Collaborating for the Advancement of Interdisciplinary Research in Benign Urology

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2026 CAIRIBU COLLABORATION AWARDS

The CAIRIBU Interactions Core recently offered 6 awards from a large and highly-competitive pool of applications received in April

In June we announced the top 3 awardees. We now announce another 3 awardees. Congratulations!

1. Nicholas Steers, PhD, Columbia University - Influence of microbial exposures on bladder immunity and pathogenesis of Gardnerella
2. Dudley Lamming, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison - From diet to disease: improving urinary health through altering dietary macronutrients
3. Lindsey Burnett, MD, PhD, University of California San Diego - Defining the gut-bladder metabolic axis in women with lower urinary tract symptoms

CAIRIBU RESEARCH TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

The CAIRIBU Interactions Core offers Research Training & Development Grants to support investigators expand their research expertise. Up to $5,000 is available for travel-related expenses (e.g., ground or air transportation, lodging) or research materials associated with training to advance the research capacity of a CAIRIBU Center or Program or an individual in a CAIRIBU Center or Program. Additionally, individuals from the broader urology research community are invited to apply if they intend to gain expertise from a CAIRIBU investigator. Multiple types of activities may be supported. More details HERE.

Thaissa Horne, MS, a research assistant in the laboratory of Petra Popovics, PhD at Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, received a CAIRIBU Research Training & Development Grant to learn a new technique. Read about her experience below:

"Through the CAIRIBU Research Training and Development Grant, I was able to travel to Madison, Wisconsin, to receive hands-on training in mouse catheter placement for cystometry with Dr. Kim Keil Stietz. This experience was especially valuable because catheter placement is an intricate technique that requires direct guidance, practice, and feedback. Learning from an expert allowed me to strengthen my understanding of the procedure, build confidence, and bring that knowledge back to my lab, where I could apply it to our research and share it with my lab mates."

"More broadly, CAIRIBU has helped me feel more connected to the urology research community. For trainees, these opportunities can be incredibly impactful because they provide access to specialized training and mentorship that may not be available at their home institution. I would strongly encourage other trainees to apply, especially if there is a technique, model, or area of urology research they want to learn more deeply. Programs like this make it possible to learn directly from leaders in the field, build connections, and bring valuable expertise back to your own research environment."

GET READY FOR THE 2026 ANNUAL CAIRIBU MEETING

December 9-11 in Madison, Wisconsin

-Registration is OPEN

-Abstract submission portal is OPEN

-Lodging link is LIVE

Go HERE for more meeting details

Abstracts due October 19, 2026 (guidelines HERE)

• Only trainees and early-stage investigators (within 10 years of terminal degree) may submit abstracts
• Most will present posters; some podium presentations may be offered

"Best Abstracts" and "Best Posters" will be awarded

Travel awards for eligible trainees will be available (for students and those currently in training positions only)

• Go HERE for guidelines and requirements
• Submit application HERE (deadline October 19, 2026)
• Trainee and ESI pre-meeting: Designed by and for trainees and early-stage investigators, Wednesday morning, Dec. 9

What is the annual CAIRIBU meeting? It's a "home" for trainees and investigators alike to exchange knowledge, network, and hear from leaders at the cutting-edge of their fields. These include: bladder and voiding dysfunction, benign prostatic hyperplasia, urinary tract infection, urobiome, chronic pelvic pain, urinary tract stones, erectile dysfunction and male reproductive health, post-radiation cystitis and prostatitis, urology-related genetic diseases, neuro-urological and immuno-urological problems, and aging in the lower urinary tract.

NEW THIS YEAR

Trainee Mixer, 6:00 to 9:00 PM

Tuesday, December 8

All trainees are welcome!

SUMMER UROBIOME MEETING IN MADISON

This in-person meeting will bring together investigators and trainees from within the CAIRIBU Urobiome Research Interest Group (U-RIG) community to advance urobiome science by sharing research, nurturing collaboration, and innovating solutions to the major challenges faced within the field. The meeting is Thursday all day and concludes Friday afternoon.

• Keynote lectures by urobiome pioneers Dr. Alan Wolfe (Loyola University Chicago), Dr. Linda Brubaker (UC San Diego), and Nazema Siddiqui, MD, MHSc (Duke University)
• Additional invited talks from leaders in urobiome research: Tanya Sysoeva, PhD (University of Alabama at Birmingham), Jean-Philippe Gourdine, PhD (Lewis & Clark College), and Vanessa Hale, DVM, PhD (Ohio State University)
• Multiple CAIRIBU U-RIG breakout sessions and small working groups
• Trainee/early-stage investigator abstracts, lightning talks, and poster session
• Awards for "best posters" and "best abstracts"

Registration is FREE but limited - REGISTER NOW

Abstract submission is closed

Meeting attendance will be capped, so REGISTER SOON.

Group rate deadline is JULY 9. Arrive Wednesday, depart Friday.

CAIRIBU Urobiome Research Interest Group Trainee Summer Camp

Two camps left: Friday, July 17 and Friday, August 21

Content is aimed at enhancing trainees' research capacity and professional skills in developing research questions, communicating science, visualizing data, and exploring career options. All are invited. Agenda HERE.

Summer Camp #2, Friday, July 17

3:00 PM Eastern

(2 PM Central | 12 PM Pacific)

Zoom link available HERE

Vanessa Hale, DVM, PhD (Ohio State University) will lead an interactive workshop-style session on developing a scientific aim for a project or grant proposal. Content is relevant to trainees developing their first scientific questions, preparing for qualifying exams or dissertation, or preparing to write a grant. Dr. Hale will review:

• What is a scientific aim? and why is it important?
• How to generate a scientific premise
• How to develop actionable research questions and hypotheses

MORE MICROBIOME MEETINGS

Beneficial Microbes and International Symbiosis Society Conference

July 19-23, Madison, WI: The conference will provide a forum for the exchange of the latest conceptual and technological developments in the fast-moving field of beneficial host-microbe interactions

Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages

August 3-7, Madison, WI: Scientific topics include: signaling and gene expression; systems, synthetic, and applied biology; microbial interactions; cell biology; phages and CRISPR; and survace sensing and cell-cell interactions

CAIRIBU BPH RESEARCH INTEREST GROUP

Advancing BPH Research...

This new interdisciplinary CAIRIBU Community brings together basic and translational scientists as well as clinicians. This Research Interest Group (RIG) will stimulate knowledge exchange, new ideas, strategic visioning, and transdisciplinary research collaborations in BPH.

Wed., July 8, 7:00 PM Eastern

(6 PM Central | 4 PM Pacific)

Zoom link available HERE

Simon Hayward, PhD (Endeavor Health) will review BPH research progress over the last few decades to contextualize the current state of the field and necessary future directions.

Dr. Hayward has a long history of research in BPH and is the PI of a multi-institutional CAIRIBU P20 Urology Center (co-investigators: Renee Vickman, PhD, Petra Popovics, PhD, and Nadia Lanman, PhD).

The CAIRIBU BPH RIG is led by a dynamic group of clinicians and scientists: Kazumi Taguchi, MD, PhD (University of Alabama at Birmingham); Petra Popovics, PhD (Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University); Renee Vickman, PhD (Endeavor Health); and Scott Quarrier, MD, MPH (University of Rochester). Plans are to meet monthly for a mix of presentations, discussions, literature reviews, and strategic discussions about how to advance BPH research and improve patient care.

UROLOGY O'BRIEN CENTER OPPORTUNITY POOL

BPH Investigators...

STAY TUNED for a call for applications from the CAIRIBU O'Brien Center at Stanford University (PI, James Brooks, MD) for its Opportunity Pool

• RFA will be posted on the CAIRIBU website funding page
• Awards will be for 1 year; up to $100,000 Direct Costs may be requested

Applicants are limited to (1) early stage investigators (see NIH definition HERE), (2) new investigators (also per NIH definition), (3) current K Scholars, or (4) established investigators new to BPH research

SUPPORT FEDERAL UROLOGY RESEARCH

PUBLIC COMMENTS SOUGHT

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposes a major revision to how federal grants are administered across all federal agencies. Proposed OMB changes that would impact scientific research include how research funding applications are selected for funding.

Read more about the proposed rule HERE

Read the nearly 50,000 comments HERE

Submit your own comments HERE

SUPPORT KIDNEY STONE RESEARCH

The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) research portfolio for FY 2027 is under review by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The CDMRP identifies research priorities for federal funding, including within the Department of Defense (DOD). American service members face environmental and situational demands that increase their risk of kidney stones, underscoring the need for kidney stone research. Request that kidney stones be included within the DOD CDMRP portfolio HERE.

VIRTUAL CAIRIBU COMMUNITY EVENTS

CAIRIBU Graduate Student Seminars

July 15 - 2:00 PM Eastern

(1 PM Central | 11 AM Pacific)

Zoom link available HERE

Samantha Ye, Leuna Sen, and Jenna Simpson (mentor, Nicholas Steers, PhD, Columbia University) University). Zoom link to join is available HERE.

CAIRIBU Undergraduate Student Research Jamboree

July 29 - 1:30 PM Eastern

(12:30 PM Central | 10:30 AM Pacific)

Zoom link available HERE

View program HERE

Undergraduate students from CAIRIBU Urology O'Brien Centers at Stanford University, Columbia University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison present results from their mentored summer research projects. Support undergraduate students' interest in urology by joining this virtual jamboree and cheering on these students. Zoom link to join is available HERE.

CAIRIBU COMMUNITY RESOURCES & INITIATIVES

Keep up with CAIRIBU Community publications

View the latest "Have You Read This" on the CAIRIBU website.

Follow publications of CAIRIBU investigators and trainees. UPDATED MONTHLY. Includes investigators at Urology O'Brien Centers and P20 Centers, Urology K12 Programs, and affiliated with CAIRIBU Research Interest Groups.

Links to other CAIRIBU Community resources:

• CAIRIBU Funding Bulletin (bi-monthly) - Latest issue HERE
• CAIRIBU Compass (quarterly) - Latest issue HERE
• CAIRIBU Trainee Newsletter (quarterly) - Latest issue HERE
• CAIRIBU Mobile App - HERE (available for I-phone users; download from the App Store)
• CAIRIBU Career Launchpad - HERE

• Curated extramural and CAIRIBU funding opportunities - HERE
• CAIRIBU Community news and acknowledgments - HERE

And stay tuned for:

CAIRIBU Code Commons,

a community-driven hub for shareable computational methods, code, software, scripts, and analytical workflows that support urology research. Explore resources contributed by colleagues, showcase and share your own work, and contribute to a culture of open, reproducible science across the CAIRIBU Community.

This concept is currently in development and may ultimately be part of a broader "CAIRIBU Computational Core." Want to be part of the discussion? Contact the CAIRIBU Interactions Core at cairibu@urology.wisc.edu.

CAIRIBU YOUTUBE REVAMP

Check out the recorded presentations, video shorts, and other content on the CAIRIBU YouTube page.

CAIRIBU YouTube Playlists are "channels" corresponding to specific research interests - bladder, prostate, infection, research skills, etc. There are now 160 recordings available on a variety of topics related to genitourinary research and on professional and career development.

Kristina L. Penniston, PhD, RD

PI, CAIRIBU U24 Interactions Core

(U24-DK127726)

penn@urology.wisc.edu

Dept. of Urology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI

Links to websites for current CAIRIBU Centers and Programs are on the CAIRIBU website HERE

Collaborating for the Advancement of Interdisciplinary Research in Benign Urology



CAIRIBU is a community first formed around NIDDK-funded U54 and P20 Urology Centers and K12 Institutional Career Development Programs whose overarching objectives are to address gaps in knowledge related to epidemiology, etiology, development, progression, and expression of non-malignant urologic conditions and to train the next generation of leaders in urology research. The CAIRIBU Interactions Core is the central coordinating body for the CAIRIBU Community and for all collaborative-minded investigators and trainees studying genitourinary diseases.