10th Annual Multidisciplinary Benign Urology Research Symposium (2025)

Podium Presentation Awardees

Top Basic Science Abstracts

Ananya Pinnamaneni - Duke University

• Estrogen-dependent mechanisms increase urothelial c-fiber populations and contribute to the pathogenesis of overactive bladder in female type 1 diabetic Akita mice

Gabriella Robilotto, BS - Medical College of Wisconsin

• Optical inhibition of OPN3 with transdermal light reduces nociceptive behaviors in mice with acute cystitis

Top Translational Science Abstract

Mina Ghatas, MS - Virginia Commonwealth University

• A preliminary study utilizing Bladder NIRS as a non-invasive approach to detect detrusor overactivity in patients with OAB

Top Clinical Science Abstracts

Bin Ni, MD, PhD - Duke University

• Assessing incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of BK virus- related complications following kidney transplantation

Aaron Stewart, MD – Duke University

• Enhancing urology referral intake through artificial intelligence-assisted pre-charting: a pilot study

Poster Presentation Awardees

Basic Science

Samantha McGuire, MS  - Eastern Virginia Medical School

• Cxcl17 Alters urinary function but does not affect foam cell formation in the mouse prostate

Translational Science

Priyanka Saraf, BA  - Virginia Commonwealth University

• Association between bladder shape and detrusor overactivity in ultrasound urodynamics

Clinical Science

Jasmine Arrington, MD, MPH  - Duke University

• Nocturia and falls associations among Lower Urinary Tract Network cohort

Susannah Rose, PhD (featured speaker)

Meaningful Ethical Considerations in Health Care AI

Dr. Rose is an ethicist and a mixed methods researcher specializing in patient experience and the ethics of AI in health care. She is an associate professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in the Department of Biomedical Informatics and the Department of Health Policy, and core faculty in the Center for Biomedical Bioethics and Society. Dr. Rose serves as the vice chair of the VUMC Artificial Intelligence Technology Committee that governs AI models within the organization, and she also the executive director of the AI Discovery and Vigilance to Accelerate INnovation and Clinical Excellence (ADVANCE) Center. 

At this year's symposium, Dr. Rose will present on Meaningful Ethical Considerations in Healthcare AI:

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing healthcare, transforming everything from image recognition to robotic surgeries. These cutting-edge technologies are embedded in clinical decision support tools within electronic medical records, offering unprecedented capabilities. However, to truly address the significant challenges faced by physicians, healthcare systems, and patients, it's crucial that these stakeholders not only understand AI but actively engage in its development and implementation. Without their critical input, AI systems risk being ineffective and poorly designed.

This presentation will provide an engaging overview of AI in healthcare, highlighting key ethical and organizational concerns through real-world case examples. It will empower the audience with practical steps to become proactive participants in this transformative era. Join us as we navigate the exciting and sometimes daunting landscape of AI in healthcare.

PANEL DISCUSSION

Drs. Ippolito, Sheyn, and Hokanson will review clinical and research aspects of the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the fields of Urogynecology and Urology. Dr. Ippolito, with a background in urology, and Dr. Sheyn, with a background in gynecology, are practicing urogynecologists and surgeon-scientists with experience in prediction models for functional urologic care. Dr. Hokanson, an expert in Biomedical Engineering, leads a lab specializing in development of novel therapies for urological dysfunction and the use of AI technologies to improve treatment selection and design.

Together, they will navigate the practical aspects of integrating AI into clinical practice and discuss the current state of AI in the field with respect to Urology and Urogynecology. Dr. Hokanson will delve into AI's role in developing and evaluating clinical prediction models. Recent models will be discussed, along with an assessment of their potential current utility, their limitations, and opportunities for improvement. Dr. Ippolito will explore AI's clinical applications, including Generative AI, Ambient AI, and tools for surgeons. Lastly, Dr. Sheyn will provide a critical review of the potential challenges and risks associated with AI in healthcare.

Jim Hokanson, PhD

Dr. Hokanson is assistant professor of the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at Marquette University and the Medical College of Wisconsin and director of the Pelvic Diagnostics and Therapeutic Laboratory. His research interests include urologic function and dysfunction; electrical stimulation and neuromodulation therapies; signal processing and machine learning; clinical diagnostics; autonomic nervous system and organ physiology; and neural engineering.

Giulia Ippolito, MD, MS

Dr. Ippolito is a urologist with fellowship training in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery and a health services researcher at the University of Michigan. Dr. Ippolito’s clinical focus and practice include evaluating and treating urinary incontinence, neurogenic bladder, female pelvic floor dysfunction and reconstruction of the lower urinary tract, including ureteral obstruction. Her research is focused on understanding and improving decision-making between patients and clinicians, especially in the care of overactive bladder. 

David Sheyn, MD

Dr. Sheyn is an associate professor of urology and reproductive biology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and serves as the division director of female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery at University Hospitals Urology Institute and director of clinical research of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. His clinical expertise encompasses the diagnosis and treatment of pelvic floor disorders, with a specific focus on functional disorders of the bladder. Dr. Sheyn has a robust research portfolio, having published over 100 peer-reviewed articles focusing on the etiology and management of urgency incontinence and overactive bladder and being the recipient of numerous federal and industry-sponsored grants. His work aims to develop a personalized approach to treating pelvic floor disorders through applications of artificial intelligence, big data, genomics and metabolomics. Notably, he has worked on applying AI prediction models for treatment selection and phenotyping of conditions such as overactive bladder, postoperative infections and urinary tract infection. Dr. Sheyn is also a member of the CAIRIBU Machine Learning Interest Group.

Adam Klausner, MD

Dr. Klausner is a neuro-urologist and professor of surgery and urology in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. His clinical practice focuses on neuro-urology and voiding dysfunction; urinary incontinence; post-prostatectomy incontinence; disorders of bladder emptying; erectile dysfunction; and interstitial cystitis and bladder pain syndrome. Dr. Klausner has maintained a strong interest in basic science research and has collaborated with faculty in the Departments of Biochemistry and Mechanical Engineering, studying detrusor smooth muscle physiology.

Dr. Klausner's presentation:

This talk is focused on the brain-bladder connection in Overactive Bladder. Overactive bladder is highly prevalent (up to 40% of adult women over the age of 40), results in major quality of life impact, and is responsible for a massive economic burden on the U.S. health care system.

OAB is currently diagnosed based on patient symptoms and validated surveys. Because there are no objective tests for OAB, treatment often follows an algorithm and is based on trial-and-error. Therefore, it is not surprising that many OAB treatments have limited efficacy and are limited by lack of compliance and side effects. Urodynamics can help identify contributory pathologies such as detrusor overactivity but, is itself invasive, expensive, and poorly reproducible. The problem is a lack of tools to objectively and non-invasively diagnose OAB and to guide therapy.

Armed with this major gap in knowledge, our mechano-urology research group combining the expertise of urology (Adam Klausner from VCU), Lynn Sothers from UCLA), urogynecology (Linda Burkett from VCU), and mechanical engineering (John Speich from VCU) has investigated the role of functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) of the brain as a novel diagnostic tool for OAB. fNIRS is a non-invasive technique which measures real-time oxyhemoglobin in superficial tissues like the cerebral cortex.

In this talk, we will show how the prefrontal cortex, which is easily accessible using fNIRS, plays an important role in the pathophysiology of OAB. fNIRS methodology and results from our research group and others will be discussed. Data comparing individuals with and without OAB will be presented as well as data from individuals who have been successfully treated with Sacral Neuromodulation (SMN). The goal will be to shed some new light (infrared of course) on the brain-bladder connection.

Aaron Mickle, PhD

Dr. Mickle is an associate professor of physiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He leads a research program studying the neuronal mechanism of bladder dysfunction and pain. The group focuses on developing better treatments for bladder disorders such as overactive bladder, bladder pain syndrome, and bladder dysfunction following spinal cord injury. They work on research tool development, implantable biomedicine treatments, and validating new pharmacological targets for treating these diseases.

Dr. Mickle's Presentation: Neuromodulation of bladder function typically involves electrical stimulation neurons in the peripheral or central nervous system. Optogenetics was developed as basic neuroscience technology that allows for the manipulation of neuron populations by genetic expression of light-activated channels in specific populations of cells.  Dr. Mickle will discuss the advances in opsin technology and the targeting of optogenetic neuromodulation to the lower urinary tract.

Andrew Shoffstall, PhD

Dr. Shoffstall is associate chair at the Case School of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University and an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. His research interests lie at the intersection of biomaterials and neural engineering with a particular focus on solutions that may readily translate toward an improved neural interface.

Dr. Shoffstall's Presentation: KISS (“Keep it simple, stupid”) is a common idiom used in engineering (and elsewhere), which instructs the designer to design simple systems. The main reason: Complex systems are more prone to failure. Implanted devices in the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system have many exciting applications for treating chronic clinical conditions (e.g., chronic pain, Parkinson’s tremor, epilepsy, spinal cord injury). These devices electrically stimulate or record neural activity. A significant amount of funding from public and private entities is being invested to discover and further develop devices for a wide range of clinical applications. These applications have been classified as ‘neuromodulation’, ‘electroceuticals’, or ‘bioelectronics’. While non-invasive solutions exist, due to their reliability and target engagement specificity, implanted neural interface devices remain the gold standard for engaging with the nervous system tissues. However, the surgery to implant devices may limit the wide-spread adoption of neural interface technology by patients due to the real, or even just perceived, risks of the invasive surgery. 

In this talk, recent progress on a number of approaches to achieve a minimally invasive neural interface, coined the Injectrode®, will be presented. We will present several iterations of the device concept, design and prototypes which we have progressively simplified to remove unnecessary complexity from the system.

NIH-NIDDK K12DK100024 (KURe); Duke Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Urology, and Biomedical Engineering; CAIRIBU.

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