Dr. Matthew Grimes and colleagues received the "Best Abstract" award at the annual Society of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons (GURS) Academic Congress Meeting for their project titled "Increased basal epithelial expression of keratin 14 is associated with squamous metaplasia in urethral stricture disease."

Drs. Chris Manakas and Dan Gralnek have been recognized by Boston Scientific as a Center of Education (COE) for their expertise in Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP) and passion for educating physicians on this procedure.

Dr. Chris Manakas has been selected as a guest speaker at this year's Boston Scientific MOSES 2.0 Mastery Course. HoLEP with MOSES 2.0 technology is a patented innovation that optimizes energy delivery compared to a regular holmium pulse laser.

The Division of Pediatric Urology had outstanding representation at the most recent Society of Pediatric Urology (SPU) meeting, with 6 accepted abstracts and presentations

Urology resident, Dr. Megan Roedel received honorable mention for one of the top 3 presented abstracts at the Society for Fetal Urology, entitled "Challenges in Managing Complex Genitourinary Anomalies in a Neonatal Patient: Emphasizing the Role of Parental Engagement." 

Dr. Shannon Cannon gave an excellent update on the SPU Hydronephrosis Taskforce's experience with management of Ureteroceles, which generated great clinical discussions.

Urology resident, Dr. Jacob Stevens gave a podium presentation on his work with Dr. Vinaya Bhatia, highlighting the "Evolution of Health Concerns and Care Priorities over a Lifetime in Hypospadias Patients". They received excellent feedback from other prominent qualitative researchers on this work.

Pediatric Urology Research Assistant, Vishnu Sridhar’s work on research productivity was presented as a display poster, and many researchers commented on the value of this information for improving work flow at their own institutions. Graduate Student, Thomas Niepsuj, BS presented his work on the "Effects of Leuprolide on Juvenile Behavior and Gonadal Development in Sprague Dawley Rats", which further emphasized the translational importance of this biology for providing empathetic and holistic care to gender-diverse youth.

Finally, Dr. Walid Farhat presented the American Association of Pediatric Urology lecture, which highlighted the central importance of friendship, kinship, and mentorship in fostering success and preventing burnout over the course of a valued career in pediatric urology, which was enthusiastically received by trainees, junior faculty, and senior faculty alike.

The 17^thAnnual Pediatric Urology Laparoscopy Course, co-directed by Dr. Walid Farhat and Dr. Daniel DaJusta, took place in person this year at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Attended by 15 fellows and 15 faculty, from the United States and Canada, the course consisted of lectures, case discussions, a dry Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) skills lab, and a full day live model lab. The course also continued its tradition of conducting a FLS Masters Challenge among the faculty. Overall, the course was another great success and well received by all.