Collaborating for the Advancement of Interdisciplinary Research in Benign Urology

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ANNUAL CAIRIBU MEETING DECEMBER 3-5

4-WEEKS AWAY

Join investigators in the non-malignant urology research community for the 8th annual CAIRIBU meeting | University of Wisconsin-Madison Campus

Wed., Dec. 3 through Fri., Dec. 5

Memorial Union

Do you need to register? ... Do you need to book lodging?

Are you presenting a poster?

MEETING REGISTRATION. Covers meals and refreshments during breaks. Register HERE

LODGING. Rooms at 3 nearby hotels are available for <$130/night, but the discounted rate is available ONLY until November 11. Use links HERE

TRAVEL. Info for getting to Madison by air, bus, and personal vehicle available HERE

POSTER SIZE. Submitted an abstract? Make sure your poster fits on the poster boards. Poster board dimensions are 48 x 48 inches. Optional poster template HERE

Meeting Highlights

Pre-meeting for trainees and early-stage investigators (no additional registration necessary)

• 8:00-11:45 AM, Wednesday, December 3
• Roundtables on career pathways: clinical, basic science, industry
• Mock grant review session
• Panelists discuss their experiences with various NIH grant mechanisms

Keynote speakers

• Quentin Clemens, MD, MSci - University of Michigan
• Anne M. J. Verstegen, PhD - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School
• Thomas Chi, MD, MBA - University of Alabama at Birmingham

Scientific sessions

• Urolithiasis | Bladder and voiding dysfunction | Aging in the lower urinary tract
• Microbiome/urobiome | Benign prostate and lower urinary tract disease

Breakouts and networking sessions

• Phenotyping in urology research
• Using and accessing existing data for research
• Building and maintaining interdisciplinary clinical and research collaborations
• Innate immunity of the urothelium
• Patient and community engagement in urology research

Poster sessions

• 2 sessions will feature >90 abstracts
• Categories include BPH, neuro-uro/brain-bladder dysfunction, experimental methods, clinical practice, and more

Contests and Awards

• CAIRIBU Mentorship Award. Trainees, nominate your mentors. The winning mentor will be recognized during the meeting. Email cairibu@urology.wisc.edu with a 200-300 word paragraph explaining your mentor deserves this recognition.
• CAIRIBU Cutest Pet Contest. Submit a photo of your furry, scaly, or feathered friend for this year’s CAIRIBU Cutest Pet Contest. Win a watercolor portrait of your cute companion, created by CAIRIBU Interactions Core resident artist, Muen Wang
• CAIRIBU Cornhole Tournament (3rd annual). Sign up at the registration table and take your shot at this year’s trophy.
• CAIRIBU Family Feud. New this year. Watch lab "families" battle it out in this urology-themed feud.
• Pin the Pipette on the Picture. Try to match photos with the identities of various CAIRIBU Community labs and research groups. Pin them with a CAIRIBU pipette.
• Other awards to be given include:
• Best Abstracts and Best Posters
• Outstanding CAIRIBU Meeting Abstract Reviewer
• CAIRIBU Community Catalyst
• CAIRIBU Community Engagement
• CAIRIBU Community Distinguished Speaker

EXTRA FUN AT THE CAIRIBU MEETING

CAIRIBU Cookie Decorating. Get creative with CAIRIBU cookies. Available to all.

CAIRIBU Group Ice Skating. Lace up and enjoy some time on the ice with fellow meeting attendees. Sign up at the meeting.

Thursday Night Networking Dinners in Downtown Madison. Interested in leading a dinner group at a local Madison restaurant? Reach out to cairibu@urology.wisc.edu to volunteer as a table lead.

FORECAST FOR UROLOGY U54 O'BRIEN CENTER RFA

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) forecasts that a Request for Applications (RFA) for the George M. O'Brien Urology Cooperative Research Centers Program will be available in April 2026. The NIDDK forecast cites July 1, 2026 as the application due date with a projected start date of February 1, 2027. Total program funding is estimated to be $5.3 million. NOTE that this is simply a forecast and has NOT been officially announced as an RFA yet.

UPCOMING CAIRIBU EVENTS

CAIRIBU ARCTICS COMMUNITY FORUMS (Advancing the Research Capacity of Trainees and Investigators at early Career Stages). Now in its 5th year, the primary goal of CAIRIBU ARCTICS forums is to develop the professional and research skills of trainees and early-stage investigators. Prior ARCTICS forum topics and speakers may be viewed HERE.

Engaging Patient-Driven Funding Sources For Urology Research

PANELISTS: James Brooks, MD (Stanford University), Lisa Karstens, PhD (Oregon Health and Science University), Raymond Wezik, Esq (Urology Care Foundation/American Urological Association), and Hilary Furlong, CFRE (Stanford University)

WHAT: Investigators and representatives from foundations will share their experiences in securing and disseminating funding for research

WHEN: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12

TIME: 1:00 PM Eastern (12 PM Central | 10 AM Pacific)

ZOOM link to join is available HERE

CAIRIBU ARCTICS Community forums are recorded and posted on the CAIRIBU YouTube channel. Check out the more than 2 dozen recorded CAIRIBU ARCTICS forums HERE.

CAIRIBU UROBIOME RESEARCH INTEREST GROUP KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGES

Primary goals: Bridge knowledge gaps in urobiome and urinary tract infection research. Urobiome RIG meetings and knowledge exchanges began in 2021. Prior topics and speakers may be viewed HERE. Recordings of prior URIG knowledge exchanges are available on the CAIRIBU YouTube channel HERE. Next up...

Urobiome investigators will discuss knowledge gaps and critical research needs in urobiome science

WHEN: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21

TIME: 3:00 PM Eastern (2 PM Central | 12 PM Pacific)

Zoom link to join is available HERE

CAIRIBU URO-AGING RESEARCH INTEREST GROUP KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGES - Connecting uro-aging interested CAIRIBU and non-CAIRIBU investigators

Primary goals: Exchange knowledge and stimulate dialogue among a broad cross-section of scientists, clinicians, and clinician-scientists. Monthly discussions will foster interdisciplinary research collaborations to address critical questions related to aging in the lower urinary tract. Next up...

Aruna Sarma, PhD, MHA Research Professor of Epidemiology, Assistant Dean of the University of Michigan Medical School, and Chief and Professor, Dow Division of Health Services Research, Department of Urology, University of Michigan

Dr. Sarma is Co-PI of the University of Michigan Urological Epidemiology Institutional Research K12 Career Development Program

Urologic complications in diabetes

WHEN: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24

TIME: 3:00 PM Eastern (2 PM Central | 12 PM Pacific)

Zoom link to join is available HERE

CAIRIBU URO-LIT LIVE DISCUSSIONS

Primary goals: Recognize investigators across the broader CAIRIBU research community who have recently published urology-related research, disseminate their findings, and foster new research ideas. Authors of 2-3 new papers each month will briefly outline their research, methods, results, and next steps. Topics will vary.

Kidney stones: insights from basic science research

WHEN: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26

TIME: 4:00 PM Eastern (3 PM Central | 1 PM Pacific)

• AUTHORS: Muthuvel Jayachandran, PhD (Mayo Clinic Rochester), John Knight, PhD (University of Alabama at Birmingham), and Aaron Miller, PhD (Cleveland Clinic) will briefly discuss their methods and findings followed by ample time for questions, new ideas, and discussion



• 2 PAPERS WILL BE DISCUSSED: (1) Multiomics of circulating proteins and kidney stone risk; and (2) Oxalate degradation in the gut microbiome. Find links to papers HERE

Zoom link to join is available HERE

CAIRIBU COMPASS

The CAIRIBU Compass is an online, non-refereed journal of and for the CAIRIBU Community. Primary goal is to support the broader urology research community and raise the visibility of urology research. Professional but informal, academic yet accessible, appropriate for works-in-progress and not-ready-for-prime-time research content. Commentaries and opinion pieces are also welcome.

CAIRIBU TRAINEE NEWSLETTER

The CAIRIBU Trainee Newsletter provides trainees valuable information, resources, and articles contributed by CAIRIBU leaders, established investigators, and NIDDK Program Officers. Trainees are encouraged to submit questions to the "Ask a PI" and "Ask a Postdoc" columns. Submit your questions by email to the CAIRIBU Interactions Core HERE.

UROLOGY RESEARCH FUNDING

To adapt to the changing research funding landscape, the CAIRIBU Interactions Core recently expanded the search for urology research funding. The CAIRIBU website now features a broader array of announcements from federal agencies, professional societies, organizations, foundations, and industry.

View expanded list of funding announcements

• We are still modifying the CAIRIBU website funding announcements table. Stay tuned as it becomes an even more useful tool.
• A few upcoming opportunities are below:

Basic Mechanisms of Aging Research Grants, American Federation for Aging Research. Up to $160,000/yr for 1-2 yrs are available for junior faculty (MDs and PhDs). The program supports basic mechanisms of aging rather than disease-specific research. LOI due 12/15/2025.

Research Scholar Awards, American Urological Association. Clinical and postdoctoral fellows or early-career investigators within 5 years of appointment are eligible for $40,000/yr for 1-2 yrs of mentored support. LOI due 11/27/2025; full proposals due 1/19/2026.

Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant, National Institutes of Health (R21 basic experimental studies with humans required). PA-25-307: participating institutes include NIA, NICHD, NCCIH, NIMH, and others. 2-yr awards may not exceed $275,000. Standard NIH due dates for LOIs and applications apply.

Fellowship Awards in Neuroscience, Klingenstein Philanthropies. Supports early-career clinical or basic science investigators. Areas of particular importance include neural systems (integrative function of the nervous system), translational research, and cellular and molecular neuroscience. Awards are $150,000/yr for 3 years. Applications due Feb 1 and Sept 15 each year.

Basic Research in Neurobiology Research Grants, The Whitehall Foundation. Grants of up to 3 yrs for a maximum of $100,000/yr available to investigators with <$200,000/yr in extramural funding. Funding interests include invertebrate and vertebrate neurobiology, specifically of neural mechanisms in sensory, motor, and other complex functions of the whole organism as they relate to behavior. Standard LOI and application dates begin in January, April, and October of each year.

Swiss Continence Foundation Award. Young scientists and doctors <36 years of age may apply for the annual award prize of CHF 10,000. Winners will deliver a presentation during "The Future in Neuro-Urology" session at the International Neuro-Urology Society meeting in January 2026. Application requirements available HERE; deadline to apply is 11/30/2025.

CAIRIBU YouTube Playlists are "channels" that correspond to specific research interests

CAIRIBU Interactions Core staff recently categorized all CAIRIBU YouTube content by specific area within the lower urinary tract (more than 130 videos!). Find recordings in which you are most interested (e.g., bladder, prostate, infection, etc.). Content related to trainees is also categorized. Look HERE.

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 of 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.