On April 29-30 2021, urogynecologist Cindy Amundsen, MD; Friederike Jayes, DVM, PhD; Rebecca Kameny, PhD; and Robin Phillips organized the 6th Annual K12 KURe Multidisciplinary Benign Urology Research Symposium. The meeting attracted over 140 scientists from 32 U.S. academic institutions, as well as Canada, Australia and South Korea from a broad range of scientific subspecialties.
This virtual meeting showcased not only the outstanding research by Duke trainees, it also provided an opportunity for trainees across the US and internationally to highlight their research. Over 50 abstracts were submitted, and the best trainee submissions were selected for oral platform presentations by the KURe advisory committee.
This year’s themes were neurourology and sexual medicine. The symposium offered two keynote speakers, six oral platform presentations by awardees and KURe scholars and two multidisciplinary panel discussions. During six concurrent scientific sessions, trainee presentations were judged to win basic, translational and clinical research awards. Doug Luchristt, MD, MPH, Duke Ob/Gyn FPMRS first-year fellow (pictured), was awarded second place for his presentation titled “Timing of Diagnosis of Complex Lower Urinary Tract Injury in the 30-Day Postoperative Period Following Benign Hysterectomy.” Additionally, trainees had the opportunity to meet in small groups with experts for networking and advice.
Other trainee award winners were:
Sonali Advani, MBBS, MPH, Duke University: "Sustained Reduction in Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections using Multi-Faceted Strategies led by Champions: A Quality Improvement Initiative"
Elizabeth Bottorff, MS, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor: "Investigating the effect of tibial and pudendal nerve stimulation on external vaginal blood flow in anesthetized rodents"
Lauren Caldwell, MD, University of Texas at Austin: "Women's Experience of Their First Sexual Encounter After Urinary Incontinence and/or Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery: A Qualitative Study"
Eric Gonzalez, PhD, Duke University: "Voiding and Muscle Contractility Dysfunction in a Rat Model of Detrusor Underactivity"
Byron Hayes, PhD, Duke University: "Hyperinnervation and Chronic Mast Cell Activity in Bladder Pain Syndrome Following Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection"
Kevin Tyler Hobbs, MD, Duke University: "Machine Learning for Urodynamic Detection of Detrusor Overactivity"
Petra Popovics, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison: "Loss of Osteopontin Leads to the Resolution of E. Coli-Induced Prostatic Inflammation and Fibrosis"
Stephanie Sirmakesyan, BS, McGill University: "Potential Diagnostic Value of Urine MicroRNAs for Female Patients with Overactive Bladder"
Sponsors were NIH-NIDDK K12DK100024 (KURe) and the Duke Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Surgery-Urology.