Collaborating for the Advancement of Interdisciplinary Research in Benign Urology

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CAIRIBU IN ACTION

@ ROCK SOCIETY MEETING

More than 100 investigators and clinicians engaged in urinary stone disease research participated in the 2025 Research on Calculus Kinetics (ROCK) Society meeting in Milwaukee, Jan 31 and Feb 1. The ROCK Society is a prestigious urolithiasis-specific organization. The annual meeting was led this year by President Kristina Penniston, PhD, RD (University of Wisconsin-Madison, PI of the CAIRIBU Interactions Core).

Several CAIRIBU-affiliated investigators presented or moderated sessions at the ROCK Society meeting, including:

• Jonathan Ellison, MD, Wisconsin Children's Hospital/Medical College of Wisconsin - Co-Investigator of the multi-center CAIRIBU P20 Urology Center led by Gregory Tasian at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia/University of Pennsylvania
• Gregory Tasian, MD, MSc, MSCE, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia/University of Pennsylvania - PI of CAIRIBU P20 Urology Center
• Emily Coffey, PhD, DVM, University of Minnesota - CAIRIBU Urobiome Research Interest Group (RIG)
• Aaron Miller, PhD, Cleveland Clinic - CAIRIBU Urobiome RIG
• Kris Penniston, PhD, RD, University of Wisconsin-Madison - PI of the CAIRIBU Interactions Core
• Muthuvel Jayachandran, PhD, Mayo Clinic Rochester - Investigator in the Mayo Clinic P20 Urology Center (PIs, Kevin Koo, MD, MPH and John Lieske, MD)
• Tom Chi, MD, MBA, University of Alabama at Birmingham - PI of a prior CAIRIBU P20 Urology Center (at University of California San Francisco)

Additionally, several investigators from the prior P20 Urology Center at University of Alabama at Birmingham (PI Dean Assimos, MD) who presented or moderated sessions at the meeting included:

• Tanecia Mitchell, PhD, Joseph Crivelli, MD, Kyle Wood, MD, and Sonia Fargue, PhD

@ UROBIOME CONFERENCE

February 24, 2025

8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

University of California San Diego

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Conference organizer: Linda Brubaker, MD, Professor, Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery, University of California San Diego

Investigators involved in the CAIRIBU Urobiome Research Interest Group (U-RIG) will join other investigators to learn more about the emerging science of the urobiome and its recently-discovered implications for human health, including common conditions such as urinary tract infection, urinary incontinence, urinary tract stones, and bladder overactivity. CAIRIBU U-RIG investigators presenting at Urobiome Day include:

• Linda Brubaker, MD, MS, University of California San Diego
• Alan Wolfe, PhD, Loyola University Chicago
• Maria Hadjifrangiskou, PhD, Vanderbilt University (and PI of a prior CAIRIBU P20 Urology Center)
• Lisa Karstens, PhD, Oregon Health and Science University
• Jeremy Burton, PhD, MSc, University of Western Ontario
• Nazema Siddiqui, MD, MHSc, Duke University (and prior K12 Scholar at the Duke University Urologic Research K12 Career Development Program; PI Cindy Amundsen, MD)

MORE INFORMATION AND LINK TO REGISTER HERE

@ ANNUAL SUFU MEETING

The annual Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine & Urogenital Reconstruction (SUFU) meeting involves many CAIRIBU investigators. The 2025 SUFU Meeting (Feb 26-Mar 1) is no exception. Below are names of those presenting , participating in a panel, or moderating a session at the meeting.

• Douglas Strand, PhD, UT Southwestern (Project Leader in the UW-Madison George M. O'Brien U54 Urology Center led by William Ricke, PhD)
• Chad Vezina, PhD, UW-Madison (Project Leader in the UW-Madison George M. O'Brien U54 Urology Center and PI of the UW-Madison R25 Summer Program for Undergraduate Urology Research)
• Indira Mysorekar, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine (PI of a prior P20 Urology Center at Washington University)
• Rose Khavari, MD, Houston Methodist (CAIRIBU Collaboration Award recipient and prior Opportunity Pool Awardee from the Columbia University George M. O'Brien U54 Urology Center led by Cathy Mendelsohn, PhD, Ali Gharavi, MD, Jonathan Barasch, MD, PhD, and Anne-Catrin Uhlemann, MD, PhD)
• Ashika Goel, MS, Michigan State University (trainee in the prior MI-CURE P20 Urology Center led by Bernadette Zwaans, PhD)
• Lari Smith, UT Southwestern (graduate student trainee affiliated with the UW-Madison George M. O'Brien U54 Urology Center)
• Sylvia Suadicani, PhD, MSC, Albert Einstein College of Medicine (co-investigator of the prior P20 Urology Center at Albert Einstein led by Kelvin Davies, PhD)
• Jim Hokanson, PhD, Medical College of Wisconsin & Marquette University (prior K12 Scholar in the Duke University Urologic Research K12 Career Development Program led by Cindy Amundsen, MD and CAIRIBU Collaboration Award recipient)
• LaTasha Crawford, VMD, PhD, UW-Madison (prior K12 Scholar in the UW-Madison Urologic Research K12 Career Development Program led by Chad Vezina, PhD and CAIRIBU Collaboration Award recipient
• Kimberly Keil Stietz, PhD, UW-Madison (Project Leader in the UW-Madison George M. O'Brien U54 Urology Center, CAIRIBU Collaboration Award recipient, and Opportunity Pool Awardee from the Stanford University George M. O'Brien U54 Urology Center led by James Brooks, MD)
• Ramy Goueli, MD, MHS, UT Southwestern (CAIRIBU Collaboration Award recipient)
• Quentin Clemens, MD, University of Michigan (Co-PI of the University of Michigan Urological Epidemiology K12 Career Development Program)
• Giulia Ippolito, MD, MS, University of Michigan (K12 Scholar in the University of Michigan Urological Epidemiology K12 Career Development Program led by Aruna Sarma, PhD and Quentin Clemens, MD

CAIRIBU INVESTIGATORS, INCLUDING TRAINEES, ARE ALSO PRESENTING POSTERS. A complete list of basic science abstracts is HERE. A complete list of clinical abstracts is HERE.

View and search a list of publications by CAIRIBU-affiliated investigators HERE - updated every month by CAIRIBU Interactions Core staff

The CAIRIBU Interactions Core uses bibliometric techniques to identify and archive CAIRIBU-affiliated publications. Publications from 2020 forward are there. Sort by journal, publication date, topic, authors' names, and more.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

February is Black History Month and an opportunity to promote the contributions to medicine and biomedical research of Black Americans. The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) features Black pioneers who have worked tirelessly to benefit the health of others and advance the field of health and medicine. On the NAM website, you will find those featured in this year’s campaign.

Black History Month is also an opportunity to double down on efforts to study and address shortcomings in therapies and clinical care for genitourinary disorders. Black Americans and those from other traditionally underserved groups frequently face barriers and suboptimal health outcomes. As an example, results of a recent study from the Prostate Health Education Network demonstrated that Black men are underrepresented in prostate cancer clinical trials. The article by Crawford et al is described in the January 2025 issue of the American Urological Association's Urology Practice journal; link to the article is HERE. Prior studies have identified unmet needs in the care of minority women with pelvic floor disorders (Gurayah et al, Urology 2024); race/ethnicity-based disparities in the prescription of hormone therapy for early, peri-, and postmenopausal women (Conklin et al, J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2024); and racial disparities in sacral neuromodulation for fecal incontinence (Seitz et al, Urogynecology (Phila) 2024).

CAIRIBU EVENTS

The 2025 CAIRIBU meeting is Wednesday-Friday, December 3-5 (location TBD). Stay tuned for more info.

UROBIOME Research Interest Group (RIG). Virtual knowledge exchanges are scheduled through 2025. These knowledge exchanges are organized by the CAIRIBU Urobiome RIG, one of several RIGs within the CAIRIBU Community.

Every month, 3rd or 4th FRIDAYS

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

Next: February 21 - Zoom link HERE

TRAINEES & ESIs

ARCTICS = Advancing the Research Capacity of Trainees

and Investigators at early Career Stages

CAIRIBU-affiliated trainees and early-stage investigators meet each year to develop ideas for ARCTICS forums, all aimed at building skills, increasing knowledge, and boosting trainees' abilities to plan and develop independent careers in genitourinary research. Forums are every month, 2nd Wednesdays.

Join other trainees and early-stage investigators for a 2-part ARCTICS Community forum series on data science. See below.

Monthly, 3rd THURSDAYS

5:00 PM Eastern (4 PM Central | 2 PM Pacific)

2025 K12 scholar seminar series schedule available HERE

February 20 - Zoom link HERE

Vinaya Bhatia, MD

• Pediatric Urologist, Department of Urology, Division of Pediatric Urology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
• K12 Scholar, University of Wisconsin-Madison Multidisciplinary Urologic Research K12 Career Development Program

Quarterly, 3rd WEDNESDAYS

Jan - Apr - Jul - Oct 2025

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

2025 grad student seminar series schedule available HERE

PRE- & POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Training and research opportunities for early-stage investigators and trainees available on the CAIRIBU Kiosk - HERE

CAIRIBU YouTube Playlists serve as "channels" that correspond to your specific research interests

CAIRIBU Interactions Core staff recently categorized all CAIRIBU YouTube content by specific area within the lower urinary tract (nearly 100 videos!). Now you can quickly find recordings in which you are most interested (e.g., bladder, prostate, infection, etc.). Content related to trainees is also categorized. Look HERE.