Fall 2015 Newsletter

It has been a privilege to be the President of the Mid-Atlantic Section over the past year and I would like to thank the membership again as we prepare for our travel to the Bahamas and The Atlantis for the 2015 Joint Annual Meeting with the New England Section.

The joint meeting program Co-Chairs who have represented the Section are Drs. Thomas Guzzo and Tracy Krupski and I would like to commend them on their hard work with their counterparts in New England: Drs. Lisa Beaule and David Wang. The program is outstanding so please take time to review it by visiting https://maaua.org/meeting/abstracts/2015-Program.cfm. I would also like to give special thanks to Dr. Peter Tiffany, President of the New England Section, for being my partner as we have collectively overseen the planning processes. The social program at The Atlantis has been one of the more direct responsibilities for Peter and I and a most enjoyable one at that; you will not be disappointed!

There have been a number of projects on the Board’s agenda this year and I am pleased with our accomplishments. I would like to thank the Board for their hard work and support on these initiatives which have included Allied Health and APP Membership establishment, as well as nominations to the AUA, the American Board of Urology, the Journal of Urology Editorial Board, and the American College of Surgeons Board of Governors for various positions. We have also broken ground on special planning for the Section’s 75th Anniversary in 2017 and, per my communication to the membership in July, agreed to move administration over to the AUA’s Urology Management Services, effective January 1, 2016.

Thank you again for allowing me to serve as your Section President and I look forward to welcoming our members, and those of the New England Section, to The Atlantis this fall. 

John H. Lynch, MD 

 

 

I would first like to congratulate Dr. Lynch on a successful year as Mid-Atlantic Section President. It has been a pleasure to serve as Secretary under his leadership.

As Section Secretary, I am proud to report that the Mid-Atlantic AUA (MA-AUA) continues to maintain strong membership levels and our educational programming continues to grow; now inclusive of our special program for residents… I would first like to congratulate Dr. Lynch on a successful year as Mid-Atlantic Section President. It has been a pleasure to serve as Secretary under his leadership.

As Section Secretary, I am proud to report that the Mid-Atlantic AUA (MA-AUA) continues to maintain strong membership levels and our educational programming continues to grow; now inclusive of our special program for residents held at the AUA headquarters in Linthicum, Maryland each spring.

Recent initiatives undertaken by the Section Board of Directors have included our continuing work with the establishment of a membership category for our allied health and APP colleagues, as well as an APP Committee to work in tandem with the Board. I am especially dedicated to this project and to seeing that membership benefits are put into place for extenders within the Section. I am very pleased with the progress to date and this category for membership will become a reality very soon. 

Other projects have included additional By-Law amendments drafted by the By-Laws Committee to bring the Section more in line with actual day to day operations, adopt compliance language established by the national AUA, and, as noted above, establish the Section membership for our non-physician provider and allied health professionals. Those amendments were approved by the Board of Directors and have since been emailed to the members accordingly.

As noted by Dr. Fabrizio in his report another very important initiative undertaken by our Section has been the Paul F. Schellhammer Lecture in Urologic Oncology, initially endowed by the Dendreon Corporation. The fund is now in its 4th year with outstanding support continuing to come in through very generous donations, and your contribution can easily be made via your Section membership dues notice. Please also consider making an additional donation to the MA-AUA IVUMed resident fund as our leadership plans to support additional resident participants in their future missions around the world. Thank you so very much again for your support of these aspects of the Section’s activities! 

As this is my final year in the office I would like to thank you for the honor of serving as your Section Secretary. My work with the MA-AUA and the national AUA has been very important to me and I look forward to seeing you again at the joint meeting with the New England Section in the Bahamas. 

Edouard J. Trabulsi, MD 

 

 

I am happy to report that the Section remains in strong financial shape as we enter the fall of 2015. Here is a summary of where we are with the Section’s two corporations financially; the 501(c)6 or the Mid-Atlantic Section of the AUA (MA-AUA), and the 501(c)3 titled the MA-AUA Education Fund (MAEF).

Total assets for the MA-AUA as of August 31, 2015 were \$229,742 and consists of funds entirely in the checking account for that side of the organization. Total liabilities were a moderate \$150 with \$64,150 in receipts and \$3,542 in expenses to date, resulting in a surplus of \$60,608 for the 501c6 as of the end of August.

Total assets for the MAEF as of the end of August were \$1,203,127 and consisted of \$154,775 in the checking account, \$978,233 in our main investment portfolio with The Vanguard, and another \$70,119 with The Vanguard from the Schellhammer Lectureship funds. As of the same period receipts were \$295,120 and expenses were \$223,637 to date resulting in a surplus of \$54,897 after consideration of investment activity.

This is another reminder that our regular dues notices promote contributions to support the Schellhammer funds and the leadership’s goal is to endow this lectureship in perpetuity. The dues notices also allow for members to make contributions toward the Section’s International Volunteers in Urology (IVUMed) scholarships. I encourage all of our colleagues to make contributions toward these important initiatives that impact urology on the Section, national, and international levels.

Thank you again and I look forward to seeing many of our Section members in the Bahamas for the 2015 Joint Annual Meeting with the New England Section. 

Michael D. Fabrizio, MD

 

 

The AUA has undergone significant changes in leadership of its most active and valuable programs, including publications, education, international programs, and research, as well as having a new secretary in Dr. Manoj Monga. This has invigorated many of the programs with new ideas and energy that are certain to benefit our organization. Multiple new programs are gaining traction as well, including the AUA Census, the AQUA Registry, and Global Initiatives. The Urology Care Foundation is also gaining in its energy and activity in developing a stronger resource base for Patient Education and research support.

Financially the AUA remains strong but the trend of shrinking corporate support, particularly at the annual meeting, will inevitably have an impact on the ability of the AUA to continue its support of its many benefits to members if this issue is not addressed carefully. Recognizing the difficulty in predicting future financial conditions and sponsoring resources, the prudent approach is to strike a balance between prudence and maintaining a robust level of activity.

Ongoing management of the Mid-Atlantic Section will be assumed by the AUA’s Urology Management Services as of January 2016. New leadership in several important areas of the AUA’s activities has occurred in the last 9 months, including Dr. Jay Smith as the Editor of the Journal of Urology, Dr. Victor Nitti as Chair of Education, Dr. Aria Olumi as the Research Chair and Dr. Indibir Gill as the Chair of Global Initiatives, a new position. Dr. Gopal Badlani stepped down as Secretary to be replaced by Dr. Manoj Monga. Dr. Steve Schlossberg will be ending his term as Treasurer of the AUA next year and the search for the Treasurer-elect is underway.

The Office of Education continues to expand in its offerings, including the AUA University, the Core Curriculum, numerous courses, a Pediatric SASP program and Advanced Practice nursing education modules.

In the arena of Research support, the new Chair of Research, Dr. Olumi is crafting a Strategic Plan for Research with Carolyn Best, the Director of Research to provide direction to future activities of the AUA in developing and supporting urological research. The Research Scholars program has continued to grow with the support of the Urology Care Foundation, the AUA, and the Sections, many of which have provided endowment support for research scholars.

International outreach and educational collaborations are being developed under Dr. Gil’s guidance and we can expect increased international participation in our annual meeting, providing enrichment and support.

Science of Quality continues to be very active and has released several new clinical guidelines (Peyronie’s Disease and Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer), while several others are under development. Persisting pressure by the AUA helped in modifying the phrasing of the ABIM Choosing Wisely initiative related to prostate cancer screening. The modified phrasing now recommends: “Offer PSA testing for detecting prostate cancer ONLY AFTER engaging in shared decision making.”

A new AUA Science and Quality Scholar will be funded in 2016.

The Joint Advocacy Conference will be held in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 28- Mar. 1, 2016 and will be coordinated this year by the AACU. As of January, 2016, UROPAC will revert to the AACU as sole sponsor. Continued efforts will be made by the AUA to support availability of PSA screening and reform of the USPSTF methodology.

The Urology Care Foundation has continued to grow and develop and has created the Public Education Council under Dr. John Lynch’s direction and has secured several grants focused on patient education from various corporate sponsors. The Gala at the Annual Meeting in New Orleans earned over \$150,000 to support the UCF mission.

Due to my relocation to Dallas Children’s, I will be stepping down as the section representative to the AUA Board of Directors after the annual meeting in May 2016 and Dr. Roger Shultz will assume this position. It has been a pleasure to serve the section and hope to be able to visit in the future.

Craig Peters, MD

This is the MAAUA APP Committee’s second contribution to the Sectional newsletter and we are pleased to report that the amendment to the Section by-laws to include membership categories for allied health providers and advanced practice providers is scheduled for ratification this month! Technicians, urology nurses, physician assistants and nurse practitioners that currently round out the urology team will be eligible to become contributing members of the Section once the amendment has been passed by the membership. 

 

Dear colleagues

This is the MAAUA APP Committee’s second contribution to the Sectional newsletter and we are pleased to report that the amendment to the Section by-laws to include membership categories for allied health providers and advanced practice providers is scheduled for ratification this month! Technicians, urology nurses, physician assistants and nurse practitioners that currently round out the urology team will be eligible to become contributing members of the Section once the amendment has been passed by the membership.

While the Board of Directors finalizes details for these membership categories, including annual dues pricing, our committee along with the MAAUA program committee will be working on the incorporation of these new members into the 2016 Annual Meeting and beyond. This means a greater presence for allied health providers and APPs in Section facilitated education, which is important as more and more of us will be utilized in the urology setting and communication and education will be even more key to urology teams’ success. Allied health and APP members will be encouraged to attend and participate in APP-focused courses during the Section Annual meeting and CME credits will be available. In the future we will also examine including course content in an online forum for those providers unable to attend. Courses provide a perfect forum for networking and expanding your contacts.

Please communicate the news of Sectional allied health and APP membership to your urology colleagues. If nurses, technicians, PAs or NPs within your network are interested in being contacted now about membership, please ask they sign up at www.maaua.org. We look forward to sharing more information regarding allied health and APP membership with you after October 2015. Membership applications will start to be collected towards the end of 2015.

Courtney Anderson, MPA, PA-C
Anne Calvaresi, CRNP
Diane Newman, DNP, FAAN, BCB-PMD

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • LEADBETTER LECTURE
    The History of Laparoscopy in Urology
    Steven J. Shichman, MD

    History of Robotics in Urologic Surgery
    Clayton Lau, MD

  • PAUL F. SCHELLHAMMER LECTURE
    Renal Cell Cancer
    Robert C. Flanigan, MD
  • RESIDENT CODING SESSION
  • RESIDENT JEOPARDY – Mid-Atlantic vs. New England
  • HUGH HAMPTON YOUNG LECTURE
    Primate Model for Stress Urinary Incontinence
    Gopal H. Badlani, MD
  • NEAUA GUEST SPEAKER
    Exercise Promotion in Clinical Practice
    Steven Jonas, MD, MPH, MS, FNYAS
  • SOCIOECONOMIC SESSIONS
    Topics Include: Health Policy Update, Legislative Priorities for the AUA, ICD-10: How Are We Doing?, Choosing Wisely Initiative, AACU/UROPAC Update, Value of Physician Leaders and Academia-Industry Relations. 

SOCIAL EVENTS

  • Welcome Reception, Thursday, October 22
    Enjoy cocktails and appetizers at the Welcome Reception in Grand Ballroom D from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm. The Welcome Reception will be followed by the Resident Coding Session and the Section Resident Jeopardy in Grand Ballroom AB.
  • Tennis Tournament, Friday, October 23
    Join us on the Atlantis Tennis Courts from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm for an afternoon of tennis.
    Fee: \$30 to play
  • Golf Tournament, Friday October 23
    Join a foursome and compete in this years’ golf tournament on Friday afternoon! The Ocean Club Golf Course at the Atlantis was designed by Tom Weiskopf is an 18 hole, par- 72 course stretching over 7,100 yards on Paradise Island’s peninsula. This course was recently recognized as the #8 Resort Course in North America and the Caribbean by the Golf Digest Magazine. The tournament is a modified shot-gun format. Boxed lunches will be provided on the golf carts.
    Fees: $300 to play
    $75 Club Rental
    $15 Shoe Rental
  • Attendee Reception, Friday October 23
    As part of your registration fee, for both attendees and spouse/guests, join us on the Dig Deck from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm for cocktails and food stations. 
  • MA-AUA vs. NEAUA Olympics, Saturday, October 24
    Represent your Section in the Section Olympics held on the Athletic Garden from 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm. Competitions will include: Hoola-Hoop contest, Coconut Shot-put, Wheel Barrow Races, Crab Walk Races and more!
  • President’s Banquet, Saturday, October 24
    Attend the annual President’s Banquet on the Royal Deck from 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm. Enjoy dinner, drinks and dancing!

In 2004, the AUA and its Sections launched the AUA Leadership Program to identify urologists who have demonstrated effective leadership skills within organized medicine or the community. This program seeks applicants who are driven to tackle future roles of responsibility within the AUA. This is a call for younger AUA members to polish their leadership skills, take advantage of networking opportunities and become better acquainted with AUA programs and services. To date, 107 AUA members have participated in one of six different Leadership Program classes.

Every two years, there is a selection process for the next incoming class of program participants. To qualify, candidates must be American Board of Urology (ABU) (or equivalent) certified urologists, and 15 years or less out of training, and have demonstrated leadership skills. The candidate must have an interest in developing these skills to serve their Sections and the AUA as future volunteer leaders. They must also be Active members of the AUA and the AUA Section where they live and practice.

Benefits of the Leadership Program

  • Develop your leadership skills
  • Expand your network and accelerate your professional growth
  • Learn about the AUA’s operations and sphere of influence
  • Earn the recognition and prestige that comes with being an AUA Leadership Program graduate
  • Be mentored by highly respected AUA Leaders
  • Learn about the legislative process and advocate on behalf of the specialty
  • Make significant contributions through a group project
  • Be prepared to serve as a future leader in urology

Click the following links for information about the mentors, previous Leadership Program classes,
and activities and opportunities

Apply today or find out more about program information and instructions.

If you have further questions, please contact Florence Freeman at ffreeman@AUAnet.org or 410-689-3724.

Members who are interested in being considered for openings on the following AUA Committee are encouraged to apply directly to the AUA though the volunteer website AUA Committees Link. This webpage includes a brief profile on each committee that members should review prior to submitting their volunteer application form and uploading their CV…

Members who are interested in being considered for openings on the following AUA Committee are encouraged to apply directly to the AUA though the volunteer website AUA Committees Link. This webpage includes a brief profile on each committee that members should review prior to submitting their volunteer application form and uploading their CV.

Below is a list of open committee positions. Please encourage your members to apply directly to AUA at AUAnet.org/Committees. Applications deadline is November 30.

  • APNPA Education
  • APNPA Membership
  • Education Council
  • Laparoscopic, Robotic & New Surgical Technology
  • National Medical Student Curriculum
  • Practice Guidelines
  • Urologic Diagnostic and Therapeutic Imaging
  • Urologic Video Education