JUOP September 2025 Editorial: Reflections From the 83rd Annual Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic AUA, Niagara Falls, New York
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The 83rd Annual Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Section of the AUA (MAAUA), held from September 11 to 13, 2025, in Niagara Falls, New York, was an incredible event. Against the backdrop of one of nature's great wonders, urologists from across the Mid-Atlantic and beyond gathered to share research, reconnect with colleagues, and celebrate the vibrant culture of our field. Scientific discussions anchored the meeting. The program, organized by Dr Caleb Kovell and the program planning committee, which was composed mainly of young urologists throughout the section, offered 3 days of dynamic plenary sessions, podium presentations, and poster discussions, highlighting the latest advances in urologic care. The Hugh Hampton Young Lecture by Dr Mark Schoenberg challenged attendees to rethink conventional approaches to bladder cancer, while sessions on benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostate cancer, reconstructive surgery, and pediatric urology showcased the breadth of innovation across the specialty. From artificial intelligence-assisted imaging and machine learning risk calculators to emerging therapies for Bacillus Calmette-Guérin-resistant bladder cancer, the scientific discourse embodied the MAAUA's ongoing commitment to discovery and excellence. The meeting's scientific program included sessions on focal therapy, single-port robotics, and new laser technologies, which demonstrated how precision medicine and minimally invasive innovation continue to reshape patient care. Discussions on global health, diversity in urology, and mentorship highlighted the social dimensions of scientific advancement, reminding us that progress in medicine extends beyond technology to the people who drive it. The Resident Prize Essay presentations captured this well, with young investigators presenting work that spanned from oncologic outcomes and reconstruction to data-driven approaches in health equity. Beyond the science, the meeting was filled with camaraderie. The ever-popular Resident's Bowl brought energy and friendly competition to the stage as trainees demonstrated not only their knowledge but also their team spirit. Later, the Street Fair Theme Night on Old Falls Street transformed the evening into a fun celebration. Attendees sampled local fare, marveled at fire-breathing jugglers, and took home hand-drawn caricatures and crafts—reminding everyone that this community knows how to balance hard work with fun. SEPTEMBER 2025 JU OPEN PLUS ARTICLES Reviews Rodriguez Rosales et al1 preformed a systematic review and meta-analysis of PARP inhibitors (poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors) for efficacy and safety in advanced prostate cancer. Their search resulted in 6 key studies, and the pivoting feature was the presence of the BRCA1/2 genetic alterations to predict significant survival outcomes. PARP inhibitors had higher incidence of anemia and thrombocytopenia compared with controls. PARP inhibitors for nongenetic mutations had wide confidence intervals and perhaps underpowered outcomes and more research needed in these subgroups. In a systematic review, LaFrance et al2 focused on nonobstructive, nonneurogenic underactive bladder, with the key objectives to summarize epidemiology, prevalence in care seeking adults, and outcomes. Their search included 24 selected papers with mixed retrospective to prospective methodology that totaled 13,464 patients and showed that 25.7% had idiopathic underactive bladder from a urodynamic study. One of the challenges observed was the lack of a specific International Classification of Diseases, 10 Revision code and the needs for urodynamics. Clean intermittent catheterization is a common, but sacral neuromodulation showed a lower than expected success rate. Health Services Research In a unique methods study, Bouvette and Heinlen3 extracted political advocacy spending data from the website.4 Over a 10-year period they could look at overall health professionals lobby spending, urology professionals spending, and a per urologist spending. Overall urologists spend $100 to 200 per year on lobbying and $1.2 million range for urology professional organizations. The authors look at specific trends and review changes in our space. Hardacker et al5 addressed a key knowledge gap in the bladder health of individual identifying as sexual and gender minority (SGM). As part of the RISE FOR HEALTH study, they obtained patient survey data on bladder health with groups identified as SGM or age matched non-SGM controls. Results showed lower bladder health and function scores, although lower urinary tract symptoms were similar. The authors discuss the unique challenges in this demographic and how bladder function may be affected. One of our subcategories of Health Services Research includes qualitative research. Burrola-Mendez et al6 performed a study with the “World Café” methodology in Black men on the topic of prostate cancer priorities. Summarizing patient-level discussions can be a challenge and the authors did a nice job of identifying key questions and discussion summaries in text and tables. The emphasis was on various barriers to detection and treatment of prostate cancer. Retrospective Study In the world of prostate cancer biopsy and optimal risk classification, Leonard et al7 looked at a single-institution experience with fusion biopsy and focused on the intermediate-risk patients who may be favorable or unfavorable. Specific to the issue of counting positive cores as a threshold between favorable and unfavorable, they found the including grade group 1 cores into the risk did not associate with adverse pathology at radical prostatectomy. As an exploratory analysis, they found that stratification based on volume grade group 2 or 3 in MRI-visible lesions with a tarted biopsy had better correlation. For our pediatric urology readers, Lee et al8 performed a retrospective study on transportation times as affecting salvage rates of children with testicular torsion. They obtained very detailed results in 81 patients on every step of the process, with negative outcomes being the primary endpoint. Transferred patients had significantly higher negative outcomes than direct care. This is a US study, and they add additional perspective from the UK model that require direct in-facility care rather than subspecialty transfer. Rare Conditions Jalbert et al9 describe a rare case of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of prostatic origin. This case is unique in its genomic characterization and treatment with anti-PD1 agent to achieve a 2-year response. PEOPLE, PLACES, AND THINGS People—A quick selfie captured several leaders within the MAAUA: Dr Matt Kaag, President-Elect of the Mid-Atlantic section; Dr Phil Pierorazio, Social Media Editor for several AUA publications; and Dr TJ Fitzgibbons, Assistant Professor at Penn State Hershey and Dr Caleb Kovell, this year's program architect, visible in the background. These individuals embody the spirit of mentorship, scholarship, and leadership that define the section (Figure 1). Places—Niagara Falls—needs no introduction. The falls certainly provided a sense of renewal and inspiration that many attendees carried home (Figure 2A, B) Things—a double rainbow over the water. A double rainbow forms when sunlight reflects twice inside raindrops, separating colors into 2 arcs—the second appearing fainter and reversed (Figure 3). Figure 1.: People: Mid-Atlantic AUA leadership on tour at Niagara Falls—left to right—TJ Fitzgibbons, Matt Kaag, Phil Pierorazio, Marisa Clifton (and Caelb Kovell in the background—program architect for the meeting).Figure 2.: Places—Niagara Falls Shots. A, Rainbow off the hand of AUA President-Elect Eugene Rhee. B, Niagara Falls—approximately 3160 tons of water per second for a daily flow of 65 billion gallons.Figure 3.: Things—the double rainbow when sunlight reflects twice inside raindrops.As the conference drew to a close with sessions on surgical innovation, fertility, and AUA policy updates, one theme was clear: the Mid-Atlantic community continues to lead with vision and collaboration. Those fortunate enough to attend left Niagara Falls reenergized—reminded that urology is not just about data and devices, but about the people, places, and things that make this work so meaningful.
Source: JU Open Plus
Authors: Marisa Clifton, John Davis
Language: English
Subfield: Urology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7093101325