced cardiac catheterization procedures from the state-of-the-art UHealth Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. Our experts are internationally known leaders, recognized for setting the highest standards of patient care used by physicians around the world and for having the expertise to treat even the sickest, most high-risk patients. Our interventional experts approach every patient with the highest levels of expertise, judgment, and compassionate care.

Treatments

At UHealth, we offer the spectrum of coronary and structural interventions (except for tricuspid valve interventions) from the state-of-the-art UHealth Catheterization Laboratory, which enables real-time, image-guided procedures, offering the highest technical precision and outstanding patient outcomes.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)
Most coronary procedures use PCI, which offers radial access, providing catheter access from a blood vessel in the wrist rather than from a femoral artery in the groin. This approach has been shown to be safer and have quicker recovery. Patients undergoing elective stent procedures can safely go home on the same day of their operation after a short observation period.

Complex Coronary Interventions
For those patients for whom bypass surgery is no longer an option, we offer complex and advanced interventions to address chronic total occlusions, left main coronary interventions, bifurcations, and calcified arteries. Many of our patients have reduced heart function characterized by low ejection fraction; in these patients, we may use left ventricular assist devices, such as Impella or TandemHeart, to support the intervention. We perform these interventional procedures in the most challenging patients with complicating conditions, such as advanced age, chronic kidney disease, and lung disease.

Structural Heart Interventions
Florida's first Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, known as TAVR, was performed at UHealth in 2008.

Our experts have subsequently performed thousands of procedures, innovating to further advance interventional cardiac care for even the most complex, high-risk patients. Some of the structural heart interventions we perform include:

  • Heart valve interventions, including TAVR and MitraClip. Physicians from around the region send us some of their most challenging cases.
  • In collaboration with UHealth neurology, our experts provide comprehensive care to patients who have suffered a stroke and require the closure of a heart defect known as patent foramen ovale, or PFO.
  • Many patients who had valve replacements in the past are left with small defects around the artificial valves, known as paravalvular leaks. We have a multidisciplinary team to image and treat these defects in a procedure known as "paravalvular leak closure."

Congestive Heart Failure
Interventional heart failure therapy at UHealth is a multidisciplinary collaboration between the interventional cardiology team and other areas within UHealth cardiology. These collaborations are coordinated within the Heart Failure Innovation and Treatment Program, led by Dr. Luanda Grazette. Interventional cardiology contributes to the care and management of heart failure patients by offering a range of procedures, implemented as appropriate and including primary and high-risk PCI, catheterization during the implantation of hemodynamic support devices, complex revascularization, valvular interventions and ablation for arrhythmia.

Pulmonary Embolism
In collaboration with the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, we developed a 24/7 service for sick patients admitted with pulmonary embolism, a life-threatening condition. We have extensive expertise in the endovascular extraction of large clots from the pulmonary arteries with devices such as the Inari Flowtriever or Penumbra.

Why Choose UHealth?

UHealth is a trailblazer in advancing medicine for the treatment of valvular and other structural heart conditions and for complex coronary interventions. Our experts are physician-scientists conducting research and offering clinical trials that provide tomorrow's treatments to today's patients. They hold leadership positions in national academies and are contributors to the guidelines that establish the standards of interventional cardiac care nationwide.

We offer the most complex procedures and have the rare expertise to treat even the most challenging patient cases. Our team develops personalized, patient-centered treatment plans to address the unique needs of each individual, and collaborations with cardiac surgery, neurology, pulmonology and other UHealth experts ensure patients receive all the benefits that academic multidisciplinary care can provide.

Most of our coronary procedures are performed via radial access. This provides catheter access from a blood vessel in the wrist rather than from the femoral artery in the groin. Known as Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, or PCI, this approach has been shown to be safer and have quicker recovery. Patients undergoing elective PCI stent procedures can safely go home on the same day of their procedure after a short observation period.

Our experts offer complex coronary interventions for patients in whom bypass surgery is no longer an option. Many of our patients have reduced heart function/low ejection fraction. In these cases, we may use left ventricular assist devices such as Impella or TandemHeart to support the intervention. We perform these interventions in the most challenging patients with multiple complicating conditions such as advanced age, chronic kidney insufficiency and lung disease.

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Agenda

3:00 - 4:00 PM REGISTRATION
Lobby
4:00 - 6:00 PM SESSION 1: MEN'S HEALTH
Fleur De Lis Ballroom
4:00 - 4:05 PM Welcome and Introductions
4:05 - 4:30 PM Erectile Dysfunction After Prostatectomy
4:30 - 4:55 PM Erectile Dysfunction - Canary in the Coal Mine?
4:55 - 5:00 PM Q&A
5:00 - 6:00 PM Challenging Cases in Men's Health Moderators:
and

Speakers:
6:00 - 7:30 PM WELCOME RECEPTION
Fontaine Ballroom
Nitya Abraham, MD

Nitya Abraham, MD

Urogynecology/Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery
Montefiore Medical Center
Montefiore, NY

Nitya Abraham, MD, Associate Professor of Urology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, joined Montefiore in 2015 as a specialist in female pelvic medicine and lower urinary tract reconstruction. Upon graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Connecticut, Dr. Abraham completed her medical degree as well as her urology residency training at New York University. She completed her fellowship training in pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery at Cleveland Clinic. At Montefiore, she established the pelvic floor program in collaboration with colleagues in the OB/GYN department, which offers state-of-the-art treatment for pelvic floor disorders. She is an active member of the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine, and Urogenital Reconstruction (SUFU).


She is also focused on medical education and has been the urology residency program director since 2020 and a member of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine curriculum committee since 2022. She has over 45 peer-reviewed publications and has been funded by research grants from the Department of Defense and SUFU. She specializes in treating urinary incontinence, vaginal prolapse, urethral reconstruction, urinary fistula, mesh complications, and more, using robotic, open, or vaginal approaches depending on what is best suited for her patients.

Katherine Amin, MD

Katherine Amin, MD

Assistant Professor
Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
University of Miami
Miami, FL

Dr. Amin earned her medical degree at the University of Buffalo and completed her Urologic Surgery residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (New York, NY) from 2012-2017. Dr. Amin completed an ACGME-accredited fellowship at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, WA in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery/Urogynecology (2017-2019). As a fellow, Dr. Amin pursued her research interests in pelvic floor disorders, specifically in stress urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and overactive bladder.


As an Assistant Professor of Clinical Urology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine since 2019, Dr. Amin has continued to her career in research and education. In 2022, Dr. Amin was one of two awardees to receive grant funding through the University of Miami Calabresi Clinical Oncology Research Career Development K12 Scholar Program to understand the effects of Aromatase Inhibitors on the Genitourinary Microbiome in Women with Breast Cancer. Dr. Amin is also interested in research to explore improving pelvic floor disorders among cancer survivors, effects of diet and hormonal therapy on the genitourinary microbiome, health care disparities, and improving women's health.

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Jennifer Anger, MD, MPH

Professor and Vice Chair of Research
C. Lowell and JoEllen Parsons Endowed Chair in Urology
Diplomate, American Board of Urology
Gender Affirming Surgery, Urologic Reconstruction and FPMRS
UC San Diego Department of Urology
La Jolla, CA

Jennifer T. Anger, MD, MPH (she/her) is Professor of Urology and Vice Chair of Research in the UC San Diego Department of Urology. She is a dual fellowship-trained reconstructive urologist with a background in both urologic reconstruction and health services research.


She spent her clinical fellowship in urologic reconstruction in men and women with Dr. George Webster at Duke University Medical Center. She later became board-certified in Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS) as part of the first class of recipients. Dr. Anger spent her research fellowship at UCLA with Dr. Mark Litwin, a pioneer in urological health services research. Dr. Anger’s research focuses on improving the quality of care for women with urinary incontinence, reducing disparities in care, and improving medical and surgical outcomes for transgender adults and adolescents. Dr. Anger is dedicated to assuring that transgender individuals receive high-quality, evidenced-based surgical care.

Denise Asafu-Adjei, MD, MPH

Denise Asafu-Adjei, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor, Department of Urology
Director of Male Reproductive Medicine
Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine
Loyola University Medical Center
Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health

Dr. Denise Asafu-Adjei is a trailblazing urologist, researcher, and health policy champion. She is an Assistant Professor of Urology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, where she serves as the Director of Male Reproductive Medicine. She is also duly appointed in the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health.


Dr. Asafu-Adjei completed an Andrology Fellowship at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) from 2020-2021. She completed her Urology residency at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, the first African-Americanfemale graduate of this residency. She received her M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School. During medical school, she obtained an MPH in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is a proud alumni of Carnegie Mellon University and is a current member of the University's Alumni Board.


Amongst her involvement locally and nationally in various professional organizations, Dr. Asafu-Adjei is Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America and is on the AUA's Inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She was the 2023 AUA Gallagher Health Policy Scholar, a current member of the AUA's Legislative Affairs Committee, and the Illinois representative to the Health Policy Committee of the AUA’s North Central Section.

Shrikanth Atluri, MD

Shrikanth Atluri, MD

Mbbs, MS General Surgery, Mch Urology
Consultant Urooncologist and Robotic Surgeon
Sir H N Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai
Fellowship in Urooncology University of Miami Hospital, Miami, USA
Fellowship in Robotic and Laparoscopic Urology from University of Miami Hospital, Miami, USA
Fellowship in Urooncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai

Helen Bernie, DO

Helen Bernie, DO

Board certified Urologist
Director of Male Sexual and Reproductive Medicine and the Andrology Fellowship Director at Indiana University
Assistant Professor of Urology at Indiana University School of Medicine
Indianapolis, IN

Marijo Bilusic, MD, PhD

Marijo Bilusic, MD, PhD

GU Medical Oncology Team Lead
Genitourinary Medical Oncology
Department of Medicine
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Miami, FL

Dr. Marijo Bilusic, MD, PhD, is a board-certified medical oncologist who treats genitourinary tumors (adrenal, kidney, prostate, bladder, and testis). His current research interests focus on tumor immunology and the development of novel immunotherapy approaches for prostate cancer and other genitourinary tumors using therapeutic cancer vaccines, antibodies, immune modulators or immune checkpoint inhibitors, not only as monotherapies but in combination with other immune mediating modalities and other conventional or experimental therapies as part of an immuno-oncology programmatic effort.


Dr. Bilusic received his M.D. degree from the University of Zagreb School of Medicine in Croatia and completed his Ph.D. training at the University of Split School of Medicine in Croatia. In addition, he completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in physiological genomics at the Medical College of Wisconsin's Human and Molecular Genetics Center in Milwaukee, WI. He completed a clinical fellowship in medical oncology and hematology at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), in Bethesda, MD.


Dr. Bilusic served as an assistant professor (Genitourinary medical oncology) at the Fox Chase Cancer Center/Temple Health from 2012 – 2016 and then joined the NCI Genitourinary Malignancy Branch in 2016 as an Associate Research Physician (equivalent to Associate Professor). During his time at the NCI, he also served as Associate Program Director, NIH Hematology Oncology Fellowship Program from July 2016 – July 2018, and then as Program Director from July 2018 – July 2021. In 2017 Dr. Bilusic received the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's Award as a member of NIH Hematology Oncology Fellowship Team for extraordinary resourcefulness and initiative. His passion for teaching and mentoring has earned multiple awards at NIH and NCI.


In July 2021, Dr. Bilusic joined Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center / University of Miami Health System as GU Medical Oncology Team Lead and Professor of Clinical Medicine. He is board-certified in medical oncology, hematology, and internal medicine.

Jill Buckley, MD

Jill Buckley, MD

Urologist
Professor of Urology
UC San Diego Health
San Diego, CA

Dr. Jill Buckley is a Professor of Urology at UC San Diego Health, specializing in Urologic Reconstructive Surgery. Her practice focuses on complex urinary conditions including urethral stricture, fistulas, ureteral injuries, urologic trauma, and complications following cancer treatment. Dr. Buckley is an expert in robotic reconstructive surgery focusing on complex ureteral repairs as well as restorative lower urinary tract reconstruction. She is the director of the UC San Diego Urology Residency Program and the Director of the Reconstructive Urology Fellowship at UCSD. Dr. Buckley is board certified in urology and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). She is an active member of the Society of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons (GURS), the leading academic and clinical forum for reconstructive urology.

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Giovanni Cacciamani, MD

Atish Choudhury, MD, PhD

Atish Choudhury, MD, PhD

Senior Physician
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA

Dr. Atish Choudhury is a medical oncologist and clinical/translational investigator within the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He received a BA in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University and received his MD PhD from Columbia University. He currently serves as Chair of the Gelb Center for Translational Research, and his research interests include investigation of genetic and epigenetic biomarkers from circulating free DNA from patients with metastatic cancer, biomarker studies from other banked human specimens from patients participating in clinical trials, and clinical investigation in novel therapeutics and treatment strategies in prostate cancer.

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Osamah Choudhry, MD

Senior Physician
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA

Craig Comiter, MD

Craig Comiter, MD

Professor, Department of Urology
Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford, CA

Dr. Comiter received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College, and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He stayed in Boston for his residency, serving as resident in general surgery at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and then completed his urology residency at the Harvard Program in Urology. In 1998, Dr. Comiter served as Clinical Instructor and Fellow in Neurourology and Urodynamics at the University of California in Los Angeles.


In 1999, Dr. Comiter joined the faculty at the University of Arizona, as Assistant Professor of Urology. In 2003, he was promoted to Associate Professor, and became Chief of the Section of Urology and Residency Program Director.


In 2008, Dr. Comiter moved to Stanford University Medical School as an Associate Professor in the Departments of Urology and Obstetrics & Gynecology, where he started an ABU/ABOG and SUFU accredited fellowship in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery. In 2013, Dr. Comiter was promoted to Professor, and the Stanford FPMRS fellowship was approved for ACGME accreditation. He currently serves as Division Chief for Benign Urologic Specialties at Stanford.


Dr. Comiter has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and 30 book chapters, focusing on BPH, overactive bladder, urinary incontinence, post-prostatectomy incontinence, neuromodulation, urodynamics, and pelvic organ prolapse. He has presented more than 100 peer-reviewed abstracts and given more than 250 invited lectures. He is a Deputy Editor, Female Urology, for the Gold Journal, and was the recipient of the 2022 Victor Politano Award.

Janak Desai, MBBS

Janak Desai, MBBS

David Ginsberg, MD

David Ginsberg, MD

Professor of Clinical Urology
Department of Urology
Los Angeles, CA

Dr. David Ginsberg is an internationally recognized expert in the field of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Urology. Dr. Ginsberg joined the USC faculty in 1997 after completing his fellowship in female, reconstructive, and neuro-urology. His particular areas of interest include both male and female voiding symptoms and urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and neurogenic bladder. Dr. Ginsberg specializes in both surgical and non-surgical options for the treatment of prolapse and voiding dysfunction. Dr. Ginsberg is board-certified by the American Board of Urology with a subspecialty certification in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery.


In addition, Dr. Ginsberg is Chief of Urology at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, an internationally respected facility focusing on the care of patients with spinal cord injury and other neurologic diseases, and Program Director for the USC Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery fellowship.


Dr. Ginsberg’s contribution to the field has been recognized by his invitation to serve on a variety of committees. He was on the American Board of Urology/American Urological Association Exam Committee from 2012-2022. He joined the Executive Committee for the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine & Urogenital Reconstruction (SUFU) in 2012 and began his two-year term as President of SUFU in 2022. He has been a member of the American Urological Association (AUA) Practice Guideline Committee (PGC) since 2016 and began his position as Chair of the PGC in 2023. In addition, Dr Ginsberg was a member of the AUA/SUFU Stress Urinary Incontinence Guideline Panel, served as Chair of the AUA/SUFU Neurogenic Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Guideline Panel and is a present member of the AUA/SUFU Overactive Bladder Guideline Panel.


Dr. Ginsberg has been invited to give numerous Visiting Professor presentations and has lectured throughout the world. He has been elected to Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society and has been listed as a “Best Doctors in America” and one of Southern California’s Super Doctors in Los Angeles Magazine for many years.


He has published numerous articles within his field of expertise and reviews articles for multiple journals, including the Journal of Urology for which he was awarded “best reviewer” in 2012 and 2014. He was the editor two textbooks that focused on neurogenic bladder and Dr. Ginsberg is on the editorial board for Medscape and is an Associate Editor of Neurourology and Urodynamics.

Mark L. Gonzalgo, MD, PhD, MBA

Mark L. Gonzalgo, MD, PhD, MBA

Professor
Urology
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Miami, FL

Dr. Mark Gonzalgo is professor and vice chair of urology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Executive Director of Perioperative Surgical Services, University of Miami Health System. He also serves as director of the urologic oncology fellowship program. Dr. Gonzalgo is a urologic oncologist with expertise in open and robotic surgical approaches for the treatment of prostate, bladder, and kidney cancers. Dr. Gonzalgo is a recognized expert in DNA methylation and is particularly interested in developing new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for cancer detection and treatment. He has carried out pioneering research on the molecular biology and early detection of prostate, bladder, and kidney cancer and has published extensively on the scientific and clinical aspects of these diseases. Dr. Gonzalgo has been recognized as a Top Doctor by US News & World Report and is an emeritus member of the scientific advisory board of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN).

Ari Hakimi, MD

Ari Hakimi, MD

Urologic Surgeon
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY

Dr. Hakimi is an Associate Professor of Surgery, Urology Service and is Urologic Oncology surgeon with clinical and research interest in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). He serves as the Assistant Fellowship Program Director and Co-Leader of the Translational Kidney Cancer Program. He is also an Affiliate Member of the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program. His lab is funded by the NIH and DOD and his current translational research aims to understand immune infiltration, inflammation, and the tumor microenvironment in RCC to identify novel therapeutic targets to overcome resistance to systemic therapies. These studies apply bulk, single-cell and spatial RNA sequencing, flow cytometry, and immunogenomic analyses to both patient samples and two distinct, novel, immunocompetent mouse models that his lab developed. In this capacity, he works closely with members of the Departments of Molecular Biology, Epidemiology, Pathology, Computational Biology, and Immunology.

Laura Horodyski, MD

Laura Horodyski, MD

Assistant Professor
Reconstructive Urology, General Urology
University of Miami School of Medicine
Miami, FL

Laura Horodyski, M.D., is a urologist with specialized training in trauma and reconstruction. She is passionate about helping patients with a range of urologic issues with the best medical and surgical care.Dr. Horodyski completed medical school at the University of Cincinnati, followed by a urology residency at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Hospital. She also completed a clinical fellowship in trauma and reconstructive surgery at Temple University Hospital before returning to the University of Miami Health System’s Desai Sethi Urology Institute as faculty. Dr. Horodyski serves as the associate program director of the urology residency program.


Her clinical interests include treatment of complications from cancer treatment, urethral stricture, male stress urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, Peyronie’s disease, BPH, congenital and acquired urologic anomalies, and neurogenic bladder. She is an LGBTQ-affirming provider.

Emad Ibrahim, MD, HCLD

Emad Ibrahim, MD, HCLD

University of Miami
Desai Sethi Urology Institute
Assistant Professor of Urology & Neurological Surgery
Director of the Clinical Andrology Laboratory
Director of the Male Fertility Research Program of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
Miami, FL

Emad Ibrahim, M.D., HCLD is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Urology and Neurological Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida. He specializes in Andrology and Sexual Medicine and is the Director of the Clinical Andrology Laboratory and the Sperm Cryopreservation Program at the Desai Sethi Urology Institute. He is an expert in management of sexual dysfunction, ejaculatory dysfunction, and infertility in men with spinal cord injury. Dr. Ibrahim is the Director of the Male Fertility Research Program at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. He performed over 3,000 penile vibratory stimulation procedures and over 650 electroejaculation procedures. He also trained more than 150 professionals to perform these procedures and counseled over 800 men with SCI about the status of their infertility and provided information about assisted conception to over 170 couples with a male partner with SCI which helped 130 couples to achieve pregnancy. Dr. Ibrahim was recently awarded a $3.24 Million 4-year grant from the US Department of Defense to study the effect of a novel treatment on fertility after spinal cord injury.

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Jihad Kaouk, MD, FACS

Professor of Surgery
Department of Urology
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH

Bruce Kava, MD, MSCTI

Bruce Kava, MD, MSCTI

Professor and Director of Men's Health
Desai Sethi Urology Institute
University of Miami School of Medicine
Miami, FL

Bruce R. Kava, MD, FACS, is Professor of Urology and Director of Men’s Health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He has been at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine for 22 years, during which time he served as the Chief of Urology at the Miami Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and was the Interim Chairman for the Urology Department between 2010-2012. A native New Yorker, Dr Kava attended medical school at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and his Urology Residency training was at New York University Medical Center. Dr. Kava was a Urologic Oncology Fellow at the prestigious Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and he holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical and Translational Investigation from the University of Miami. A bonified expert in men’s health, Dr. Kava has particular expertise in Urologic Oncology, Sexual Dysfunction, and BPH. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, as well as a chapter on Essential Communications Skills for Urologists for the AUA Core Curriculum. He is currently President-elect of the American Society of Men’s Health and has served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Sexual Medicine and the Board of Directors for the Florida Urological Association.

Archan Khandekar, MD

Archan Khandekar, MD

Instructor, and Urologic Oncology Fellow
University of Miami
Miami, FL

Archan Khandekar, currently a Urologic Oncology Fellow and Clinical Instructor at the University of Miami, is dedicated to exploring the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare. With a medical degree from Smt. NHL Municipal Medical College in Ahmedabad and urology training from Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Mumbai, before his fellowship, Dr. Khandekar is primarily focused on cancers of the Kidney, Prostate and Bladder. At the University of Miami, he collaborates closely with tech companies, aiming to integrate AI into urologic oncology for improved patient outcomes.

Kathleen Kobashi, MD, MBA, FACS

Kathleen Kobashi, MD, MBA, FACS

Professor of Urology Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery Department of Urology Houston Methodist Hospital Houston, TX

Kathleen Kobashi is the Judith Helmle Shaw and Roy Gordon Shaw, Jr. Centennial Chair in Urology at Houston Methodist Hospital. She previously served 14 years as Section Head of Urology and Renal Transplantation at Virginia Mason (VM) Medical Center and Director of their Pelvic Floor Center. She received her B.A. at Wellesley College, her M.B.A. at the University of Michigan, and her M.D. at Drexel University (formerly Hahnemann) and completed her urologic residency at the University of California, Irvine followed by a Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery (URPS) fellowship at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles before moving to Seattle in 1999.


In addition to her passion around patient care, Dr. Kobashi is dedicated to research and education of patients and the next generation of urologists. Dr. Kobashi is a mentor for the American Urological Association (AUA) Leadership program that is devoted to the development of promising young leaders. She founded the VM FPMRS Fellowship in 2003 and a new Urology Residency in 2014, for which she served as the Program Director until her departure to Houston. She has authored more than 130 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on topics related to pelvic floor dysfunction and has been faculty on the subject around the globe. Dr. Kobashi is a Past President of SUFU (Society for Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and Urogenital Reconstruction) and served as the first female President of the Western Section AUA. She is a Trustee of the American Board of Urology (ABU) and a member of the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons (AAGUS). She currently serves as Associate Editor for the AUA’s Urology Practice Journal and the Societe Internationale d’Urologie Journal and as a member of the Residency Review Committee. Dr. Kobashi received the Continence Care Champion award from the National Association for Continence (2006 and 2023), the Paul Zimskind Award from SUFU (2010), a Presidential Citation from the AUA (2013), the Distinguished Service Award from SUFU (2022), and the esteemed Victor Politano Award from the AUA (2023).

Cheryl T. Lee, MD

Cheryl T. Lee, MD

Professor of Urology
Urologic Oncology
Department of Urology
Ohio State University
Comprehensive Cancer Center
Columbus, OH

Dr. Lee is Professor and Chair of the Department of Urology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center where she holds the Dorothy M. Davis Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. She is also the Vice President of the OSU Physicians and Faculty Group Practice. Her medical professional focus is dedicated to improving the care of bladder cancer patients through advocacy, education, and research. She has served the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network in many roles and is currently a member of its Board of Directors.


Dr. Lee is a prior SUO Fellowship Director and mentor of hundreds of residents, fellows, and students. She is also active in the education and certification of urologists. She has directed or been a faculty member of a postgraduate course at the annual meeting of the AUA for nearly two decades and has served on the ABU Oral Board Examination Committee, the AUA Education Council, the ABU Written Examination Committee, the Oncology Knowledge Assessment Test Committee of the SUO and is an active member of the AUA Update Editorial Board. She is currently a Trustee of the American Board of Urology and a member of both the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons and the Clinical Society of Genitourinary Surgeons. She is a recipient of a 2022 SUO Distinguished Service Award, a 2023 AUA Distinguished Service Award, and the 2023 Valentine Medal. Her current research interest, supported by the NCI, is focused on increasing the representation of patients in cancer clinical trials.

Una Lee, MD

Una Lee, MD

Urology Physician Lead
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health System
Section Head, Section of Urology and Renal Transplantation
Virginia Mason Medical Center
Associate Program Director, Urogynecology/Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship
Virginia Mason Medical Center
Seattle, WA

Dr. Una J. Lee is the Section Head of the Section of Urology and Renal Transplantation and Urology Physician Lead of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in Seattle, Washington. She is subspecialty board certified in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery (URPS), and serves as Associate Program Director of the URPS fellowship at Virginia Mason. Her undergraduate and medical school degrees are from Stanford University. She completed her urology residency at the Cleveland Clinic, and did her fellowship in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at UCLA. Dr. Lee’s clinical practice is focused on the evaluation and management of female pelvic floor disorders. She specializes in overactive bladder, incontinence, pelvic organ prolapses and vaginal reconstructive surgery, robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery, as well as complications from prior surgeries using mesh.


Dr. Lee serves as lead investigator in collaborative patient engagement work on amplifying women’s voices in stress urinary incontinence surgery research prioritization, funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Her research is grounded in patient-centered perspectives and seeks to advance a deeper understanding of female pelvic floor problems. She served as Founder and Chair of the Society for Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine, and Urogenital Reconstruction (SUFU) Research Network. She volunteers with the nonprofit organization Medicine for Humanity and travels to Mbarara, Uganda to partner with local gynecologists to provide care and medical education on issues of women’s health including the surgical repair of childbirth injury. She serves as the Women’s Health Chair and President of the Washington State Urology Society. She served as Guest Editor of a Special edition of Urology focused on Women’s Health. She hopes to raise awareness of urologic issues related to advancing Women’s Health and lead positive change within Health Care.

Stacy Loeb, MD

Stacy Loeb, MD

Professor of Urology
Department of Urology
New York University
Grossman School of Medicine
New York, NY

Dr. Stacy Loeb is a Professor of Urology and Population Health at the New York University School of Medicine and the Manhattan Veterans Affairs Medical Center, specializing in prostate cancer and men’s health. Dr. Loeb has more than 400 peer-reviewed publications. She currently has multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense for her research on prostate cancer. Dr. Loeb won the AUA Gold Cystoscope Award in 2021 for her contributions to the field within 10 years of graduating from residency. She is Chair of the American Urological Association Public Media Committee and hosts the Men’s Health Show on Sirius XM satellite radio.

Robert Marcovich, MD

Robert Marcovich, MD

Associate Professor of Clinical
Division of Endourology/ Stone Disease
University of Miami
Miami, FL

Dr. Robert Marcovich obtained his M.D. at Brown University School of Medicine. He completed a urology residency at the University of Michigan and an endourology fellowship at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He has clinical and research interests in the surgical and metabolic treatment of kidney stones. He serves as Program Director of the University of Miami Urology Residency and Co-Program Director of the University of Miami Endourology Fellowship.

Thomas Masterson, MD

Thomas Masterson, MD

Assistant Professor of Urology
Desai Sethi Urology Institute
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Miami, FL

Dr. Thomas Masterson is an assistant professor of clinical urology in the Department of Urology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Bruce W Carter Miami VA Medical Center. He received his medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and completed his residency in Urology and fellowship in andrology at the University of Miami. Dr. Masterson is trained in microsurgery and infertility. He has experience operating with standard operating optical microscopes and 3D video microscopes. His clinical responsibility includes teaching medical student, residents, and andrology fellows. His research interests include treatment of male infertility, fertility preservation, testosterone replacement, male sexual dysfunction. He is co-investigator on an RO1 studying the safety and efficacy of combination shock wave therapy with platelet rich plasma to treat erectile dysfunction. Dr. Masterson is a reviewer for Fertility and Sterility, American Journal of Men’s Health, Lasers in Medicine, Frontiers in Endocrinology, Urology, and Andrology.

Jaime Merchan, MD

Jaime R. Merchan, MD, MMSC

Associate Professor
Department of Medicine
Co-Leader, Translational and Clinical Oncology Research Program
Director, Phase 1 Clinical Trials Program

Dr. Merchan is a Tenured Professor of Medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology. He is the Director of the Phase 1 Clinical Trials Program and the co-leader of the recently formed Tranlsational and Clinical Oncology (TCO) Research Program at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Univesrity of Miami. He is the Associate Director of the Calabresi Clinical Oncology Research Career Development Award (K12) Program and serves in the Sylvester Scientific Steering Committee, the Sylvester Executive Committee, and the Clinical Research Internal Advisory Board (CRIAB). Merchan has served as a chartered member of the Developmental Therapeutics Study section at the NCI, and his translational and clinical research efforts in tumor angiogenesis, oncolytic virotherapy, phase 1 trials, and renal cell carcinoma have been continuously funded through Federal and non-Federal organizations such as ASCO, Susan G. Komen, NCI, Florida Biomedical Research Program, Department of Defense, Clinical Trial Contracts, and philanthropic donations.


His contributions to science include the development of novel, bench-to-bedside strategies to overcome resistance to antiangiogenic agents in renal cell and other cancers, and preclinical and clinical studies using oncolytic viral vectors in solid tumors, including phase I trials with viral vectors developed at Sylvester. He has played pivotal roles in the development of modern systemic therapy regimens for advanced renal cell carcinoma, which have improved outcomes in thousands of patients. As the leader of the only academic phase I program in SoFL, he has built a robust phase I-dedicated team of investigators and staff, and he developed the Sylvester Experimental Therapeutics clinic to ensure the conduct of high-quality first-in-human trials of novel drugs, biologicals, or novel combinations. In his role as co-leader of the TCO program, Dr Merchan’s goals are to catalyze breakthrough research from laboratory discoveries to novel interventions with direct patient impact, which will further enhance Sylvester’s Position as a national and world leader in cancer research.

David Miller, MD

David Miller, MD

David Miller is a current Clinical Andrology and Infertility Fellow as the University of Miami working with Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy. He previously completed his urology residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

Bruno Nahar, MD

Bruno Nahar, MD

Assistant Professor of Clinical Urology
Urologic Oncology
Department of Urology
Desai Sethi Urology Institute
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Miami, FL

After obtaining his MD degree in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2005, Dr. Bruno Nahar completed a 2-year residency in General Surgery followed by a 3-year residency in Urology, leading to his Board Certification in Urology in Brazil. He worked as faculty at a large hospital in Rio de Janeiro for 4 years before pursuing further training. Dr. Nahar completed a 2-year Clinical Fellowship in Urologic Oncology and Robotic Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine/ Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.


Dr. Nahar's exceptional dedication and contributions to the field of Urologic Oncology have recently been recognized with the prestigious Eric and Elizabeth Feder endowed chair for Urologic Oncology research. This honor highlights his remarkable expertise and outstanding achievements in urologic cancer care.


Currently, Dr. Nahar serves as an Assistant Professor of Urologic Oncology at the University of Miami, where he continues to make significant advancements in the field. His particular focus lies in the study and treatment of malignant conditions affecting the prostate, kidney, and bladder. Dr. Nahar's comprehensive knowledge and innovative approach have positioned him as a pioneer in the field of Focal Therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer.


Throughout his career, Dr. Nahar has made significant contributions to Urologic Oncology research. He has authored numerous publications and books, solidifying his position as a respected authority in the field. Due to his expertise and reputation, Dr. Nahar serves as a reviewer for all major academic journals, providing valuable insights and guidance to fellow researchers and medical professionals.


With his extensive training, passion for patient care, and groundbreaking research, Dr. Bruno Nahar continues to shape the landscape of Urologic Oncology, bringing hope and improved outcomes to countless individuals affected by urologic cancers.

Victor Nitti, MD

Victor Nitti, MD

Professor of Urology
Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery UCLA
Los Angeles, CA

Victor W. Nitti, MD, is Professor of Urology and Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Shlomo Raz Chair in Urology as well as the Chief of the Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS) and is the fellowship director for that ACGME accredited program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Prior to coming to UCLA, Dr. Nitti was Professor of Urology and Obstetrics and Gynecology and Vice Chairman of Urology at New York University Langone Medical Center where he was also the FPMRS fellowship director.


Dr. Nitti is a graduate of the University of Rochester and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He completed urology residency at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, NY and then completed a fellowship in female urology, neurourology and reconstructive urology at UCLA. Dr. Nitti served on the faculty at SUNY Brooklyn before joining the faculty of NYU from 1995-2018.


He is an authority in urodynamic techniques, medical and surgical therapies for urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, female pelvic reconstructive surgery and voiding dysfunction. He has authored over 195 peer-reviewed articles as well 80 book chapters on these subjects. He is the editor of two text books: Practical Urodynamics, published by W. B. Saunders and Vaginal Surgery for the Urologist published by Elsevier. He has presented his research at national and international meetings and has been invited as a visiting professor and participated in postgraduate courses throughout the world. In 2015 he was the recipient of the AUA’s Victor Politano Award for expertise and contributions in urodynamics, medical and surgical therapies for urinary incontinence, female pelvic reconstruction and voiding dysfunction. In 2020, he received the Society for Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and Urogenital Reconstruction (SUFU) Lifetime Achievement Award.


Dr. Nitti is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Board of Urology (ABU) and a member of the American Urological Association (AUA), the Society for Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and Urogenital Reconstruction (SUFU), The American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS), the International Continence Society (ICS) and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th International Consultation on Incontinence (ICI). He is a past president of SUFU (2010-2012) and the current president of the SUFU Foundation. He served on the board of directors for the New York Section of the American Urological Association and was the organization’s Secretary from 2017-2018. Dr. Nitti held the position of Chair, American Urological Association Office of Education from 2015-2021. He is a member of the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons (AAGUS) and currently serves on the AAGUS Council. Dr. Nitti served on the combined FPMRS Committee of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology/American Board of Urology. Dr. Nitti has served on the editorial boards of Neurourology and Urodynamics, the Journal of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, and the International Urogynecology Journal.

Dipen J. Parekh, MD

Dipen J. Parekh, MD

Founding Director
Desai Sethi Urology Institute
Professor and Chair, Department of Urology
Director of Robotic Surgery, The Victor A Politano Endowed Chair in Urology
Executive Dean, Clinical Affairs, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Chief Operating Officer, University of Miami Health System
Miami, FL

Dr. Dipen J Parekh serves as the Professor and Chairman of the Urology Department at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He is the holder of the Victor Politano Endowed Chair in Urology and serves as the Director of Robotic Surgery for the University of Miami Health System. In August 2017, Dr. Parekh was named Chief Clinical Officer of the University of Miami Health System. Dr. Parekh assumed responsibility of all UHealth outpatient and inpatient services, working closely with all department chairs and clinical faculty to enhance the clinical enterprise. In January 2020, Dr. Parekh was also named Chief Operating Officer for University of Miami UHealth System overseeing the health system’s operations while collaborating with many leaders on ambulatory strategy, inpatient clinical operations, optimizing the clinical care team model and advancing performance improvement efforts across the health system. In addition to his previous titles, in 2021 Dr. Parekh was named Executive Dean for Clinical Affairs at the Miller School of Medicine providing strategic counseling on enhancing the synergy between our academic and clinical missions.


In May of 2013 he was honored with the Gold Cystoscope Award, one of the most prestigious awards presented to one individual each year by the American Urological Association (AUA). He serves as Principal Investigator of the only National Cancer Institute RO1 Grant sponsored phase 3 multi-institutional clinical trial comparing open and robotic cystectomy for bladder cancer. He recently completed the first ever prospective clinical study on clamp renal ischemia during partial nephrectomy with transformative results.


Dr. Parekh is a board-certified, fellowship trained urologist specializing in urologic oncology using minimally invasive laparoscopic, robotic and traditional open approaches to treat prostate, bladder and kidney cancer and has performed over 5,000 robotic urologic procedures. Dr. Parekh has started several robotic surgery centers and programs of excellence both nationally and internationally. As part of his research interest, Dr. Parekh has been an active investigator in Urologic Oncology for the past 10 years predominantly in clinical trials and in translational research with a focus on prevention, detection, and treatment of genitourinary malignancies. He is the author of several scientific papers, abstracts and book chapters and has served as an Assistant editor for the Journal of Urology.


Dr. Parekh is a member of the American Urological Association, Endourology Society and Urology Society of India among other organizations.

Margaret Pearle, MD, PhD, FRCS

Margaret Pearle, MD, PhD, FRCS

Professor and Vice Chair of Academic Affairs
Department of Urology
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, TX

Dr. Pearle is Professor and Vice Chair of Academic Affairs in the Department of Urology with a dual appointment in Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and holder of the Ralph C. Smith Distinguished Chair in Urologic Education. She has been involved in numerous academic initiatives in stone disease, including serving as chair of the AUA Medical Management of Kidney Stones Guideline Panel in 2014 and as President of the ROCK Society in 2007. She received the AUA Gold Cystoscope Award in 2003, the Robert C. Flanigan Education Award in 2012, the Hugh Hampton Young Award in 2016, the Barringer Medal from the prestigious American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons (AAGUS) in 2018 and the St. Paul’s Medal from the British Association of Urologic Surgeons (BAUS) in 2020. She served on the Board of Trustees of the American Board of Urology, becoming President in 2013-14. She currently serves as past-President of the Endourological Society, after serving as Secretary General for 6 years after which she ascended to the Presidency. Finally, she is also a member of the Royal College of Surgeons, Glasgow.

Francis Petrella, MD

Francis Petrella, MD

Department of Urology
University of Miami School of Medicine
Miami,FL

Francis Petrella is a current Clinical Andrology and Infertility Fellow as the University of Miami working with Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy. He previously completed his urology residency at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Sima Porten, MD, MPH

Sima Porten, MD, MPH

Associate Professor in Residence
UCSF Department of Urology
San Francisco, CA

Sima Porten received her undergraduate, doctoral and public health degrees from Northwestern University completing her education in June 2006. She was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society during medical school and also completed a Howard Hughes Medical Institute-NIH Research Scholars fellowship during that time. She then completed her urology residency training at University of California, San Francisco where she received the Julius R. Krevans Award for Clinical Excellence. She then completed her Urologic Oncology Fellowship at The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center. Currently, she is part of the multidisciplinary urologic oncology team of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. She received the SUO Young Investigator award in 2021 and was Chair of the BCAN Think Tank in 2022. She is the fellowship director for urologic oncology at UCSF and her clinical and research interests are in bladder cancer and upper tract urothelial cancer.

Sanoj Punnen, MD

Sanoj Punnen, MD

Pap Corps Champions for Cancer Research Endowed Chair in Solid Tumor Research
Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Research, Desai Sethi Urology Institute
Co-Chair of Genitourinary Site Disease Group, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine

Dr. Punnen is an associate professor at the Desai Sethi Urology Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. He completed medical school at Queen’s Health Science and his residency in urology at the University of Toronto in Canada. Dr. Punnen completed a fellowship in uro-oncology at the University of California, San Francisco, where he also earned a master’s degree in clinical research. His research focused on prostate cancer with a specific interest in imaging and biomarkers for prostate cancer detection and risk assessment. He is currently the principal investigator in two ongoing NCI-funded prospective trials, has published more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts and was previously an assistant editor for the Journal of Urology. He is also the proud recipient of the first Pap Corps Champions for Cancer Research Endowed Chair in Solid Tumor Research. Dr. Punnen also serves as the vice chair of research at the Desai Sethi Urology Institute, co-chair of the Peer Review and Monitoring Committee and co-leader of the Genitourinary Site Disease Group at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and a member of the clinical trial feasibility committee at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Ranjith Ramasamy, MD

Ranjith Ramasamy, MD

Associate Professor
Director, Reproductive Urology
University of Miami
Miami, FL

A medical researcher and urologist, Dr. Ramasamy is known for academic contributions to reproductive medicine, including testosterone deficiency, regenerative therapy, erectile dysfunction, and prostate cancer studies. Dr. Ramasamy has co-authored more than 425 publications in male infertility and sexual dysfunction. He is a recipient of the Gold Cystoscope Award from the American Urological Association. He is also the recipient of American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Sexual Medicine Society’s Young Investigator Award. He is a recipient of an NIH grant to conduct a clinical trial for men with erectile dysfunction. He published a study in JAMA on the impact of COVID vaccines on male fertility. He is the Director of the Reproductive Urology Fellowship program at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine.

Chad Ritch, MD

Chad Ritch, MD

Minimally Invasive Surgery
Department of Urology
University of Miami Hospital
Miami, FL

Dr. Ritch is a fellowship-trained Urologic Oncologist, and Associate Professor of Urology at the Desai Sethi Urology Institute, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine where he is the Director of Urology for UHealth Tower, the flagship university hospital. His clinical interests include the treatment of prostate, bladder, kidney, and testicular cancer. His research interests are in prostate and bladder cancer. He oversees the institutional non-muscle invasive bladder cancer database at the University of Miami and has conducted a randomized controlled pilot trial investigating the role of nutrition intervention in patients undergoing radical cystectomy.


Dr. Ritch also has active research studies on prostate cancer in Afro-Caribbean men. He is a member of the American Urological Association (AUA) Guideline Panel for the Management of Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer and co-developed the interactive guideline-based web app "BlaTUR" www.blatur.com to aid clinicians with the management of bladder cancer. He has an active role in the Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO) as the representative to the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC). He also serves on the Editorial Board for Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations, the official journal of the SUO and is a member of the Board of Directors for International Volunteers in Urology (IVUmed). Dr. Ritch did his undergraduate studies at Duke University and then matriculated at the University of Chicago, where he obtained a joint degree in medicine (MD) and business (MBA) from the Pritzker School of Medicine and Booth School of Business. He then completed his residency in Urology at Columbia University Medical Center/NY Presbyterian Hospital followed by a two-year fellowship in Urologic Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Paul Russo, MD, FACS

Paul Russo, MD, FACS

Urologic Surgeon
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY

Attending Surgeon and Member with Tenure of Title, Department of Surgery, Urology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Professor of Urology, Weill Cornell School of Medicine
New York, New York


Dr. Paul Russo is an urologist in New York, NY and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Memorial Hospital for Cancer and allied Diseases. He received his medical degree from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. He has more than 100 publications and over 500 citings.


Dr. Russo has focused his academic and surgical career on the management of kidney cancer. He developed the rationale for the use of kidney sparing approaches to small renal tumors whenever technically possible. He has also worked closely with medical oncology colleagues with the integrated use of radical nephrectomy, cytoreductive nephrectomy, and metastasectomy in cases of locally advanced and metastatic kidney cancer.

Edward Schaeffer, MD, PhD

Edward Schaeffer, MD, PhD

Professor and Chair of Urology
Urologic Oncology
Department of Urology
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, IL

Edward M. Schaeffer, M.D., Ph.D., is Chair of the Department of Urology at Feinberg School of Medicine, Urologist in Chief at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and Program Director of the Genitourinary Oncology Program at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. Schaeffer is a clinically active urologist with a specialized practice in prostate cancer. He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed publications emphasizing at-risk populations, diagnosis, treatment outcomes, and the molecular biology of lethal prostate cancer. His discoveries have advanced the basic scientific understanding of biologic differences in prostate cancers in men of African descent, and molecular features that influence metastatic disease risk.


Schaeffer, an internationally recognized clinician, is a pioneer in robotic prostatectomy who has made tissue-sparing modifications to the procedure that preserve continence and sexual function. His prostate cancer program at Northwestern, widely regarded for its personalized, compassionate care, includes initiatives in survivorship, in sexual medicine, and the world’s first Urology clinic specifically designed to address the prostate cancer treatment and recovery considerations of gay and bisexual men. His accomplishments in both medicine and science have been acknowledged with several leadership appointments and awards. He is Chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Prostate Cancer Guidelines Committee and participates in the National Cancer Institute and Genitourinary Steering Committee. Dr. Schaeffer is a member of both the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons and the Clinical Society of Genitourinary Surgeons.

Hemendra Shah, MD, MCh, DNB, MRCS

Hemendra Shah, MD, MCh, DNB, MRCS

Professor of Clinical Urology
Desai Sethi Urology Institute
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Miami, FL

Dr. Hemendra Shah is a Professor of Urology and an Endourology Fellowship Director at Desai Sethi Urology Institute and the University of Miami. Specializing in the field of endourology, he has a particular interest in minimally invasive treatments for enlarged prostates and urolithiasis. He completed his Urology residency from Grant Medical College, Mumbai, India, where he received a Gold Medal from Mumbai University for ranking first in order of merit in the final examination. He was also awarded Gold Medal from National Board of Examinations, New Delhi in the hands of President of India Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam for standing first in the country in urology board exams.


As one of the early adopters of Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP), Dr. Shah has extensive experience of over 2300 HoLEP surgeries to date. His video on en-bloc HoLEP is included in AUA core curriculum. He is also an early adopter of mini-PCNL and tubeless PCNL, offering these techniques to patients for over two decades. Over the course of his career, he has mentored and trained over 100 urologists in the techniques of PCNL with access, flexible ureteroscopy, and HoLEP. He has published more than 80 papers in peer-reviewed journals. Additionally, he serves as an Editorial Board member for the World Journal of Urology and Scientific Reports, and actively contributes as a reviewer for numerous journals in the field of urology.

Nima Sharifi, MD

Nima Sharifi, MD

Scientific Director
Desai Sethi Urology Institute
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of Miami School of Medicine
Miami, FL

Nima Sharifi, M.D is the Scientific Director of the Desai Sethi Urology Institute and a member of the Sylvester Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. His laboratory and translational research is focused on the discovery and clinical implications of new mechanisms of hormone therapy resistance.


Dr. Sharifi’s research group discovered that prostate cancer becomes resistant to androgen deprivation therapies using a hyperactivated form of the enzyme 3βHSD1 that allows tumors to make their own testosterone – effectively enabling cancers to feed themselves. He also showed that men who inherit this form of 3βHSD1 have tumors that progress on treatment more quickly and that this shortens survival. These basic discoveries have been translated with drug development all the way into clinical trials. His research program is very actively engaged in the discovery of other fundamental mechanisms of metabolism in therapeutic resistance and human physiology.


Dr. Sharifi is the recipient of the Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Award of the Clinical Research Forum, AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research, AACR Waun Ki Hong Award for Outstanding Achievement in Translational and Clinical Cancer Research, the Richard Weitzman Award of the Endocrine Society, and is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an elected member of the Association of American Physicians.

Janaki Sharma, MD

Janaki Sharma, MD

Assistant Professor
Genitourinary Medical Oncology
Department of Medicine
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Miami, FL

Dr. Janaki Sharma, MD is an Assistant Professor and Medical Oncologist specializing in the treatment of genitourinary malignancies. Her research interests include novel therapeutics and biomarkers in advanced prostate cancer for which she received the NCI K12 Paul Calabresi Career Development Award from the University of Miami. She has also served as the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Director for the University of Miami/Sylvester Cancer Center since June 2021.

Joel Sheinfeld, MD

Joel Sheinfeld, MD

Professor of Urology
Chair of Urologic Oncology
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY

Dr. Joel Sheinfeld, the Florence & Theodore Baumritter/ Enid Ancell Chair in Urologic Oncology, has served as Vice-Chairman/ Deputy Chief of Urology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) for the past 20 years, and Director of the Urology Fellowship since 1994. He is a professor of Urology at Weill Medical College of Medicine, Cornell University, and an Adjunct Professor of Urology in the Department of Urology SUNY Downstate College of Medicine.


Dr. Sheinfeld was born in Caracas, Venezuela. He graduated from Cornell University and the University of Florida College of Medicine. He completed his Urology residency at the University of Rochester in 1986 and his Urologic Oncology Fellowship at MSKCC in 1989.


Dr. Sheinfeld specializes in the management of patients with genitourinary cancers with particular expertise in the clinical care of patients with testicular cancer. He has performed approximately 2,500 RPLNDs over the past 30 years, currently doing about 100/year. He has authored or co-authored over 350 papers and/or chapters, editorials, on testicular cancer, and has spoken frequently on the topic, at national and international meetings. As an established leader in testicular cancer, he has edited special editions on this disease in Urologic Clinics of North America, World Journal of Urology, British Journal of Urology, Urologic Oncology, and Seminars in Urologic Oncology. He has authored or co-authored the chapter on surgical management of testicular cancer in the major textbooks of urology (Campbell’s Urology, 8th-10th editions) and oncology (deVita’s Principles and Practice of Oncology, 5th-9th editions). He served as faculty director for the AUA course on testicular cancer for 20 years.


Dr. Sheinfeld is a member of the GU Surgeons (AAGUS), was an AUA Scholar, has had numerous Visiting Professorships nationally and internationally, and received the AUA Distinguished Contribution Award.

Joseph Smith, Jr., MD

Joseph Smith, Jr., MD

Professor of Urology
Department of Urology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN

Joseph A Smith, Jr. is William L. Bray Professor in the Department of Urology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He served as Chairman of the department from 1991 to 2015. He is an AOA graduate of the University of Tennessee Medical School and was chosen the Outstanding Graduate. He performed his surgery residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas, his urology residency at the University of Utah, and a fellowship in urologic oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.


Dr. Smith has served as President of the American Board of Urology, President of the Society of Urologic Oncology, President of the Southeastern Section of the American Urologic Association, and Chairman of the Residency Review Committee for Urology. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Contribution Award and the Hugh Hampton Young Award from the American Urologic Association, the SUO Achievement Medal and the Huggins Medal from the Society of Urologic Oncology, the St. Paul Medal from the British Association of Urologic Surgeons, the Albert Schweitzer Medal from the Societe Internationale d’Urologie, the Valentine Medal from the New York Academy of Medicine and the prestigious Spence Medal by the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons. He was awarded the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the University of Tennessee. Dr. Smith is the former editor of the Journal of Urology, the most widely read and highly cited journal in the specialty. He has been listed on Castle Connelly “Best Doctors” list for 30 consecutive years and was designated by Time Magazine as one of the top five surgeons in the country for treatment of cancer. He is currently the Director of Global Surgery at Vanderbilt.


He has published over 300 peer reviewed manuscripts, over 100 book chapters, and has edited or co-edited eight textbooks including the third and fourth editions of Hinman’s Atlas of Urologic Surgery. His professional focus has been on innovative treatment strategies for patients with urologic cancers and introduction and evaluation of technologic advances in urologic surgery. He has performed over 1,000 radical cystectomies and 10,000 radical prostatectomies.

Raveen Syan, MD, FPMRS

Raveen Syan, MD, FPMRS

Assistant Professor of Clinical Urology
Desai Sethi Urology Institute
Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Miami, FL

Dr. Syan earned her medical degree at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine (2008-2012) and completed her Urologic Surgery residency at New York University, Langone Medical Center from 2012-2017. Dr. Syan completed an ACGME-accredited fellowship at Stanford University in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (2017-2019). As a fellow, Dr. Syan pursued specialized focuses of research interests, specifically in the fields of stress urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapses and overactive bladder. She received grant funding through the 2017 SUFU Foundation Study of Chemodenervation as a Principal Investigator in a novel technique for delivering onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox®) to the bladder via a transvaginal route. Dr. Syan also explored health disparities amongst patients with overactive bladder. As an Assistant Professor of Clinical Urology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine since 2019, Dr. Syan received grant funding support through the American Urologic Association as the Urology Care Foundation's 2021 Research Scholar to examine pelvic floor disorders among minority women and barriers to care they face.

Ashutosh Tewari, MBBS, MCh, FRCS (Hon.)

Ashutosh Tewari, MBBS, MCh, FRCS (Hon.)

Professor and System Chair, Milton and Carroll Petrie Department of Urology
Mount Sinai Health System
Chair of Urology, Mount Sinai Hospital
Director of Center of Excellence for Prostate Cancer at the Tisch Cancer Institute
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Surgeon-in-Chief of the Tisch
Cancer Hospital at The Mount Sinai Hospital
New York, NY

Ian Thompson, MD

Ian Thompson, MD

Department of Urology
Texas Urology Group
CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital
San Antonio, TX

Dr. Thompson received his BS from West Point in 1976 and MD from Tulane University in 1980. After a Urology Residency in San Antonio and a Urologic Oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, he was Chair of Surgery at Brooke Army Medical Center until retiring from the Army in 2000. He was the founding Chair of the Department of Urology and Director of the Cancer Therapy and Research Center at UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Upon retiring from UT in 2017, he was appointed President of CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Medical Center Hospital. He led CHRISTUS Santa Rosa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In November, 2021, he was appointed President of CHRISTUS Children’s Foundation and the Friends of CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Foundation. He practices Urology and Urologic Oncology. The Regents of the University of Texas have awarded him with the position of Emeritus Professor.


Dr. Thompson has published over 760 scientific papers. He was Chair of the Early Detection Research Network of the NCI, and stepped down in 2023 after 15 years as Chair of the GU Cancer Committee of SWOG. He chaired the Urology Residency Review Committee of Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education, was President of the Society of Urologic Oncology, and President of the American Board of Urology. After serving on Subcommittee A of the National Cancer Institute, he was appointed to the Board of Scientific Advisors of the NCI. He served as Principal Investigator of many practice-changing, phase 3 clinical trials of the National Cancer Institute. He has served on multiple occasions as either Chairman or a member of prostate cancer guidelines committees of the American Urological Association, developing best practice guidelines for practicing urologists in the United States and in other countries.


His awards including the Distinguished Contribution Award from the American Urological Association (AUA), Legion of Merit from the Department of Defense, Charles Huggins Medal from the Society of Urologic Oncology, Hugh Hampton Young Award from the AUA, and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He is an Honorary Member of the AUA, the Canadian Urological Association, and the Mexican Urological Association. In 2021, he was awarded the AUA’s highest honor, the Ramon Guiteras Award.


Dr. Thompson retired as a Colonel from the U.S. Army, having served in Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a General Surgeon in the 41st Combat Support Hospital during Operation Desert Storm/Shield in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait. He is married to Donna Thompson, PhD; they have two children, Laura D. Thompson, DNP and Ian M. Thompson, III, MD., and two granddaughters, Charlotte and Catherine (Cate).

Robert Uzzo, MD, MBA, FACS

Robert Uzzo, MD, MBA, FACS

Professor of Urology
Chairman, Department of Surgery
Urologic Oncology
Fox Chase Cancer Temple Health
Philadelphia, PA

Dr. Uzzo is the President and CEO of Fox Chase Cancer Center. He also serves as the EVP for Cancer Services, a Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Cancer Services and Professor of Surgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. He previously served as the Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery at Fox Chase Cancer Center/Temple University Health System, where he remains the G. Willing “Wing” Pepper Endowed Professor of Surgery.


Dr. Uzzo’s work focuses on the multimodal management of genitourinary malignancies.

Vivek Venkatramani, MD

Vivek Venkatramani, MD

Consultant
Uro-oncologist and Robotic Surgeon
Mumbai, India

Dr. Vivek Venkatramani is a Consultant Uro-oncologist and robotic urologist in Mumbai, India. He completed his fellowship in Urologic Oncology and Robotic Urology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He served as faculty for 1-year after his fellowship and is presently a Visiting Assistant Professor to the University of Miami.


He was an integral contributor to the landmark randomized open versus robotic cystectomy (RAZOR) trial, the world’s first phase 3 multicenter randomized trial comparing open to robotic surgery in any organ site, which was published in the prestigious journal The Lancet in June 2018.


He is a gold-medalist urologist from the noted Christian Medical College, Vellore, and completed his M.S. General Surgery from KEM Hospital, Mumbai. He won the “CKP Menon Best Paper Ward” at Urological Society of India conference in 2013 and the “Seetharaman Best Essay Award” in 2014. He has numerous publications to his credit and has co-authored book chapters in Uro-oncology.

Alan Wein, MD, PhD(hon), FACS

Alan Wein, MD, PhD(hon), FACS

Professor of Clinical Urology
Director Business Development and Mentoring
Desai Sethi Urology Institute
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Emeritus Professor and Chief, and Program Director of Urology
University of Pennsylvania

Alan J. Wein, M.D., Ph.D. (hon.) is the director of business development and mentoring at the Desai Sethi Urology Institute, part of the University of Miami Health System. He is also a professor of clinical urology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.


Dr. Wein was previously at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania where trained, practiced and taught for the last 60 years, holding numerous R01 NIH grant and the title of chief or urology. Dr. Wein has received the Edward L. Keyes Medal from the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons, the Hugh Hampton Young Award from the American Urological Association, Lifetime Achievement Awards by the International Continence Society and the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and Urogenital Reconstruction, and was recently honored with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor Award for selflessly working for the betterment of U.S. and its citizens.

Tamir Wolf, MD, PhD

Tamir Wolf, MD, PhD

CEO and Co-Founder, Theator
Miami, FL

Dr. Tamir Wolf is the CEO and Co-founder of Theator. He earned his MD, PhD at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. He was a Lieutenant commander in the Israeli Navy SEALs, where he served as the Head of the Unit’s Medical Branch and earned the Medal of Distinguished Service for treating wounded soldiers under fire. Following his stint in the Navy, Tamir completed executive business education at Harvard Business School and has since been immersed in health tech. Theator was founded based on the realization that there is significant variability in surgical outcomes today — not only in different parts of the world but even within the same hospital. Theator is pioneering the Surgical Intelligence revolution, harnessing advanced AI and computer vision technology to automatically capture, analyze, and connect surgical videos to patient outcomes, identifying surgical best practices. Surgical Intelligence derives actionable and unbiased insights to help surgeons and hospital systems understand the causes of variability in patient outcomes and reduce it in the future, lowering costs and streamlining procedures in the OR. Theator’s AI-powered Surgical Intelligence is built to improve the quality of surgical care and impact the lives of billions worldwide.