Jefferson Urology Year In Review 2022

Yearin Review Department of Urology 2022

For more information on how philanthropic gifts can help support our research, teaching and patient care missions, contact:

Leonard G. Gomella, MD, FACS

The Bernard W. Godwin Jr. Professor of Prostate Cancer Chairman, Department of Urology

Senior Director Clinical Affairs, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University Enterprise VP for Urology, Jefferson Health 1025 Walnut Street, Suite 1100 | Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-955-1702

Leonard.Gomella@jefferson.edu

P.Kenneth Brownstein, MD, FACS

Department of Urology

Director of Philanthropy

Harold A. Honickman Physician Director of Jefferson Signature Services

Office of Institutional Advancement

Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health 125 S. 9th Street, Suite 600 | Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-503-2111

Kenneth.Brownstein@jefferson.edu

Elena Boroski

Director of Development

Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center & Clinical Programs

Office of Institutional Advancement

Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health 125 S. 9th Street, Suite 600 | Philadelphia, PA 19107 267-225-8380

Elena.Boroski@jefferson.edu

“Jefferson Urology 2022 Year in Review”

Design and Production Editor: Tricia Shea Editor-in-Chief: Leonard G. Gomella, MD

Contributors: Elena Boroski

Paul Chung, MD Moriah Cunningham Barbara Devine

Sonny Figueroa, MD Halle Foss, MD Tricia Gomella, MD Janice Harper Lisette Hilton

Publications 2022

Upcoming Department Events

Chairman’s Letter

Dear Friends, The cover of our 2022 Year in Review features the 14 different outpatient locations of Jefferson Medical Group (JMG) urology practices, including our Sidney Kimmel Medical College-based Jefferson University Physician practices (JUP). This year, we opened our JUP urology office on the Abington campus. This Abington practice also includes ongoing clinical work with the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in the Asplundh Pavilion in Willow Grove. Information on all of our JMG urology locations can be found on page 73.

In 2022, our Department was recognized in several national rankings. In the U.S. News & World Report’ s annual listing of top hospitals, our Department achieved a ranking of 36 out of 1,490 hospitals. In the Doximity Residency Program rankings, our TJUH training program was listed 18 out of 147 programs in North America.

Our residents had several unique international health experiences. Drs. Halle Foss and Edward Kloniecke traveled to Jordan with our pediatric urology faculty to care for children from Syria displaced by the conflict in that country. Resident Dr. Radhika Ragam traveled with Dr. Scott Hubosky to our Jefferson India Center in Belgaum, India. They participated in lectures and patient care during an advanced ureteroscopy course. See page 16 for all of our 2022 global engagements.

It was a strong year in national competitions for our residents. Dr. Andrew Salib was a member of Team MidAtlantic, the champions of the 2022 AUA National Resident Bowl competition. Dr. Maria D’Amico secured a spot on the 2023 Mid-Atlantic AUA team, which will compete at the AUA meeting in Chicago this April.

The Department faced challenges over the last year. One was the passing of long-time faculty member Dr. Demetrius Bagley in January 2022. Dr. Bagley was an internationally recognized expert in ureteroscopy, and highlights of his career can be found on page 67. As Einstein Health was set to merge with Jefferson Health, a major disruption took place in urology’s clinical care and residency programs with the unexpected departure of most Einstein faculty to a competing academic system. Our Department was asked to help stabilize our health system partners programs. I am most appreciative of our Abington urology faculty, who helped with call and clinical coverage at Einstein. Dr. Lallas was appointed Einstein’s residency program director, and we welcomed Einstein residents into our rotations. After a national search, Dr. Ed Trabulsi became Urology Chair at Einstein in September, and we wish him well. Other changes involved the departure of Drs. Das, Mann and Chandrasekar, who each had personal reasons for leaving the Philadelphia area. We welcomed back Dr. Mihir Shah after his fellowship with Dr. Indy Gill at USC in Los Angeles. At the time of this publication, we are engaged in discussions with multiple faculty candidates who wish to join our Department.

Our urology research continues expansion. It was exciting to have Dr. Paul Chung’s urinary biome research project be part of the RAKIA space mission to the international space that launched in April 2022. Dr. Chung will be sharing the results in an upcoming publication. Our Men’s Health Program has begun low-intensity penile shock wave therapy for the management of erectile dysfunction. The program is based at the Navy Yard and includes a clinical trial to investigate shock wave therapy in the management of erectile dysfunction following radical prostatectomy (page 15). Dr. Matt Schiewer’s urology research lab is full of new ideas and is the home to 5 post graduate trainees. The lab is focusing on prostate and bladder cancer basic science and translational research investigations (page 17).

There have been leadership changes over the last year. At the Departmental level, Scott Bowes announced his retirement after 11 years as our administrator. We welcomed our new administrator, Megan Sabonjian. You can read about her credentials and career on page 43. At the highest levels of Jefferson Health, Dr. Joseph Cacchione became our new CEO. Congratulations to Dr. Mark Tykocinski on becoming the Thomas Jefferson University President with responsibility for our health science and undergraduate students. He will be serving a dual role as SKMC Dean until a new medical school leader is appointed.

Progress continues on our future clinical center city home at 11th and Chestnut. The 18-story facility underwent a topping off ceremony and is now enclosed in reflective glass. A generous philanthropic gift has renamed the Specialty Care Pavilion the Honickman Center. For details on this state of the art facility and Urology’s new home on the 11th floor, see page 16.

Looking forward to 2023, Dr. Costas Lallas has been selected to be the next Nathan Lewis Hatfield Professor of Genitourinary Surgery (page 34), with the formal ceremony taking place in February. There are many other Department of Urology highlights to read about in this 2022 Year in Review. Thank you for your interest in our Department, and please contact me if you need additional information.

Sincerely,

Leonard G. Gomella, MD, FACS

The Bernard W. Godwin Jr. Professor of Prostate Cancer Chairman, Department of Urology Senior Director Clinical Affairs, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Enterprise VP for Urology, Jefferson Health

RAKIA Space Station Urology Research Update

The Axiom Mission 1 (or Ax-1) was the first privately funded and operated crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The flight launched on April 8, 2022, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida using the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and returned on April 25, 2022. The crew consisted of Eytan Stibbe from Israel, Larry Connor from the United States, Mark Pathy from Canada, and Michael López-Alegría, an American born in Spain. In addition to being a first of its kind event for space tourism, it was also a first of its kind for research for our Department.

Our research proposal to study changes in the urinary microbiome was selected by the Ramon Foundation and ARC Center for Digital Innovation at Sheba Medical Center, Israel, as part of the RAKIA Mission, the Israeli research arm of the Ax-1 space mission. The word Rakia means “sky” in Hebrew and was one of the words from the diary of Ilan Ramon (Israel’s first man in space) recovered from the Space Shuttle Challenger’s explosion. Our international research team included Harel Baris and Ben Boursi from Sheba Medical Center (Ramat Gan, Israel); J.Curtis Nickel from Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario); Caleb Phillips from Texas Tech University (Lubbock, TX); and

Space travel exposes crew to substantial stressors, which may potentially alter their microbiome. On Earth, alterations in the urinary microbiota have been linked to urinary symptoms, and NASA has reported events of urinary retention and urinary tract infections during space missions. As space travel gains interest, especially from space tourism, it is important to understand the risks involved to protect the health and safety of travelers and professional astronauts.

Our research studied whether the urinary microbiota of space travelers is altered during a short-duration space flight to the ISS. During this IRB-approved study, urine samples were collected from the four members pre-flight, on-orbit, and after returning to Earth. These samples then underwent 16s next-generation sequencing sponsored by MicroGenDx (Lubbock, Texas). Significant differences in microbial compositions were identified suggesting that space travel appears to alter the urinary microbiota. Further studies with larger cohorts are needed to better understand the impact of space travel. We look forward to completing the analysis and publishing our results this year.

The multiple launch date changes prevented Dr. Chung from being on site at the Kennedy Space Center for the RAKIA mission launch. Present for the April 8, 2022, launch were Dr. Mark Tykocinski, SKMC Dean and President of Thomas Jefferson University; Dr. Harel Baris, director of Israel’s ARC Space Lab, Sheba Innovation Center; and Dr. Grunwald, emeritus chair of anesthesiology SKMC and Director of the Jefferson Israel Center.

April 8, 2022, launch of the Axiom Space rocket to the international space station carrying multiple medical experiments including the urinary biome project.

Low-intensity Shockwave Therapy (LiSWT) Research Program

The Men’s Health Program in the Department of Urology is in a unique position to offer men with erectile dysfunction a rapidly evolving therapeutic option. Erectile dysfunction is a multi-factorial problem with the common pathways of endothelial cell dysfunction and neurovascular compromise. Those patients affected are frequently identified by their cardiologists, endocrinologists, sleep specialists, and primary care physicians. These providers are particularly attuned to this personal, significant medical problem. Erectile dysfunction affects 30-40 million men in the United States, and is commonly associated with aging, chronic neurovascular disease, and diabetes. It also can be a side effect of treatments for diseases such as prostate cancer.

The concept of shockwave therapy as a medical treatment has been with us for many years. In orthopedics, extracorporeal shock wave therapy has been used for at least 20 years to treat injuries to bones, joints, and ligaments. In urology, it is commonly associated with the treatment of kidney stones known as ESWL or extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. ESWL technology uses high-energy shock waves to break up kidney stones and usually requires general anesthesia. With the concept of delivering shock waves as a treatment similar in concept, the applications are very different. Low-intensity shockwave therapy (LiSWT) uses a much lower energy that does not require anesthesia. LiSWT involves the use of a small, handheld probe that delivers low-intensity shockwaves to tissues in the penis. In its most basic terms, the treatment is thought to primarily involve microtrauma that results in neovascularization of the structures within the penis. While there is no standardized treatment, in general the LiSWT is administered in six or more weekly sessions.

BASIC SCIENCE SUPPORTING LISWT IN ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION

Normal erectile function depends on an intact penile neurovascular and corporal body function. Conventional therapy for erectile dysfunction (ED) has relied on oral PDE5 inhibitor medications, vacuum erection devices, intra-cavernous injection therapy, and surgical implantation of penile prosthesis. Early intervention with these methods often offers dependable treatments that bypass the pathophysiology of abnormal function, but does not address the underlying pathophysiology of ED, nor does it allow for achieving natural, spontaneous erections. Ideally, the optimal treatment for ED should include a restorative and regenerative approach

to penile functioning. Studies over the past decade have shown that LiSWT offers promising outcome efficacy by addressing the basic causes of neurovascular deficiency. Meta-analysis studies of LiSWT have shown functional improvement in men with vasculogenic ED. From extensive animal studies, the salutary effects of LiSWT have rested on multiple mechanisms of action. Its micro-vascular effect is initiated by the creation of endothelial microtrauma with shear stress activating endothelial nitric oxide synthase and the nitric oxide/cGMP

or be offered along with other proven ED treatments

BUILDING A LOW-INTENSITY SHOCKWAVE THERAPY (LiSWT) RESEARCH PROGRAM

We have started a LiSWT program in the Men’s Health program at Jefferson utilizing the UroGold 100 (SoftWave Tissue Regeneration Technologies, Kennesaw, GA) as shown in Figure 2 (see page 6). This is an electrohydraulic unfocused shockwave delivery system that is FDA-approved for treatment of

Figure 1. Putative mechanism of action of Li-ESWT for ED. Sokolakis I, Dimitriadis F, Teo P, et al. The Basic Science Behind Low-intensity Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy for Erectile Dysfunction: A Systematic Scoping Review of Pre-Clinical Studies. J Sex Med. 2019 Feb;16(2):168-194. (Reproduced with permission)

pathway, promoting neo-angiogenesis and improving the microcirculation in corporal tissue. The putative effects on the corpus cavernosal tissue are increased smooth muscle/collagen ratio and decreased lipid formation in erectile vascular tissue. In the interstitial compartment, studies have shown the pro-erectile effects of progenitor/stem cell proliferation and reduction of oxidative stress and inflammation leading to increased smooth muscle cell survival and tissue repair. Additionally, a neurologic advantage has been proposed by demonstrating the effects of LiSWT on Schwann cell activation, nerve repair, regeneration and re-innervation. These multiple effects are summarized in Figure 1. Research is ongoing to determine how well it works long-term, and whether it can replace

plantar fasciitis, lateral epicondylitis, and foot ulcers and is FDA-cleared for improved blood flow, pain amelioration, and connective tissue activation and wound healing. In general, impulses are administered to the penile shaft, hilum, and crura for 6-12 sessions over a period of 6-12 weeks with varying intensity and numbers of impulses. Due to the number of machines available and heterogeneity of protocols, there is no one agreed upon manner to deliver LiSWT impulses, which is one of the challenges of LiSWT at this time. We plan to contribute to the field of knowledge by launching two IRB-approved randomized control trials in early 2023, which will evaluate 1) men with mild to moderate ED of vascular origin, which will be a validation study of a previously described protocol and 2) men

Shockwave Therapy Research Program...Continued from page 5

with mild to moderate ED, who are undergoing radical prostatectomy (Jefferson IRB Approval iRISID-2022-0980).

JEFFERSON’S MEN’S HEALTH PROGRAM

The LiSWT trials are the investigator-initiated studies that will be conducted through the Men’s Health Program based in our Department of Urology Navy Yard Clinic. The project is under the direction of Jefferson’s Men’s Health urologists Drs. Paul Chung, Irvin Hirsch, and Perry Weiner, who is the overall Men’s Health program director. We are excited to bring innovative research and clinical benefits to the community. For additional information on the LiSWT program for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, contact Alana Flowers, Men’s Health navigator at 215-890-1090.

Erectile dysfunction is more common than you might think.

Here’s what to know about the causes, risk factors, and treatment options.**

About one-fifth of American men older than age 20 will experience erectile dysfunction (ED)—the persistent inability to maintain or achieve an erection for intercourse—within their lifetime. And 50% of those over the age of 40 have some level of ED.

To know how you can prevent and treat ED, it’s important to first understand what causes it. Here are some of the major risk factors.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

One of the most frequent causes of erectile dysfunction is high blood pressure. “Think about how an erection happens: blood rushes to the penis, creating pressure and making it expand. You need healthy blood vessels to get an erection,” says Paul Chung, MD, FACS, Associate Professor in Sidney Kimmel Medical College and a specialist in reconstructive urology, trauma and prosthetics. “If you have narrow, ruptured or leaky blood vessels, this can be a cause of erectile dysfunction.”

Blood vessels in the penis are small, which means if you are experiencing ED because of hypertension, it could be a predictor of more serious health problems later in life. “If the small blood vessels in the penis are becoming damaged, think about what could happen to the larger blood vessels that lead to the heart or brain—if they become clogged, it can lead to a heart attack or stroke,” says Dr. Chung. Therefore, it’s important to not delay care, even if ED feels like a very personal issue.

PROSTATE CANCER

While prostate cancer is often associated with ED, it does not directly cause it. Prostate cancer treatments result in ED on a temporary or permanent basis. A bundle of nerves that lay

on the outside of the prostate can be damaged, whether the prostate is being removed or treated by radiation. Colorectal cancer treatment can also result in ED in some people.

OTHER RISK FACTORS

In general, anything that affects the vascular system can cause ED. This includes coronary artery disease, stroke and being a smoker. Other causes of ED include diabetes, taking anti-anxiety or anti-depression medication, low testosterone, and penile curvature. “Every person is different. My job is to help patients understand why they’re experiencing ED, and educate them on the right treatment options for their wants and needs,” says Dr. Chung.

TREATMENT OPTIONS

When seeking treatment, the initial discussion usually evolves around physical and emotional health. As with many of the prevention strategies listed above, lifestyle changes or changes in the medications that you are using are often the first step in creating a treatment plan. If appropriate, losing weight, stopping smoking, or eliminating drugs or alcohol are common recommendations. Emotional problems could come from relationships, work, stress, depression, or anxiety from past problems with ED (performance anxiety). Sometimes, it is appropriate to refer a man to counseling for a more serious mental health concern.

Next are important considerations such as the physical examination and certain laboratory tests. Occasionally specialized testing may be needed such as ultrasonography (Penile Doppler), pelvic x-ray, or sleep testing.

Occasionally, a correctable factor may be discovered through testing such as low testosterone. Often, there is not a specific correctable factor discovered during the evaluation.

While the most common initial ED treatment is an oral medication, there are different approaches and treatment options available. Oral treatment options include phosphodiesterase inhibitors, which promote blood vessel dilation to achieve and maintain a rigid erection. If medication doesn’t work, there are other treatments available, including a vacuum erection device, penile injections, intraurethral suppositories, penile implants, and low-intensity shockwave therapy. Penile implants require a surgical procedure. However, men who receive a penile implant have satisfaction rates of more than 90% in most cases.

Dr. Chung states that it’s important for patients to talk to a urologist about the treatment options. “There are many companies now providing prescriptions online through telehealth appointments, as well as companies offering treatment options that are not FDAapproved or proven effective. Seeing a provider in person means we can help you navigate misconceptions and use diagnostic tools to figure out the best solution for your ED.”

Dr. Chung sums it up by saying: “Our Jefferson Men’s Health Team is hopeful that through proper clinical study and application, our penile low-intensity shock wave therapy (described above) may become a uniformly accepted, minimally invasive treatment option for ED in the future.”

**Adapted from What Causes Erectile Dysfunction and How to Prevent and Treat It by Cassie Drumm. Published on line by Jefferson’s THE HEALTH NEXUS www.jeffersonhealth.org/

Research Spotlight Schiewer Urology Research Laboratory

The lab is reaching critical mass with five graduate students, three pursuing PhDs and two pursuing M.S. degrees. Each student is on a steep trajectory toward making discoveries in their unique projects, and their work is critical for better understanding the molecular mechanisms of prostate and bladder cancer development/progression, as well as in the development of novel treatment strategies and biomarkers.

Research Spotlight Schiewer Urology Research Laboratory

PROFESSOR AND VICE CHAIR FOR BASIC SCIENCE RESEARCH IN THE DEPARTMENT OF UROLOGY AT THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY AND SIDNEY KIMMEL CANCER CENTER (SKCC) Dr. Schiewer obtained his PhD in Genetics from Thomas Jefferson University in 2012 and did his postdoctoral training under the mentorship of Dr. Karen Knudsen. His PhD work was funded by the Department of Defense, and his postdoctoral work was funded by the Prostate Cancer Foundation. In November 2019, he began his independent lab in the Department of Urology. The Schiewer lab is interested in GU malignancies, specifically transcriptional regulation, hormone signaling, cell cycle, and DNA repair in prostate and bladder cancers. Work in the Schiewer lab has been funded by the American Cancer Society, the Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Biome Project, Pennsylvania Department of Health, and institutional startup funds.

Novel combination strategies to treat cancer are being defined by MS students Salome Tchotorlishvili and Jasibel Vasquez Gonzalez.

ASSISTANT

of cisplatin and Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition in bladder cancer.

“If cisplatin and PARP inhibitors are additive/synergistic, I would like to explore the mechanisms involved. The potential synergistic effects of PARP inhibitors and cisplatin can elucidate novel treatment options,” she said. “The current standard of treatment for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer is chemotherapy followed by surgical removal of the bladder. However, many patients are not eligible for chemotherapy due to its severe toxicity. The use of PARP inhibitors and cisplatin in bladder cancer can potentially reduce the effective dose of cisplatin to overcome dose-limiting toxicity.”

PAYING PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH FORWARD

Moriah Cunningham, a third year PhD candidate in the Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine program, is studying the impact of DNA damage in prostate cancer progression.

LESS TOXIC

TREATMENT FOR

BLADDER CANCER Salome Tchotorlishvili’s desire to improve healthcare options fueled her passion to pursue a career in research and apply for MS program in Biomedical Sciences at Thomas Jefferson University.

Her focus? To improve treatment options for chronic diseases with no curative treatment. So, she joined SKCC.

“Dr. Schiewer’s drive and passion captivated my interest and drew me to bladder cancer research. Bladder cancer is one of the most expensive malignancies to treat over a patient's lifetime. I hope to help alleviate the tremendous economic burden of bladder cancer treatment by filling gaps in knowledge,” Tchotorlishvili said.

Tchotorlishvili is working on a project to evaluate the combination

Moriah Cunningham was nominated for a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Gilliam Fellowship.

Her research goals include not only doing it, but also communicating what she learns and inspiring others to act.

“In late 2020, I saw a presentation done by Dr. Schiewer, and I was compelled to email Dr. Schiewer to do a rotation in the lab. It was his excitement for data and passion for the cancer research he wanted to pursue that drew me to the lab. Ever since joining Dr. Schiewer’s lab, I’ve learned a lot about prostate cancer and continue to want to understand more about it every day,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham’s research project aims to define the functions and consequences of poly-ADP-ribose (PARP) activity in DNA repair proficient prostate cancer. An arm of that research examines elucidating the significance of different racial backgrounds, including African American versus European American response to PARP manipulation.

One of her goals is to understand and impact racial disparities in prostate cancer by reaching out.

“I aspire to be a science writer; writing has always been my passion. In the lab, I love writing out protocols and making them as specific as possible,” she said. “I also aspire to give back to my community through science outreach.”

Cunningham is part of a committee working with SKCC outreach to increase prostate cancer education and screening access to African Americans in the cancer center’s catchment area. (See page 44 for more details on Moriah’s community outreach efforts.)

Moriah Cunningham became the first Ph.D. candidate in the lab after passing her qualifying exam.

“I want to empower my community…, instill a sense of trust and break the barrier between research/science and the community,” Cunningham said. Cunningham also intends to do her part to inspire a more diverse researcher pipeline.

“I want to empower young African American students to pursue STEM and to show them that they can do whatever they put their mind to,” she said.

EXPLORING NEW THERAPEUTIC PATHS IN ENDOCRINE-RELATED CANCERS

Latese Evans, MS, said taking an endocrinology course as a junior in college sparked her passion to learn more about endocrinerelated cancers and nuclear receptor research. When Evans later discovered that Dr. Schiewer’s lab had a new project exploring androgen receptor function in bladder cancer and knew, from that moment, she wanted to join.

“I am currently working on a project that explores the molecular regulation of androgen receptor (AR) and estrogen receptor (ER) α and ERβ signaling in muscle invasive bladder cancer. I am also working on another project that aims to understand the impact of PARP1 interplay with the RB/ E2F1 axis in prostate cancer,” said Evans, a PhD student in the Genetics, Genomics, and Cancer Biology Program. “There is a sex disparity in bladder cancer. Determining if sex steroid hormone receptors are involved in bladder cancer progression may lead to new therapeutic targets. RB is a tumor suppressor that suppresses E2F function, and PARP1 is a protein that repairs DNA damage. Determining how the RB/E2F pathway and PARP1 work together may reveal a new way decrease tumor growth.”

After completing her PhD, Evans plans to pursue a career as a faculty member with research and teaching opportunities.

“I want to use my passion for teaching and science to encourage the next generation of scientists. I also want to help improve the lives a people diagnosed with cancer,” she said.

Gonzalez’s research and thesis project involve using Poly (ADP-Ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors as a radiosensitizer in prostate cancer cell lines.

“I will be treating prostate cancer cell lines with different PARP inhibitors in combination with radiation. The goal is to determine if the doses of radiation can be lowered when used in combination with PARP inhibition in order to reduce the potential toxicities of radiation treatment,” she said.

After completing her master’s degree, Gonzalez plans to further her education by pursuing a doctorate degree-either an MD or PhD.

DRIVEN BY DISCOVERY

Candice Bizzaro, a PhD student in Biochemistry, Structural and Molecular Biology Program, said she always had a passion for exploring the unknown and an interest in cancer and molecular biology.

“I enjoy the process of finding solutions to unanswered questions and seek to fill gaps in knowledge for the advancement of medicine and the benefit of individuals plagued by chronic illness,” Bizzaro said. “Choosing to do my thesis with Dr. Schiewer was the best decision of my graduate career.”

Bizzaro, who graduated with a bachelor’s in science in biochemistry from Temple University in 2019, knew research was in her future after participating in an undergraduate research program at Temple. Post-graduation, she worked as a research technician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Fox Chase Cancer Center focusing on projects related to fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive and ovarian carcinoma.

In May 2022, Bizzaro joined the Schiewer Lab to take on a project involving the role of androgen receptor regulation and the six transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate (STEAP) proteins in prostate cancer aggressiveness.

“In my short time working on this project, I see nothing but opportunity, and I am excited to see where it takes me,” she said.

JUST GETTING STARTED

Jasibel Vasquez Gonzalez, an MS student in the Biomedical Sciences Program, is also a research tech in the Schiewer Lab.

Gonzalez said she chose the Schiewer Lab when she was looking for research opportunities at the University for many reasons. Among those, the lab’s work appealed to Gonzalez’s interests in cancer biology and potential therapeutics, as well as its focus on bladder and prostate cancer therapies.

But there was something else that made Gonzalez want to be a part of the Schiewer Lab: the people.

“There is a very healthy work environment between the students and with Dr. Schiewer. He makes sure to build a good working relationship with everyone in the lab and is a helpful resource with all his experience and knowledge. He doesn’t hesitate to give advice whenever needed. When I met the whole team, I knew this was the lab I wanted to be a part of,” Gonzalez said.

The project’s focus is to elucidate the role of transcriptional regulation by androgen receptor in STEAP protein signaling and understand how STEAP signaling impacts prostate cancer phenotypes.

“We are curious to explore the potential of STEAP proteins as a biomarker and therapeutic target and to uncover the underlying mechanisms that govern its relevance in prostate cancer biology,” Bizzaro said. “The clinical relevance of STEAP protein research is multifold, but most importantly it may provide a new avenue for the discovery of novel therapeutics that benefit patients, who have no curative treatment options.”

Bizzaro’s career goals involve science in some way, shape, or form.

“Though I am driven by my passion for discovery, I am particularly interested in pursuing a career in the realm of science communications, policy, and advocacy. I firmly believe that advocating for science and making it accessible to all is just as important as the discovery and research itself,” Bizzaro said.

Candice Bizzaro, BS

Latese Evans made the discovery that cell cycle dysregulation may play a role in impacting PARP function.

The lab had its first graduate when Latese Evans successfully defended her MS thesis.

A new project, headed by PhD student Candice Bizzaro, takes the lab out of the nucleus and to the cell membrane.

Opposite page: A quick trip to Petra, a famous archaeological site in Jordan’s southwestern desert, on a day off .

In July 2022, Jefferson residents Edward Kloniecke, MD (PGY-6), and Halle Foss, MD (PGY-4), had the opportunity to travel to Amman, Jordan, with our Department of Urology Nemours pediatric urology attendings, Ahmad BaniHani, MD, and Keara DeCotiis, MD, for a medical-mission trip focused on providing surgical care for Syrian refugee children and under-served Jordanian children in the region. Interestingly, Amman was previously referred to as “Philadelphia” from 321 BC-635 AD, so the team felt immediately welcomed. Amman is currently considered the Middle East’s hub for medical tourism, with 250,000 foreign patients yearly, the fifth highest in the world. In addition to this, many refugees have fled to Amman over the years given its geographic location in the region, plus the security and prosperity the city offers. Most recently there has been a large influx of Syrian refugees since the start of the Syrian Civil War in March 2011.

The mission trip was coordinated by the Children of War Foundation (COWF), a Non-Government Organization (NGO) based in Los Angeles,

California, to deliver access to global health and education to communities affected by poverty, war, natural disaster, discrimination, climate change, isolation, and migration challenges. This was their largest mission trip to date and included other volunteers in multiple surgical disciplines, including urology, neurosurgery, oral maxillofacial plastics, ENT, ophthalmology, and dentistry. Over the course of eight days, the urology team triaged more than 60 patients and provided surgical care to 30 children. The surgeries provided ranged from complex hypospadias repair, to laparoscopic and scrotal orchiopexy, to inguinal hernia repair.

In addition to providing medical care to children, COWF also focuses on education. The urology team had the opportunity to visit the School of Dreams, a school started by COWF, which serves more than 300 displaced families along the Syrian border at the outskirts of Za’Atari, the largest Syrian refugee camp in the world. The school provides in-person and remote courses in many subjects, including virtual exchange programs.

We are pleased that our Jefferson urology residents have the opportunity to participate in these valuable international experiences. Working in these under-served communities enriches their surgical experience and exposes them to a wide range of pediatric urology conditions, while providing care to those children in need.

Drs. Hubosky and Ragam at KLE Ureteroscopy Course in India

In our continuing engagement with Jefferson’s India Center, Dr. Scott Hubosky was an invited speaker, or more properly a “Master of the Art” at a ureteroscopy and miniPCNL workshop in Belgaum, India, in December 2022. The Department was pleased to have our PGY-4 resident, Dr. Radhika Ragam, also participate in keeping with the spirit of our Urology training exchange program with Jefferson’s India Center as supported by Dr. Richard Derman. The program was held on December 10 and 11, 2022, at KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital Medical Center in Belgaum.

Drs. Hubosky and Ragam were invited by Dr. R. B. Nerli, Professor and Head of Urology at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital Medical College in Belgaum. They joined Dr. Janek Desai of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, as primary faculty for a Master Class.

Our Jefferson India Center is located in Belgaum (or Belagavi), a city in the southwest Indian state of Karnataka. The

center was developed in collaboration with KLE University, an institution spanning a history of more than 100 years and ranked among the top of India’s universities. The Jefferson India Center collaboration also includes the Wills Eye Hospital working with the LV Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad. The Department of Urology has an ongoing research program with collaborations between Dr. Nerli and Drs. Leonard Gomella and Mat Thakur.

This CME international urology course was a hands-on workshop held at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College & KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital on December 10-11, 2022.

Featured lectures by Dr. Hubosky were on ureteroscopic treatment of nephrolithiasis, as well as ureteroscopic treatment of upper tract urothelial carcinoma, while Dr. Ragam provided a lecture on the ureteroscopic treatment of nephrolithiasis during pregnancy. The workshop included multiple live ureteroscopic surgeries performed by Dr. Hubosky, who was assisted by Dr. Ragam and the chief urology residents of JNMC in Belagavi, India. The Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College urology residents also received complimentary copies of Dr. Hubosky’s recent textbook, Advanced Ureteroscopy

Dr. Scott Hubosky was an invited speaker at Jefferson India Center in Belgaum along with PGY-4 resident Dr. Radhika Ragam as part of the Department’s global collaboration.

Global Engagement & International Affairs

SIU Montreal: November 9-13, 2022

EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF UROLOGY (EAU) ANNUAL CONGRESS 2022

The 37th Annual EAU Congress is Europe’s biggest urological event with specialists and affiliated medical professionals gathering for a critical assessment of clinical practices and key research developments.

The program was held in Amsterdam from July 1 to July 4, 2022. Dr. Gomella was invited to participate in an international panel reviewing the role of active surveillance in the management of prostate cancer from the U.S. perspective.

The 42nd Congress of the Société Internationale d’Urologie (SIU) met in Montreal, Canada, during November 9-13, 2022. Dr. Leonard Gomella chaired a Master Class Session on Germline Mutations in Urologic Cancers. Dr. Scott Hubosky was a panel member and discussed the urological implications for Lynch Syndrome patients, including practical screening practices and treatment options for those patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Other international panel members included Dr. Alexandre Zlotta from Toronto, Canada, as well as Mr. Gokul Vignesh Kandaswamy from Wales in the United Kingdom and Dr. Anil Kumar from Bengaluru, India.

Dr. Hubosky participated in additional presentations at the SIU as part of an Instructional Course in “Advanced Ureteroscopy.” His topics included successful achievement of upper urinary tract access; ureteroscope specifications and associated instrumentation; treatment of upper urinary tract obstruction; and

VIRTUAL LECTURE IN BUENOS AIRES

awareness and avoidance of complications during ureteroscopy. Dr. Michael Grasso of New York Medical College, a Jefferson Urology alum, also presented ureteroscopic topics, including treatment of upper tract urothelial carcinoma and effective use of lasers for lithotripsy during ureteroscopy.

On June 24, 2022, Dr. Leonard Gomella was the guest of Professor Noberto Bernado and the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. In this Zoom platform lecture, Dr. Gomella presented an overview of the evolving role of genetic testing in prostate cancer. According to Dr. Bernado, the online attendance exceeded their expectations, and the University looks forward to inviting Dr. Gomella and other Jefferson Urology faculty to Buenos Aires in the future for an onsite program.

Jefferson India Center Urology Exchange Programs

Drs. Shreyas Rai and Ronak Shah, urology residents from KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital and MRC, Belgaum, India, spent several months at Jefferson observing our clinical care and participating in our educational programs. Their program director, Dr. Rajendra Nerli, Urology Chief at Dr. Prabhakar Kore hospital, joined them at Jefferson near the end of their rotation. Our Jefferson India Center is based in Belgaum, India, with Dr. Nerli and his team collaborating on a variety of research and educational projects. Dr. Nerli looks forward to expanding the program by increasing the residents exchange with Jefferson urology residents in the future.

Visiting Belgaum, India, Urology residents Shreyas Rai and Ronak Shah had the opportunity to observe in the operating room and train on our TUR simulator in the Hamilton Building. Above, they are being shown how the training system works by Chief Resident Ben Rudnick under the watchful eye of their Chief of Urology at KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital, Dr. Rajendra Nerli.

In addition to the rotating residents educational experience, the trip concluded with a tour of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley major sites. Dr. Nerli was presented with a special Jefferson photo by photographer Robert Neroni as a symbol of our Department’s connection between Philadelphia and Belgaum, India. Dr. Richard Derman, Jefferson’s Director, Global Health Research and Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology, has promoted the interactions between our department and the Jefferson India center. According to Dr. Derman,“I am engaged in preliminary discussions to develop ongoing

joint Jefferson/KLE training programs for residents and fellows and look forward to Jefferson’s Urology faculty and residents being more involved in the coming years.”

David Melvin Davis, MD, a recognized figure in what was then modern urology and the fourth Chairman of Jefferson’s Department of Urology, officially established the Thomas Jefferson University Urology Residency Training Program in 1946 (originally called the Jefferson Medical College Hospital program). That was 42 years after Jefferson’s Department of Urology was founded in 1904, making it one of the oldest urology departments in the United States and the oldest on the East Coast.

Jefferson’s residency program quickly evolved to reflect changes in urology. Many physicians in the specialty were trained in genitourinary surgery in the early 1900s, but soon after Dr. Davis’s appointment at Jefferson in 1935, the Department of Genito-Urinary Diseases at Jefferson changed its name to the Department of Urology. And in 1948, thanks to an arrangement with Jefferson’s Professor of Surgery, John H. Gibbon, MD, residents would receive a year of training in general surgery before beginning three years in urology. Fast forward to today, the residency program has 145 graduates, with many having continued their academic ties to Jefferson’s Department of Urology.

David M. Davis, MD, began the first urology residency program at Jefferson in 1946.

“Jefferson’s residency program, which went from a six-year residency to a five-year program in 2018, is widely recognized as providing urology residents with broad but deep training in surgical urology, preparing those who emerge from the residency with the expertise needed to be fully trained urologic surgeons,” said Residency Program Director and Professor of Urology Patrick J. Shenot, MD.

Dr. Shenot, a Thomas Jefferson Urology Resident (class of 1997) and today’s deputy chair in the Department of Urology, has directed the Urology Residency Training Program at Jefferson since 2002.

Like in previous decades, the program has evolved to reflect changes in the specialty. Today’s urology residents gain experience in the newest technologies, like robotic surgery and some of the more advanced endoscopic surgeries.

As further validation of the program’s quality, Doximity, the largest community of healthcare professionals in the United States, has ranked the Urology Residency Training Program at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University as 18th among 147 U.S. listed urology residency programs.

U.S. News & World Report has ranked Jefferson Urology among their top urology departments in the nation. Currently, Jefferson is ranked #36 among 1490 programs for urologic care, according to the 2022 U.S. News Best Hospitals rankings. The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health is distinguished in the U.S. News rankings among the top U.S. cancer centers, including classification as a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated center.

A LOOK THROUGHOUT THE DECADES

The Urology Residency Training Program has grown considerably in the last 10 years.

Prior to 2014, the program accepted two residents a year. The residency program’s growth has paralleled the department’s expansion. Throughout the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, Jefferson’s Urology Department employed one or two full-time academic urologists with the rest of the faculty being in private practice.

The Department’s seventh chair, S. Grant Mulholland, MD, appointed from 1977 to 2002, changed that. Early on when Dr. Mulholland was chair, the department had three talented urologists, but all were volunteer faculty with large community practices. The Department of Urology needed academic modernization, including an expanded research capacity. So, Dr. Mulholland used his time as chair to build a larger, more diversified department offering both primary and tertiary urologic care. He established a urologic research initiative, and by the end of Dr. Mulholland’s tenure as chair, the Department of Urology had 77 employees,

Historic snapshot of Philadelphia Urology residencies published in 1949. Note the monthly stipends from 25 to 70 dollars per month.

including 14 attending physicians, eight residents, two PhDs, and several clinical fellows and post-docs. Residents now had the benefit of dedicated research experience.

Under the leadership of the present Chair, Leonard G. Gomella, MD, the urology residency expanded from two to three trainees a year with an increasing number of residency program graduates going onto prestigious fellowships, academic positions, and top-rated practices around the United States.

Today’s Jefferson Department of Urology has 18 faculty members, including general urologists and fellowship-trained urologists, who represent the full spectrum of urologic subspecialties. Two PhD faculty members are focused on education and basic science research. Four pediatric urologists at A.I. duPont Hospital for Children make up the Division of Pediatric Urology. Today’s department includes nationally and internationally recognized faculty in endourology, laparoscopy, urologic oncology, neuro-urology, female urology, andrology

and pediatric urology. Faculty members have held leadership positions in numerous organizations, such as the Society of Urologic oncology, the Mid-Atlantic AUA, Philadelphia Urologic Society and others. See page 72 of this 2022 Year in Review to learn about our current faculty members.

Jefferson urology residents experience six months of preliminary general surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, including exposure to a wide array of surgical disciplines. Residents also experience a variety of practice settings, including inpatient and outpatient care in an academic medical center, a community hospital, and a freestanding children’s hospital. Since the FY23 academic year, residents will have the opportunity to work once again at our affiliated VA hospital in Wilmington, Delaware, as the urology service there expands.

Today’s residents have access to and fully participate in these areas of clinical care during their training: four minimally invasive surgical suites for robotic laparoscopic

An example of our commitment to residency training. Soon after the Da Vinci robotic surgical system was put in use in the early 2000’s, our trainees were given the opportunity to work on the earliest simulation systems.

surgery with dual consoles; dedicated endourology suites with full standard and digital imaging capabilities; a full complement of lasers; and dedicated outpatient video urodynamics facilities. Residents have the opportunity to participate in the weekly Genitourinary Multidisciplinary Cancer Clinic at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.

Dr. Patrick Shenot has been Jefferson Urology Residency program director since 2002.

The Jefferson residency features a comprehensive conference and grand rounds schedule, and research exposure with a full-time research faculty member allowing residents to have an exposure to basic science, translational research, and clinical trials. The Department’s trainees have always been given the opportunity to participate in the latest surgical advances. Soon after the DaVinci robot surgical system came to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, for example, trainees were given the opportunity to work with the earliest simulators and then gain real handson OR experience since the technology’s earliest days. Today, residents have access to the Dr. and Mrs. Robert D. Rector University Clinical Skills & Simulation Center located in the Hamilton Building on campus. Surgical simulators are available for laparoscopic and robotic surgery skill development. It also features the TURP Mentor Surgical Simulation System allowing Jefferson residents to experience and become proficient at an array of endoscopic surgical procedures. This advanced surgical training system is a gift of Jefferson residency alumnus Dr. David Rivas and his wife, Joyce.

According to long-time residency program director Dr. Pat Shenot, “Our residency program was established just after World War II and has always adapted to the changing needs of our trainees for the last 77 years. Our program is committed to having an outstanding training experience for our residents. We will continue to respond to changes to our surgical specialty, and ensure current and future urology graduates can practice as stateof-the-art, caring clinicians.”

TJUH UROLOGY RESIDENTS

1948 -1976

1948 Emanuel N. Lubin, MD

1949 T. Burton Smith, MD

1950 Willard M. Drake, Jr., MD

1951 J. Elder Bryan, Jr., MD

1952 William A. Morton, Jr., MD Donald H. Munroe, MD

1953 Nicholas R. Varano, MD

1954 Joseph J. Blanch, MD

1955 Kenneth C. Warren, MD

1956 Eugene S. Felderman, MD

1957 James J. Gallagher, MD George Eptimiades, MD

1958 James F. Carroll, MD

1959 Murray H. Kimmel, MD Bradford M. McCuskey, MD

1960 Robert N. Cottone, MD

1961 Jose Amado Perez, MD

1962 Paul D. Zimskind, MD, PhD

Jose R. Yunen, MD

1963 Francis F. Bartone, MD

1964 Alan I. Snyder, MD Max M. Koppel, MD

1965 Donald Comiter, MD Jean Pacquet, MD

1966 Donald E. Praiss, MD

1967 Louis L. Keeler, Jr., MD George N. Riffle, MD

1968 Leonard A. Frank, MD William D. Ziegenfus, MD

1969 Jorge M. Gonzales, MD

1970 Robert T. Berwind, MD, PhD

Jacques De Caestecker, MD

1971 Lawrence N. Gorab, MD Bhupendra Tolia, MD

1972 Terren M. Himelfarb, MD Malcolm P. Scott, MD

1973 Thomas DeBenedictis, MD David A. Kelsy, MD

1974 Michael J. Ginieczki, MD Harvey A. Mannes, MD

1975 Stuart L. Brodsky ,MD Jay J. Handler, MD

1976 P. Kenneth Brownstein, MD Kasturi Shanker, MD

UROLOGY RESIDENTS

1977 -2002

1977 John R. Dalton, MD Sanford Fitzig, MD

1978 Suhas P. Mujumdar, MD William M. Wixted, MD

1979 Krishna K. Jhaveri, MD Pradeep K. Pandya, MD

1980 Vijay S. Athani, MD Doanh Pham, MD

1981 Joseph D. Conti, MD Girdhari S. Purohit, MD

1982 Michael S. Goodman, MD Shaukat M. Qureshi, MD

1983 Nathan P. Goldin, MD Michael P. Mooreville, MD

1984 Michael W. Bickerton, MD Frank L. D’Elia, MD

1985 Haynes B. Cates, MD James Squadrito, Jr, MD

1986 Thomas P. Lehman, MD Kenneth M. Weisman, MD

1987 David J. Ellis, MD Michael H. Rittenberg, MD

1988 Peter J. Muench, MD A. Randall Seeger, MD

1989 Richard E. Landau, MD Stephen R. Walker, MD

1990 James E. Allen, MD Daniel J. Cole, MD

1991 David A. Rivas, MD James L. Stefanelli, MD

1992 Michael Grasso, III, MD

Richard G. Nord, MD

1993 David E. McGinnis, MD

Jonathan L. White, MD

1994 Deborah A. Kulp-Hugues, MD Stephen E. Strup, MD

1995 Michael J. Erhard, MD

Jose G. Moreno, MD

1996 Stuart N. Liberman, MD

Francis X. Keeley, MD

1997 Akhil Das, MD

Patrick. J. Shenot, MD

1998 Michael Fabrizio, MD Allen Chiura, MD

1999 Robert Hong, MD

Kenneth Fitzpatrick, MD

2000 Matt Soroush, MD

Ravi Rajan, MD

2001 Edouard Trabulsi, MD David Lee, MD

2002 Pasquale Casale, MD M. Louis Moy, MD

TJUH UROLOGY RESIDENTS

2003-2023

2003 John Oh, MD

Jay Zink, MD

2004 Mohammed Ismail, MD Frank Nezu, MD

2005 Scott Hubosky, MD Cristopher Garlitz, MD

2006 Ilia Zeltser, MD Mark Chang, MD

2007 J. Robert Ramey, MD William Merriam, MD

2008 Ilan Waldman, MD Craig Slotoroff, MD

2009 Paul Gittens, MD Eric Nelson, MD

2010 Robert Linden, MD Mark Pe, MD

2011 James Johannes, MD Jitesh Patel, MD

2012 Steve Dong, MD

Joseph R. (JR) Zola, MD

2013 Daniel Sackett, MD

Adeep B. Thumar, MD

2014 Chandan R. Kundavaram, MD

Xiaolong S. Liu, MD Francisco Gelpi-Hammerschmidt, MD

2015 Douglas C. Kelly, MD Arjun Khosla, MD J. Ryan Mark, MD

2016 Michael Amirian, MD Ryan C. Cleary, MD

Nathan Roberts, MD

2017 Patricia Zahner, MD

Amar Raval, MD

Kymora Scotland, MD, PhD

2018 Lawrence M. Lee, MD

Andrew C. Margules, MD

Whitney Smith, MD

2019 Andrew Pridjian, MD

Mihir Shah, MD

James Steward, MD

2020 Tomy Perez, MD

Ali Syed, MD

Hong Truong, MD

2021 Christopher Caputo, MD

MayJean (MJ) Counsilman, MD

Thomas Hardacker, MD, MBA

2022 Benjamin Rudnick, MD

Victor Kucherov, MD

Alexander Uhr, MD

2023 Edward Kloniecke, MD, MHA

Andrew Salib, MD

Anthony Tokarski, MD

National Meetings

The 2022 American Urologic Association annual meeting was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, from May 13-16, 2022. Our Department of Urology faculty, residents, and students were well represented. This comprised 24 presentations, including several plenary sessions, faculty moderator duties, and instructional courses. In the national AUA residents bowl, we were pleased that our Mid-Atlantic AUA team featuring our current Chief Resident, Dr. Andrew Salib, took first place.

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

E.Trabulsi: Hands-on-Urologic Ultrasound Course

L. Gomella: The Evolving Landscape of Advanced Prostate Cancer Treatment: A Guidelines and CaseBased Discussion

P. Shenot SAU: Assessing Residency Applicants in the Post-USMLE STEP 1 Score Era

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2022

L. Gomella: Plenary Panel Moderator: What is the Optimal Multidisciplinary Team in 2022: Drafting for the Future

T. Chandrasekar: International AUA Meeting: Debate Moderator

C. Lallas: Plenary Panel Discussion: Management of Incidentally Discovered 3cm Solid Renal Mass

Michael Rothberg, Jacob Enders, Cheyenne Williams, Michael Daneshvar, Nitin Yerram, Sohyoung Kim, Saori Fujiwara, Lorenzo Rinaldi, Songjoon Baek, Luke O'Connor, Qizong Kim, Patrick Gomella, Maria Merino, Bradford Wood, Peter Choyke, Baris Turkbey, Gordon Hager, Peter Pinto: Identification of Chromatin Signatures Predictive of Prostate Cancer Progression. Residents Bowl: Preliminaries ( Mid-Atlantic vs. Western)

P. Chung: Plenary Discussion: Radical Prostatectomy with Both Severe Incontinence and Severe Erectile Dysfunction

SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2022

Andrew Denisenko, Andrew Salib, Jessica Bulafka, Sabina Spigner, Vishal Swaminathan, Peyton Stauffer, Cassra B. Clark, Andrew Shumaker, Rosemary Frasso, Paul H. Chung: Exploring Sexual Health of Transfeminine Individuals: An Opportunity to Educate Medical Providers.

A. Calvaresi: Course Director Day 1: Urologic Care for the Advanced Practice Provider

Andrew Denisenko, Andrew Salib, Jessica Bulafka, Sabina Spigner, Vishal Swaminathan, Peyton Stauffer, Cassra B. Clark, Andrew Shumaker, Rosemary Frasso, Paul H. Chung: Characterizing the Challenges

Transfeminine Individuals Face in Seeking Urologic Care.

Cassra Clark, Jared Raikin, Anthony Tokarski, Abhay Singh, Patrick Shenot, Akhil Das, Philadelphia, PA.

Overcoming the Learning Curve: A Single Institution Review of HoLEP Complications and How to Manage Them.

Thenappan Chandrasekar presenting on behalf of the Pennsylvania Urologic Regional Collaborative (PURC): Large Scale Implementation of Opioid Prescription Reduction after Robotic Prostatectomy-2 year Evaluation from the Pennsylvania Urologic Regional Collaborative (PURC)

Team spirit from each of the eight AUA North American Sections is encouraged throughout the Resident Bowl Competition.

EVENT/PRESENTATION

Jacob

Transperineal Ultrasound MRI-Fusion Prostate Biopsy: An Initial Experience.

E. Trabulsi Moderator: Uroradiology I Cassra Clark, Corinne E. Wessner, Shuo Wang, Andrew Denisenko, Andrew Shumaker, Joonyau Leong, Andrea Quinn, Erica Mann, Lydia Glick, Timothy M Han, Kibo Nam, Katherine Smentkowski, John Eisenbrey, Leonard Gomella, Edouard Trabulsi, Costas Lallas, Mark Mann, James Mark, Flemming Forsberg, Andrej Lyshchik, Ethan Halpern, Thenappan Chandrasekar: ContrastEnhanced Ultrasonography for the Evaluation of Complex Renal Cysts.

SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2022

L Gomella: Genetic Testing in Prostate Cancer: Clinical Implications for Early Detection and Management of Localized and Advanced Disease

A.Calvaresi: Course Director Day 2 Urologic Care for the Advanced Practice Provider Cheyenne Williams, Philadelphia, PA, Michael Daneshvar, Patrick Gomella, Luke O'Connor, Sandeep Gurram, Peter Choyke, Bradford Wood, Baris Turkbey, Maria Merino, Peter Pinto: Risk of Adverse Pathology after Deferred Prostatectomy for Grade Group 1 and 2 Prostate Cancer Being Managed by Active Surveillance. Aseem Malhotra, MD Boston Scientific Fellow Presentation

JY Leong, Alex Uhr, Benjamin Rudnick, Andrea Quinn, Brian Calio, Edouard Trabulsi, Tingting Zhan, Leonard Gomella, Mark Mann, Collaborators of PURC: A Comparison of Biopsy Genomic Test to Predict Adverse Disease on Prostatectomy.

Residents Bowl: Finals with Mid Atlantic AUA Jefferson Urology & Canadian Journal of Urology Reception for Faculty Alumni

MONDAY, MAY 16, 2022

L. Gomella: Live from AUA 2022: Highlights in Advanced Prostate Cancer (Virtual-Stream Yard) Chung PH, Leong JY, Phila, PA; Phillips CD, Lubbock TX; Henry GD, Bossier City, LA: Penile Implant Bacterial Biofilm Profiles Vary by Surgical Indication: An Opportunity to Modify Peri-operative Care?

C. Lallas: Video Abstracts Moderator V11: Prostate, Penile, Testis & Misc. Oncology II

L. Gomella: Incorporating Genomic Testing for Prostate Cancer Into Your Practice

C. Lallas; A. Calvaresi; E. Trabulsi: Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy for the Urologist and Advanced Practice Provider

During the plenary session on Saturday, May 14, Dr. Gomella moderated a session on multidisciplinary care in urologic oncology. The session highlighted our 25-year experience with the SKCC GU Oncology Multidisciplinary Clinic Approach.

Dr. Costas Lallas moderated a plenary session at the AUA titled, “Incidentally Discovered 3 cm Solid Renal Mass.” Dr. Paul Chung was also a plenary panelist for a session titled, “Radical Prostatectomy with Both Severe Incontinence and Severe Erectile Dysfunction.”

National Meetings

Jefferson Hosts National AUA Residents Program

Each year, the American Urologic Association (AUA) Office of Education sponsors a “Fundamentals in Urology Course” primarily designed for junior residents. It includes didactic lectures and hands-on skills training. The goal is to ensure that all residents have the same basic level of clinical knowledge. The Rector Clinical Skills and Simulation Center of Thomas Jefferson University served as the venue for the “Hands-on” skills component of the AUA meeting. On Sunday, July 10, 2022, 80 urology residents attending the meeting were able to utilize the simulation-based teaching tools and task-trainers to-in a simulated albeit credible environment-perform several invasive clinical skills sets that are fundamental to the practice of urologic surgery. The skills sets, which were taught and coached at the Center, included activities such as effective placement of various types of urinary bladder catheters, the performance of transrectal ultrasound for diagnostic purposes, and the performance of transurethral endoscopic procedures. Our Jefferson Urology residents, Drs. Halle Foss and Radhika Ragam, contributed to the program. They presented during a panel discussion titled, “Things I wish I knew at the start of residency.”

The different skills were taught by faculty from the AUA and produced by the professional staff at the Rector Center under the direct supervision of our Center’s Director of Operations, Rob Hargraves, and one of the Center’s Simulation Program Coordinators, Richard Chan. The production of these venues flowed almost flawlessly due to the high quality of the program developed by the AUA team and the outstanding work performed by these two individuals. Dr. Tracey Krupski, one of the AUA program directors, sent a complimentary letter to us concerning the experience of the faculty and attendees. Jefferson’s Department of Urology is proud of this world facility (pictured left). Clinical Skills and Simulation Center is directed by Drs. Kate and Dale Berg, and we appreciate the opportunity to have the center highlighted used by our Urologic colleagues. Different urology clinical skill stations are shown.

National Meetings Mid-Atlantic AUA Annual Meeting

OCTOBER 13 -15, 2022

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13

Cassra Clark, MD, MS The New Gold Standard for Surgical Management of BPH: A Single-Institution Review of 1000 HOLEPS Performed

Andrew Shumaker, MS Development of Squamous Cell Carcinoma after Buccal Mucosa Graft Urethroplasty: A Review

Andrew Denisenko Characterizing the Challenges of Transgender Individuals Seeking Urological Care: An Opportunity to Educate Providers

Joon Yau Leong, MD Patient Experience with Imiquimod for Extramammary Paget’s Disease: Andrew Denisenko Characterizing the Urinary Symptoms of Transgender Individuals Using Questionnaire Data

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14

Andrew Denisenko Assessing MRI Accuracy in Prostate Cancer Staging at a Single Academic Institution: A Retrospective Study

Deborah Glassman,MD The Impact of COVID-19 and Telehealth Appointments on Patients from an Academic Multidisciplinary Genitourinary Clinic

Andrew Shumaker Identifying Care Gaps in ADT Treatment Among Prostate Cancer Patients: An Institutional Retrospective Study, MS Rishabh Simhal, MD Intraoperative Lactic Acidosis is not Predictive of Morbidity or Mortality in Patients undergoing Radical Cystectomies for Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

Yash Shah Presentation and Predictors of Metastatic Testicular Cancer: A Contemporary Population- Based Analysis (AUA Brendler Student Research Scholar Presentation)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15

Annual Business Meeting *Featuring Dr. Demetrius Bagley Tribute Maria D’Amico, MD Facebook Group Use among Patients with Pelvic Organ Prolapse Paul Chung, MD Restorative Therapies are the Future of ED Treatment

Andrew Denisenko, Characterizing Sexual Health in Transgender Individuals: A Learning Opportunity for Medical Providers

The Mid-Atlantic AUA was held in October 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is unusual to have the major annual AUA meeting and a sectional meeting in the same location. However, issues concerning hurricane closures and pandemic cancellations impacted the meeting schedules. Our Department had a good showing, including many presentations by our Jefferson Urology Research Scholars. Our Jefferson Urology research scholars and residents were given primary presenter roles for most of the meeting sessions. This year’s meeting has special significance as Dr. Costas Lallas became the 2022-2023 Mid-Atlantic AUA President. The MidAtlantic section of the American Urologic Association includes Delaware, District of Columbia, Eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Southern New Jersey, Virginia and West Virginia.

Dr. Deborah Glassman, Clinical Associate Professor of Urology and a certified yoga teacher, was asked to lead a wellness session at the 2022 Mid-Atlantic AUA. Her session was well attended by the meeting participants, who participated in the physical yoga practice. The session was designed with the hope of improving well-being and minimizing the risk of burn out. Participants were given tools to reduce stress, provide personal insights, and find balance that can be accessed to counteract the challenges of the daily workload. The feedback was so positive that she has been invited to offer the session again at the MA-AUA next year.

Congratulations to our PGY-3 resident, Dr. Maria D’Amico, who was a member of the

Newly elected Mid-Atlantic AUA President Dr. Costas Lallas promoting attendance at his meeting next year in Williamsburg, Virginia.

winning team in the annual Mid Atlantic AUA Resident Bowl in New Orleans on October 13. Maria and the team will represent the MidAtlantic Section at the AUA National Resident Bowl in Chicago in May 2023. Hoping for a second national title for the Mid-Atlantic team after our victory in 2022 (see page 22).

According to Dr. Maria D’Amico, “The Residents Bowl Event was a great way to test our knowledge while working collaboratively with residents from other post graduate years and other programs in our section. I had fun, learned a few facts, and am looking forward to seeing my team again at the National AUA conference next spring.”

National Meetings Jefferson Faculty at the Annual New York GU Meeting

MARCH 11-12, 2022

HYBRID INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE NEW YORK

Dr. Leonard Gomella along with Dr. Dan Petrylak, Director of Genitourinary Oncology, Professor of Medicine and Urology, Yale University Cancer Center in New Haven, Connecticut, co-chaired this 15th annual meeting in New York.

Other Jefferson faculty who participated included Dr. Scott Hubosky who presented “Management of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinomas,” and Dr. Kevin Kelly who discussed “New Approaches for Advanced Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: Hormonal Agents and PARP Inhibitors.” Participating faculty members were from centers across the United States with almost 200 individuals participating in the live and virtual meeting.

SMSNA

and ISSM Fall Meeting

The Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA) and the International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM) held a joint scientific meeting on October 27-30, 2022, in Miami. The SMSNA and the ISSM are healthcare professionals dedicated to the science of human sexual function and dysfunction, and they promote the study of the anatomy, physiology, diagnosis, and treatment of human sexual function and dysfunction. SMSNA is an AUAaffiliated subspecialty society.

Dr. Zachary Prebay, PGY-2 , Dr. Rishabh Simhal, Research Fellow, Kerith Wang, Urology Research Scholar, and Yash Shah, SKMC undergraduate, were all mentored by Dr. Paul Chung and had the opportunity to participate in the meeting. Other SKMC students and previous Jefferson Urology Scholars also contributed to the meeting abstracts.

Kerith Wang, Jefferson Urology Research Scholar, presenting at the Sexual Medicine Society meeting in Miami and October 2022. Kerith is doing a research year between her 3rd and 4th years at SKMC.

Jefferson Urology Research scholar Kerith Wang with Research Fellow Dr. Rishi Simbahl and PGY-2 Urology resident Dr. Zachary Repbay. Dr. Paul Chung mentored this team who had 5 presentations at the fall SMSNA and the ISSM scientific meeting.

The following were Jefferson’s presentations at the SMSNA/ISSM joint winter scientific meeting in Miami.

Risk for Priapism after Intracavernosal Injections and Selected Treatments after Index Priapism Encounter: Zachary Prebay, MD, David Ebbott, BS, Michael Li, PhD, Paul H. Chung, MD

Rabbits Provide a Viable Model for Pre-clinical Penile Implant Studies presented by Rishabh Simhal (E-Poster): Paul H. Chung, MD, Ji-Bin Liu, PhD, Priscilla Machado, MD, Yash Shah, BS, Rishabh Simhal, MD, Kerith Wang, BS, Corinne Wesner, BS, MBA, Selin, Isguven, BS, Lauren Delaney, PhD, Noreen Hickock, PhD, Flemming Forsberg, PhD

Analyzing Patient-Specific Predictors of Surgical Risk and Outcomes Following Gender-Affirming Surgery: Rishabh Simhal, MD, Yash Shah, BS, Kerith Wang, BS, Paul H. Chung, MD

Identifying Challenges Experienced by Transgender Individuals Seeking Urologic Care: Andrew Denisenko, BS, Jessica Bulafka, BS, Sabina Spigner, BS, MPH, Vishal Swaminathan, MD, Peyton Stauffer, Rosemary Frasso, PhD, Paul H. Chung, MD

Risk Factors for Reinterventions, Complications, and Infections after Inflatable Penile Prosthesis: A Propensity-Matched Study: David Ebbott, BS, Zachary Prebay, MD, Michael Li, PhD, Paul H Chung, MD

Visiting Professors and Guest Lecturers

11th Annual P. Kenneth Brownstein, MD, Visiting Professor November 16 & 17, 2022

Lectureship

The P. Kenneth Brownstein Lectureship is held annually in honor of Dr. Ken Brownstein, who is Clinical Assistant Professor of Urology and The Harold A. Honickman Physician Director of Jefferson Signature Services. He is a graduate of Hahnemann University School of Medicine (Now Drexel University College of Medicine). Dr. Brownstein began his Urology residency in 1972 and has been at Jefferson ever since. The first Brownstein Lectureship was held in 2012 in recognition of his long-time service to Jefferson.

Michael S. Cookson, MD, is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Urology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and holds the Donald D. Albers Endowed Chair in Urology. He also serves as the Chief Surgical Officer for OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, a resident at the U.T. San Antonio, and a Urologic Oncology Fellowship at MSKCC. He received a Master’s in Health Care Management from Vanderbilt. Focusing on oncology and education, he has led efforts in integration of EBM in clinical pathways, enhanced guidelines, and improved education as a member of the AUA/ABU Exam Committee and the SUO OKAT Committee. He is the President of the SUO. He is currently on the Editorial Board of the AUA Update Series. He is co-editor of the Urology Times.

He has served as Chair of the AUA’s CPRC Guidelines Panel and Vice Chair of the AUASUO Advanced Prostate Cancer Guidelines Panel. He was the 2019-2021 President of the Society of Urologic Oncology, and the 20202021 President of the South-Central Section of the AUA. He is a member of the AAGUS, the SPS and numerous professional societies. He has been nationally and internationally recognized for his outstanding contributions to the field of urologic oncology.

The program included a journal club on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 and a Grand Rounds lecture Thursday, November 17, 2022, titled: “Improving Outcomes in Advanced Prostate Cancer: The Value of a Multidisciplinary Team and Evidenced Based Care.”

Ferris Memorial Lectureship in Pediatric Urology

The annual L. William Ferris, MD, Memorial Leadership in Pediatric Urology was held on Wednesday, October 19, with a Grand Round presentation at Jefferson on Thursday, October 20. The lecture was given by Armando J. Lorenzo, MD, MSc, FRCSC, FAAP, FACS, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto and Head, Division of Urology for The Hospital for Sick Children.

Details on the entire program and the career of Dr. Lorenzo can be found on page 46 under the news from Pediatric Urology, Nemours Children's Hospital.

As part of the Ferris Lectureship, Dr. Lorenzo gave a SKMC Urology grand rounds, “Emerging Technologies in Urology-Antenatal Hydronephrosis.”

Visiting Professors and Guest Lecturers

THE DM DAVIS VISITING PROFESSORSHIP

Through the generosity of Mr. John O'Donnell, a patient of Dr. Ken Brownstein and trustee of the charitable Maneely Trust, Mr. O’Donnell made a sizable contribution to the Department of Urology in the name of Dr. David M. Davis. With this gift, the David M Davis Visiting Professorship was established in 1981.

Dr. David Melvin Davis was the fourth Chair of the Department of Urology at Jefferson Medical College from 1935 to 1951. As an investigator, teacher, clinician, and authority in urologic surgery, Dr. Davis became known throughout the world. Shortly after his arrival, the Department of GenitoUrinary Diseases (founded in 1904) changed its name to the Department of Urology.

In 1946, a Professorship in Urology was established under the bequest of Henry Reed Hatfield as a memorial to his father, Nathan Lewis Hatfield. Dr. Davis was its first recipient. He was also the first recipient of the Hugh Hampton Young Award by the American Urological Association in 1969. In addition to his memberships in a galaxy of scientific societies, he was President of the Medical and Surgical Association of the Southwest (19341935) of the Mid-Atlantic Section of the American Urological Association (19411945). He held honorary memberships in Urologic Societies of Britain, Greece, Mexico, and Argentina.

Under Dr. Davis‘s leadership, advanced training in Urology was established. The first residencies at Jefferson started in 1937 in Obstetrics, and the Department of Urology established one in 1939. World War II caused a delay in residency programs with the first urology resident graduating in 1948 (see page 19).

In 1948, an arrangement with Professor John H. Gibbon, Jr. provided a year of training in General Surgery before beginning three years in the Urologic Residency. Dr. Davis greatly improved the standard of care in the Urology Ward and Curtis Clinic. In addition to more than 130 journal articles, Dr. Davis wrote a textbook, Mechanisms of Urologic Disease (1953), after his academic retirement. He designed a cystoscopic-roentgenographicfluoroscopic table constructed in Philadelphia by the Franklin X-ray Corporation. His particular interests were in hypospadias, hydronephrosis, and early diagnosis and radical operations for carcinoma of the prostate and the famous "Davis Intubated Ureterotomy."

David M. Davis, MD, Visiting Professor 2022 Gopal H. Badlani, MD, FACS, FRCS

As an investigator, teacher, clinician, and authority in urologic surgery, Dr. Davis was world-renowned.

During the DM Davis program, Dr. Scott Hubosky gave a memorial in honor of Dr. Demetrius Bagley. It is most fitting that in 2015 Dr. Hubosky became the Demetrius H. Bagley Jr. Professor of Urology. For more information on the career of Dr. Bagley, see page 67.

The 2022 DM Davis Visiting Professorship was held in person on Friday, June 17, 2022. In addition to the Visiting Professorship lectures and case presentations, an award and graduation ceremony is held for the Department of Urology during the event (see page 48). The evening before, a banquet is held in honor of the visiting professor program, but flight delays prevented Dr. Badlani from attending the banquet. Awards presented at DM Davis Banquet on June 16, 2022, at the Union League of Philadelphia included the Martin L. Dresner, MD, Jefferson Urology Alumni Achievement Award given to David A. Rivas, MD (see page 64), and the Faculty Teaching Award given to Alana Murphy, MD (see page 35).

Dr. Gopal Badlani is Vice Chairman of the Department of Urology, Professor of Urology & Gynecology at Wake Forest University. He is currently the director of the Female Pelvic Health Unit and the FPMRS fellowship, and the Secretaryelect of the American Association of GenitoUrinary Surgeons (AAGUS). Dr. Badlani has been the Secretary General of the American Urological Association.

He serves on the editorial board of several journals, was managing editor of the Journal of Endourology,

editor of several textbooks, and has more than 200 publications as well as book chapters. He was President of the New York Section of the American Urological Association, past President of the Endourology society and a past member of the Board on the Society of Urodynamics and Female Urology. He has been invited nationally and internationally as a visiting professor, conference participant and teacher.

Dr. Badlani completed his urological training at Long Island Jewish and then went on to do a fellowship in Neurourology at Baylor University in Houston. His specialty is voiding dysfunction, dealing with urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse in women, male incontinence from prostate surgery, and neurourological disease. His research lab has been funded by the NIH on the etiology of interstitial cystitis and regenerative medicine. Dr. Badlani has done a number of trials for new minimally invasive treatments for benign prostate obstruction. He has served as a member of the NIDDK council. Dr. Badlani’s special interest is volunteer work in underdeveloped countries. He was on the board of International Volunteers in Urology. He was recently awarded the B.C Roy Medal by the President of India.

Friday, June 17, 2022

7:45 a.m.: Registration

8:00 a.m.: Welcome and Introduction Dr. Leonard G. Gomella

8:05 a.m.: Symptom-based Diagnosis of LUTS Dr. Badlani

9:00 a.m.: Review Diagnosis and Management of Urology Cases Part 1 Residents

9:45 a.m.: Break

10:15 a.m.: What Would You Do?: Residents Challenge Cases by Dr. Badlani

11:00a.m.: GRADUATION AND AWARDS CEREMONY

11:45 a.m.: In Honor of Dr. Demetrius H. Bagley

Presented by Dr. Scott Hubosky

12:00 p.m.: Lunch – 1st Floor Lobby Hamilton (Grab and Go)

12:45 p.m.: Regenerative Pharmacology: Experimental Models Dr. Badlani

1:30 p.m. Review Diagnosis & Management of Urology Cases Part 2 Residents

2:15 p.m.: Adjournment

Visiting Professors and Guest Lecturers

2022 Urology Guest Lecturers

PHILLIP M. PIERORAZIO, MD, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

DR. DAVID JARRARD, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN

David Jarrard MD is a tenured Professor, Vice Chair for the Department of Urology and Associate Director for the UW Carbone Cancer Center at the University of Wisconsin. He currently serves on prostate cancer guidelines panels for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the American Urological Association (AUA). Dr. Jarrard’s clinical work concentrates on advanced Urologic Oncology and improving cancer detection and outcomes

On November 17, 2022, Dr. Jarrard presented to our SKCC MORA group “Exploiting Unique Prostate Cancer Phenotypes To Improve Therapeutic Response”. The MORA (Molecular Oncology Regulation and Approaches) is an SKCC program that includes researchers in the area of prostate, bladder, breast, ovarian and other malignancies.

DR. HERB LEPOR, NYU LANGONE MEDICAL CENTER

Our September 29, 2022, our Grand Rounds lecturer was Dr. Herbert Lepor, who presented on the topic of “Focal Therapy for Prostate Cancer.” Dr. Lepor is Professor of Urology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Pharmacology and the Martin Spatz Chairman of the Department of Urology at NYU Langone Health in New York City. His clinical practice is devoted exclusively to the surgical management of prostate cancer. In 1995, Dr. Lepor was awarded the Gold Cystoscope Award by The American Urological Association. Dr. Lepor has served on the editorial boards for four major urological journals and has authored more than 400 peer reviewed articles, 50 book chapters, and 12 books related to prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and the pharmacology of the prostate. Dr. Lepor has been a visiting professor at 30 institutions. Dr. Lepor is a member of the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons, Clinical Society of the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons, the American Surgical Association, and the Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars.

Dr. Sam Chang presented the September 15, 2022, grand rounds titled, “AUA Guidelines for NMIBC: Highlights and Key Points.” Sam S. Chang, MD, MBA, the Patricia and Rodes Hart Endowed Professor of Urologic Surgery and Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, serves as the first Chief Surgical Officer at the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center. Dr. Chang, a graduate of Princeton University and Justin Potter Scholarship Awardee at Vanderbilt Medical School, completed his uro-oncology fellowship as Chief Fellow at Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Center, New York.

Since his return to Nashville, he has focused on urologic oncology and education and has led efforts in integration of evidence-based medicine in clinical pathways, enhanced national guidelines formulation, improved

urologic cancer staging, and promoted multidisciplinary cancer treatment initiatives. He has orchestrated the initiation and expansion of multiple cancer-related treatment protocols at Vanderbilt and elsewhere. Recognized early in his career with a CaPCURE Prostate Cancer Young Investigator award (now Prostate Cancer Foundation Award), Dr. Chang has served as the Chair of the SUO Panel on Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer, the Chair of the American Joint Committee on Cancer GU Staging Task Force, the Facilitator and ViceChair of the Renal Malignancy Follow-Up AUA Guidelines Panel, the Chair of the AUA/ ASCO/ASTRO/SUO Guidelines on Non Invasive and Invasive Bladder Cancer, and the Chair of the AUA Prostate Cancer Core Curriculum Committee. He was a former member of the AUA Foundation Prostate

Advisory Board and is a current member of the NCCN Bladder Cancer Panel, Chair of the AUA Public Policy Panel, member of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN)’s Scientific Advisory Board, member of the AUA Practice Guidelines Committee, and the Editor in Chief of the American Board of Urology Examination Committee (2021-2024). He was elected (2018-2022) Assistant Secretary of the American Urological Association. In 2021, Dr. Chang was also named as a member of the AUA Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion.

For his academic efforts, he received the SUO’s first-ever Distinguished Service Award and the AUA Gold Cystoscope Award. His mentoring efforts have been recognized with the Society of Women in Urology (SWIU) Christina Manthos Mentoring Award in 2021.

Faculty Notes

COSTAS D. LALLAS, MD, FACS

Sidney Kimmel Medical College and the Department of Urology, Thomas Jefferson University, are pleased to announce the next “Nathan Lewis Hatfield Professor of Genito-Urinary Surgery,” is Dr. Costas Lallas. Dr. Lallas is Professor and Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Urology at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College. He completed medical school at Jefferson/SKMC and general surgery and urology at Duke. After a fellowship in minimally invasive urologic oncology at the Mayo Clinic, he returned to Jefferson in 2005.

Dr. Lallas has dedicated his career at Jefferson toward education, and was promoted to Vice Chair of Education for the Department of Urology in 2014 for these efforts. He holds leadership positions in both UME and GME, serving as the Director of Medical Student Education in the Department, the Associate Program Director for the urology residency, and the Co-Director for the Endourology Society fellowship. He is a Block Director for Phase 1 and is a Course Director for 5 courses throughout all three phases of the SKMC medical school curriculum, JeffMD. Recognizing his significant role in surgical education, Jefferson named Dr. Lallas the Director of Surgical Simulation for the Rector Clinical Skills and Simulation. With his participation, the simulation center was accredited by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I Comprehensive Education Institute, one of 96 in the nation. More recently, with the merger of the Einstein Health Network into the Jefferson Enterprise, he was appointed the Einstein Urology Residency Program Director.

The Hatfield Professorship was originally established in 1944 with the original gift from the estate of Dr. Henry Reed Hatfield (Jefferson/SKMC 1881) in honor of his father. Previous Hatfield Professors include Drs. David M. Davis, Theodore Fetter, Paul Zimskind, S. Grant Mulholland and most recently Dr. Demetrius Bagley, who passed away in January of 2022. The selection for this Professorship was made by an external group of former Jefferson trainees who hold academic appointments in other medical schools.

A formal on campus ceremony will be held early 2023 to acknowledge Dr. Lallas’s achievement. Dr. Mark Tykocinski, President of Thomas Jefferson University and SKMC Dean will be the keynote speaker.

Additional congratulations are extended to Dr. Lallas who has been selected for Associate Membership in the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators. The mission of the Academy

of Master Surgeon Educators is to play a leadership role in advancing the science and practice of education across all surgical specialties promoting the highest achievements in the lifetimes of surgeons. The goals of the Academy include defining megatrends in surgical education and training, steering advances in the field, fostering innovation and collaboration, supporting faculty development and recognition, and underscoring the critical importance of surgical education and training in the changing milieu of healthcare. Dr. Lallas was selected by a competitive nomination process involving only Fellows in the American College of Surgeons who are committed to excellence in Surgical education at all levels of surgical training. We are proud to have Dr. Lallas a member of this elite group.

And yet more news on Dr. Lallas’s busy year. In July, he became program director for the Einstein Residency as the program undergoes a transition due to their loss of faculty. Lastly, in October 2022, he became the new president of the Mid-Atlantic Section of the American Urologic Association (MA-AUA). Details of the MA-AUA Meeting when he took charge during the annual meeting in New Orleans can be found on page 26.

JEAN LLENADO, DO, FACOS

Vice-Chair for Regional Urology

Jean Llenado, DO, FACOS, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Urology, has been appointed Vice Chair for Regional Urology. Currently, Dr. Llenado serves as the Physician Director of the South Philadelphia Campus that includes Methodist and the Navy Yard Urology operations. She also provides care in our Jefferson New Jersey Cherry Hill office. In her new role, she will be a member of the Department of Urology’s newly reorganized Executive Committee (formerly the Chairman’s Advisory Committee) to provide insight and guidance into our expanding regional practice locations across the Delaware Valley. In addition, Dr. Lallas has appointed her the director for the popular SKMC URO 452 Outpatient Urology Rotation at the Navy Yard. Dr. Llenado is a graduate of the UMDNJ School of Osteopathic Medicine with her residency at the UMDNJ School of Osteopathic Medicine in Cherry Hill, NJ.

Dr. Llenado joined the Department of Urology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College as a fulltime faculty member in 2000.

MIHIR S. SHAH, MD

The Department of Urology is pleased to welcome one of our former residents, Dr. Mihir Shah, back to Jefferson. Dr. Shah is a board-certified urologist with advanced fellowship training in urology.

He graduated with a Magna Cum Laude B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and was a merit scholar and inducted into the Honors Engineering Program. He received his medical degree from Rutgers University – New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey. Dr. Shah completed his urology residency at Jefferson, graduating as Chief Resident in 2019. Dr. Shah then went on to the University of Southern California Institute of Urology in Los Angeles where he was the Felix and Mildred Yip Fellow in Advanced Robotics, Laparoscopy and Urologic Oncology. While at USC, he studied under Dr. Indy Gill, one of the best known urologic robotic surgeons in the US. In 2020, he joined the Christiana Care Health System in Delaware. While at our Christiana affiliate, he was appointed Clinical Assistant Professor of Urology, SKMC, where he participated in our medical student urology rotation.

Dr. Shah has extensive training in complex open and robotic approaches for management of malignant and benign urological diseases including prostate, bladder, kidney and other urologic cancers. His other areas of focus includes minimally invasive treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with a focus on the HoLEP procedure.

Dr. Shah’s research interests include health disparities in urologic malignancies, diversity and inclusion as well as improving medical student and resident education. Dr. Shah has an interest in global health initiatives to help provide urologic care to those under-served, and served on a surgical team that performed urologic surgery in Coya, Peru. He serves as a peer reviewer for several journals, and has published numerous research articles, book chapters and presented his research at several national meetings. He is a member of the American Urological Association, the Endourological Society and the Society of Robotic Urologic Surgeons. Dr. Shah enjoys spending time with his family and friends; cooking; traveling; golfing; playing basketball and tennis; and painting.

According to Dr. Gomella, Chair of Jefferson’s Department of Urology, “We are pleased to welcome Mihir back to Jefferson. He was an outstanding resident, and his robotic and oncology fellowship at USC, along with his practice experience at Christiana, have allowed him to further advance his clinical skills.” Dr.

Shah is available for general urology and specialty consultation at our Center City and Abington Hospital locations.

DEBORAH T. GLASSMAN, MD, FACS

Deborah Glassman, MD, FACS, was chosen as a “2022 Exceptional Woman in Medicine” award recipient. The award, sponsored nationally by Castle Connolly, is based on peer nominations and acknowledgment of outstanding accomplishments and dedication to the field of medicine. Exceptional Women in Medicine awardees have contributed to the advancement of healthcare through clinical care, research, community service, education and/or leadership.

Dr. Glassman also received a 2022 SKMC Dean’s Award for Excellence in Education. This award recognizes faculty who demonstrate superior effectiveness as a teacher and devote significant time/effort to teaching over a sustained period of time, or for faculty who demonstrate major contributions to an educational course, clerkship or program of training.

ALANA M. MURPHY, MD, FACS

Congratulations to Dr. Alana Murphy on receiving the inaugural Department of Urology Faculty Teaching Award. The recipient is selected by the residents in the Department of Urology to recognize outstanding contributions to our training program. Dr. Murphy also was the recipient of a 2022 SKMC teaching award. Dr. Murphy was also chosen as a “2022 Exceptional Woman in Medicine” award recipient. The award, sponsored nationally by Castle Connolly, is based on peer nominations and acknowledgment of outstanding accomplishments and dedication to the field of medicine. Exceptional Women in Medicine awardees have contributed to the advancement of healthcare through clinical care, research, community service, education and/or leadership.

PERRY R. WEINER, DO, MSc, FACOS

The American Board of Osteopathic Surgery, a division of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), has appointed Dr. Perry Weiner its new Chair of Urological Surgery. Dr. Weiner is Clinical Associate Professor of Urology and Director of Men’s Health at Jefferson. The Board of Osteopathic

Surgery is responsible for items such as achievement of key quality indicators for board performance, serving as subject matter expert for board-level exams and oversight and recruitment of urology specific board examiners among other responsibilities. The three-year appointment starts in 2022.

The September, 2022 issue of South Jersey Magazine presented their list of “Top Doctors.” Dr. Perry Weiner was a member of that group. He works in our Cherry Hill Office in addition to the Navy Yard.

As the Director of Jefferson’s Men’s Health Program, Dr. Weiner has been very busy participating in a variety of activities to promote Men’s Health initiatives. On March 8, 2022, Dr. Weiner presented at a Men’s Health Overview program held at the Kennedy Fitness Center in Washington Township, NJ (see page 44). In one of Jefferson’s Online Health Nexus webinars, Dr. Weiner participated in a Men’s Health session dedicated to describing symptoms that men should not ignore. (www. thehealthnexus.org/strange-symptomsmen-shouldnt-ignore/

PAUL CHUNG, MD, FACS

Several of Dr. Chung’s recent research projects were considered to be so significant they were featured on the covers of two urology Journals this past year. The characterization of bulbar urethral strictures using contrast enhanced ultrasound in collaboration with

the Department of Radiology was featured on the January 2022 cover of The Journal of Urology. His work in the molecular characterization of urologic prosthetic infections was featured in the February 2022 cover of The Journal of Sexual Medicine. In addition you can read about Dr. Chung’s pioneering space station research on page 4 and the ED research program on page 5.

Dr. Chung was also asked to weigh in on the increasing interest in vasectomy. In addition to his Jefferson Health Nexus piece (www.thehealthnexus.org/what-you-need-toknow-before-getting-a-vasectomy/), he was interviewed by WHYY public radio. The public radio piece was picked up by several news outlets across the United States

(www.wesa.fm/health-sciencetech/2022-09-12/in-a-post-roe-americapennsylvanians-consider-permanent-birthcontrol-procedures).

Drs. Brownstein,Gomella and Hubosky Endowed Professors Recognition

2022 Jefferson proudly counts 105 endowed positions. Jefferson’s first endowed professorship was the Samuel D. Gross Professorship in Surgery established in 1910.

The Jefferson Biennial Endowed Professorship dinner was held on Tuesday November 1, 2022 at the Loews Hotel. The event celebrates the legacy of Jefferson’s benefactors and illustrious

faculty. One of the highest honors the university can bestow on faculty, endowed professorships enable Jefferson to recruit and maintain the highest level of scholars and endowed executive positions. As of

The Department of Urology is proud to have the following endowed positions: Dr. Leonard Gomella, The Bernard W. Godwin Jr. Professor of Prostate Cancer, Dr. Scott Hubosky, The Demetrius H. Bagley Jr. Professor of Urology and Dr. Ken Brownstein, The Harold A. Honickman Physician Director of Jefferson Signature Services. With the formal induction ceremony scheduled for February 2023, Dr. Costas Lallas will join the ranks of our Department of Urology endowed professorships when he officially becomes the next Nathan Lewis Hatfield Professor of Genito-Urinary Surgery (see page 34). For a complete list of Thomas Jefferson University professorships, and information from the Office of Institutional advancement how interested benefactors can support new professorship opportunities please visit online: Jefferson.edu/ Professorships.

Whitney Smith, MD, TV News Interview

On July 29, 2022, Dr. Whitney Smith, Assistant Professor in the Department of Urology, was featured on the Fox 29 Good Day Philadelphia show. She completed a fellowship in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS) at Wake Forest Wake University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. FPMRS addresses treatment of pelvic floor disorders which include urinary incontinence, vaginal prolapse, and pelvic pain. Whitney discussed overactive bladder and the role of BotoxTM in the management of this condition. She also brought models and instruments to show how the intravesical BotoxTM is administered. Our Jefferson marketing feedback is that this was a very popular story.

Best Wishes to Dr. Edouard Trabulsi, New Chair at Einstein Philadelphia

In September 2022, Edouard Trabulsi, MD, MBA, FACS, became Chair of Urology at Einstein Philadelphia. In this role, he will help facilitate the transition of Einstein Health urology clinical and residency programs as it becomes part of Jefferson Health. Dr. Trabulsi, specializing in Urologic Oncology, served in many roles at Jefferson, the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. In 2015, he was appointed Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Urology, and

his academic appointment at Sidney Kimmel Medical College will continue as will some of his ongoing research projects. Ed completed his residency at Jefferson in 2001 and went on to a Fellowship in Urologic Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He returned to Jefferson in 2004 as assistant professor and rose to the rank of professor. We wish Dr. Trabulsi well in this new role leading the Department of Urology at Einstein.

Dr. Mat Thakur Receives SKMC Pellini Award

Congratulations to Mathew Thakur, PhD, FSNMMI, FNAI, FACNM, FICNM, FARR on receiving the 2022 “Michael and Melina Pellini Award for Innovation in the Biomedical Sciences” from Sidney Kimmel Medical College. The Pellini Award is given for the “elucidation/description of a specific discovery, technique, or instrument/device that has led to new concepts or approaches to experimentation or patient care”. Dr. Thakur’s pioneering work with his VPAC peptide is the basis of this award. Dr. Thakur is the Director, Laboratories of Radiopharmaceutical Research, Molecular Imaging and Biofluid Diagnostics and Professor of Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Urology. Dr. Thakur continues is work on the VPAC receptor in the urinary detection of prostate cancer through a joint NCI grant with the Department of Urology.

Dr. Kevin Kelly Next Chair of Medical Oncology

In December 2022, Dr. Mark Tykocinski announced that Dr. Wm. Kevin Kelly, Professor of Medical Oncology and Urology will be the next Chair of Medical Oncology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College. He also serves as Associate Director for Clinical Research for the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and will continue in that role. Dr. Kelly is known nationally for his research on urological malignancies and his expertise in drug design and development. He and Dr. Gomella are Co-Directors of the Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Biome Project.

Leadership Changes, Department of Urology

As noted above Dr. Ed Trabulsi became the Chair of the Department of Urology at Einstein Philadelphia on September 15, 2022. Ed has been instrumental in our Departmental and SKCC efforts in the area of Urologic oncology and interdisciplinary collaborations. He has been our Vice Chair for Research and he will be missed in that role and we wish him well at Einstein. Also as previously noted Dr. Llenado will serve as our new Vice Chair for Regional Urology (see page 34).

With Dr. Trabulsi’s departure, the Department of Urology has created two new research positions to direct our basic science and clinical research programs going forward. Dr. Ryan Mark has been appointed Vice Chair for Clinical Research and Dr. Matt Schiewer will serve as Vice Chair for Basic Science Research. These new positions will help align initiatives in both basic science and clinical research with the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and allow increased departmental attention to nononcology clinical trials.

The Department of Urology has created two new research positions: Vice Chair for Clinical Research and Vice Chair for Basic Science Research.

Faculty Notes

Faculty Retreat

On Friday March 4, 2022, the Department of Urology held an all-day faculty retreat in the Experience Center Board Room, located on the 31st floor of the Jefferson Center at 1101 Market. The all-day program was the first faculty retreat held since before the pandemic. It provided an opportunity for all our full time clinical and research faculty to have input into the strategic plans for the department, our clinical and basic science priorities, and our approach to philanthropic initiatives. We also addressed in detail our current SKMC course offerings, and an analysis of our residency, fellowship and Men’s Health programs. Guest speakers included the architects of the Specialty Care Pavilion (now the Honickman Center), a philanthropy roundup by Stephen Smith, now Jefferson’s EVP & Chief Advancement Officer and Dr. Kenny Brownstein, Department of Urology Development Officer. In addition, there was a surgical APP lecture by Kiersten LeBar DNP, MMHC, CPNP-AC Senior Vice President, Advanced Practice Providers. Question and answer sessions were held with Dr. Ed Pribitkin, President, Jefferson Medical Group and Adam Messer, Vice President for PeriOperative services and the Jefferson Health Urology Enterprise. The day was topped off with a faculty Leadership skill session with Jefferson Executive Coach Lilly Linton titled “The Power of Feedback.”

(see page 16).

Welcome to New Staff

OLEKSANDR (ALEX) KOLESNIKOV CLINICAL RESEARCH COORDINATOR

Alex Kolesnikov has joined the Department of Urology as a Clinical Research Coordinator. Alex is going to primarily work on non-oncology

JINAH YOO

NURSE PRACTITIONER

Jinah Yoo, MSN, CRNP, CWOCN, is a Nurse Practitioner and Certified Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse who recently joined the Department of Urology at Jefferson Health in Philadelphia, PA. She completed her Master of Science in Nursing program at La Salle University. Jinah has been with Jefferson Health since 2016, in the wound care

Staff Congratulations

The entire department of Urology extends congratulations to Jonathan Scroggins, PSR, who works in our Cherry Hill, NJ, Urology office, on receiving the "We Rise by Lifting Others" award. The award given by the Jefferson Medical Group, is a recognition of JMG employees who live by the Jefferson's Value, "We Improve Lives". Candidates are nominated by other JMG staff and winners are selected by JMG Senior Leadership.

According to Linda Teschko, former Jefferson Urology Practice Manager in Cherry Hill, Jonathan was nominated for this award “as there is no other person more deserving of this recognition than he is. Jonathan joined our team right at the moment we were transitioning and preparing for the Urology move. He immediately took initiative to do more and seek opportunities to make things

JANICE HARPER, AS RESIDENCY PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Janice Harper is our new Urology Residency Program Coordinator with more than 25 years of experience working with various residency training programs across three major hospitals. She graduated from Peirce Junior College in Philadelphia with a degree in paralegal and business administration. Janice enjoys helping people achieve their goals and doing research to find solutions to assist people in completing difficult tasks. In her free time, she enjoys baking, watching classic movies, and spending time with family.

Our new urology residency program coordinator, Janice Harper, with Barbara Devine in our medical school office.

trials in the department. He will also assist Olivia Dalhgren and the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center team as needed for oncology trials, as well as all other research needs in the department.

Alex graduated in 2021 from DeSales University with a degree in Biology and Neuroscience. Prior to joining the Department of Urology, Alex was a Medical Scribe for the

department at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. She has been a registered nurse since 2009. Before becoming a registered nurse, she was a social worker in Philadelphia, working with immigrant and refugee communities from Southeast Asia.

Jinah has worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings, specializing in the care of acute and chronic wounds, ostomy management, and continence care. She is excited to be a part of the Department of Urology at Jefferson Health. As Jinah says, “Urologic care encompasses so much of

work at optimal standards. His dedication to his team is above and beyond his own needs. As all of our providers could agree, Jonathan does everything he can to make their day as good as it can be. He has an unselfish desire to lift the entire Cherry Hill team to brighter days. Many of our patients and their families look forward to seeing Jonathan when they come in and they immediately notice when he is not at the desk.

“Jonathan's patience, professionalism and dedication to his team and the work that he does is something that should be celebrated and admired. As a manager of many years

Department of Otolaryngology and Emergency Medicine at Jefferson (Center City and Cherry Hill, NJ). He is a native born Ukrainian and moved to the United States when he was only a year old. Alex is very excited to begin his career in clinical research with the Department of Urology and looks forward to working with everyone in the department.

what I enjoy as a clinician. It is a wonderful combination of surgery and medicine, and includes many adjunct pathophysiological issues such as oncology and gynecology.”

Jinah resides in Philadelphia, with her husband, Steve, two toddlers Alek and Margot, and two rescue dogs Booboo Bear and Bb. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring the city and its surroundings with her family, trying out new restaurants, and accidentally binge watching Netflix. She is working on a book for adults dealing with ostomy appliances and envisions as being a coloring book style for adults.

and many staff members, he is that rare gem that you do not often find, and I am extremely fortunate to have the privilege of having him on our team.”

UPDATE:

Fatuma Doka’s Tender Grassroots and The Health Center

Tender Grassroots (TGR) was founded by Fatuma Doka, MSN, CRNP, a Nurse Practitioner in the Department of Urology since 2004. She started the nonprofit Tender Grassroots in December 2019, in her home country of Uganda to provide under-served communities across Uganda with resources, knowledge and skills that will empower them to end the cycle of poverty. Our 2020 “Year in Review” featured Doka and her Tender Grass roots initiative (https://issuu.com/ jeffersonurology/docs/jeffurology-yir2020final). Her non-profit organization expanded operations to include a health center during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda. The choice to open the health center was driven primarily by the gap in access to primary care caused by the existing local health facility being converted into a COVID-19 care center.

The pandemic highlighted challenges faced by Ugandans, especially those in low-income communities. A survey conducted by the Tender Grassroots clinical staff clinic staff revealed four major factors that prevent regular access to healthcare services: i) scarce medical staff, ii) high cost of care, iii) perception that consulting the health workers is a last resort, iv) lack of knowledge regarding health issues.

The TGR health center is open seven days a week from 7am to 10pm and is operated by 7 certified medical practitioners (2 medical directors, 1 doctor, 1 physician assistant, 2 nurses, and 1 lab technician) and 3 operational support team members. In addition to the paid medical staff, there are health center volunteers. They provide preventive, curative, and emergency medical services to the 30,000 people within the Kabale municipality in

Serving

Uganda. A midwife will be starting in early 2023 to lead family planning and prenatal services.

PRIMARY HEALTHCARE SERVICES

The health center significantly improves access to healthcare as the only affordable and comprehensive primary care center in the region. The TGR health team responds to population needs and disease burdens, and focus on prenatal care, health prevention and management for chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension. To date, the program serves an average of 300 patients monthly.

HEALTH FAIRS

TGR health center provides health services to the public during semi-annual, 3- day health fairs. Two health fairs were conducted in March and August 2022, with the patients coming from a 15 mile radius of the health center. On average each of the health fairs served over 1,000 people (30% are children, 25% are adults, and 45% are elderly). The patrons receive general screenings for chronic and nonchronic diseases, health education, and needed immunizations.

Running the health fairs has underscored a clear need and desire for health services. The information gathered also reveals that HIV, hypertension and diabetes are major issues within the community. Thus the health center provides follow up appointments to those screened and identified with chronic conditions to start patients on disease management.

The health fairs are supported by volunteers from local medical and nursing schools, the local government, the community, and the Ugandan Ministry of Health.

IMMUNIZATION PROGRAM

In October 2022, the health center embarked on a weekly immunization program. An immunization clinic is held every Wednesday where COVID-19, Hep B, and childhood vaccinations are provided. As the program is still new, we receive an average of 40 patients. Doka has directed the local team to evaluate all children enrolled in the local schools to update their vaccinations; so far, the survey shows that less than 20% have received vaccinations.

FAMILY PLANNINGS

To decrease infant mortality, equipping the parents is paramount. The Health Center is offering family planning services, with the program expanding in 2023. The high child mortality in the community is partially due to the lack of prenatal care services for pregnant women.

CHALLENGES

The need for quality and accessible healthcare in this local Uganda municipality is evident. As the TGR team works to improve the community health, the following challenges are noted: i) inadequate funds to sustain and expand the health center. This included

purchasing medication and staff salaries, ii) lack of diagnostic equipment (lab, radiology) and iii) difficulty in accessing affordable medication from reputable pharmacies as most patients will opt for cheaper medication which has been grappled by counterfeiting.

THANK YOU

All the work we have done is made possible by the unwavering support of our Board members, advisors, volunteers. According to Doka ”I would like to extend a special thank you to the Gomella family and members of Jefferson’s Department of Urology as they have been some of the greatest supporters through providing donations, encouragement, and advice. To all the doctors, nurse practitioners, and nurses at Jefferson who have helped us along, every donation, every word of encouragement, every idea is what has propelled us and continues to motivate us to do more. Working with TGR also offers an educational opportunity to medical and nursing students and residents interested in going abroad for international experiences or missionary work. Working with the health center and the community is also ideal for conducting health research.”

For more information or to donate to the Tender Grassroots programs, contact Doka directly (fatuma.doka@jefferson.edu) or visit these sites: www.tendergrassroots.org/ www.facebook.com/Tender-Grassroots-115889469962670/ twitter.com/Tender_GR www.linkedin.com/company/tender-grassroots www.instagram.com/tendergrassroots/

To all the doctors, nurse practitioners, and nurses at Jefferson who have helped us along, every donation, every word of encouragement, every idea is what has propelled us and continues to motivate us to do more.

ALWAYS LEARNING

Darlene Bewick, DNP, CRNP, CUNP, a nurse practitioner in Jefferson’s Department of Urology since 2003, is a lifelong learner. Growing up in a small coal mining town in Upstate Pennsylvania, Bewick pursued her dream to become a nurse, left for the big city, and earned nursing’s highest degree, a doctorate, to do what she loves most: care for people.

About 37 years into her nursing career, she is still learning and encourages others to do the same. After all, she says, her colleagues, friends, and family were the ones who encouraged her to reach higher. And sometimes, a little encouragement is all it takes.

Tell us about your nursing career. Bewick: I graduated from a three-year nurse diploma program in 1985. After that, I worked on a medical-surgical floor at a community hospital for three years.

A friend encouraged me to go to the big city and experience city life. So, I moved to Philadelphia in 1988 and worked in a surgical trauma unit at Jefferson Hospital. I went from dealing with attendings (no residents) to a teaching hospital smack in the center of Philadelphia. I was excited. I was thrilled. I learned so much.

During my years as a nurse in the hospital, I relied on the hospital’s mission of focusing on patient care, education, and research.

I decided to return for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and completed it at Jefferson in 1994. Five years later, I pursued a Master’s in Nursing degree, thanks to the encouragement of a nurse I considered a mentor.

Once I completed my nurse practitioner in December 2002, I decided to branch out and do something different. Jefferson had only two job listings at the time—one in the emergency room and one in urology.

When I interviewed for the job in urology, who interviewed me but Dr. Gomella. He told me they were looking for a nurse practitioner to work in the hospital to help with the residents’ 80-hour work week. The Urology department required an advanced practice provider to manage the urology inpatients— for admissions, discharges, consults, and carry the beeper while [residents] were in the operating room.

After several months, Dr. Gomella said I was doing a great job, and he wanted me to go to the outpatient urology clinic to evaluate patients.

It is 20 years later, and I’m still in the outpatient clinic. Advanced practice providers continue to increase in the outpatient setting to provide care to our urology patients. I feel advanced practice providers can make a difference in patient care by improving teaching, evaluation, and management; and enhancing a positive patient experience.

So, what is it that keeps you coming to work every day?

Bewick: First, the patients. My primary role as an advanced practice nurse is caring for our patients and making sure they have the best outcomes that they can have. Second, the Department of Urology. I realize as an advanced practice

provider, many people depend on me, including the staff, my fellow nurses, advanced practice providers, the residents, the attendings, including Dr. Shenot, Dr. Gomella, and most importantly, the patients.

Other things that drive me are that throughout my years here I’ve precepted nurses and nurse practitioners and encouraged them to further their education. And I feel like I learn something new every day.

Is there an area of urology that you like in particular?

Bewick: Neurogenic bladder, voiding dysfunction, and overactive bladder conditions. Evaluating patients requires patient engagement and education. I feel I could manage their care and improve their quality of life. That is not to say that I do not enjoy taking care of general urology and uro-oncology patients.

What do you see as your strengths?

Bewick: My strengths are communication and patient engagement. Precepting other nurses, nurse practitioners, and other staff is a strength.

The love of learning would be considered a strength. A staff nurse here who I precepted encouraged me to return [for my doctorate in nursing practice 2018]. She was going to get her nurse practitioner and said, ‘Darlene, you are always talking about returning to school. Let us go back together.’ I said OK. Sometimes we need someone to give us that little push, and she was there for me.

And I am not done. Now I am enrolled in a Post-Master’s Nurse Educator Certificate at Villanova.

How might that fit into your future?

Bewick: If I had my way, I would like to continue as an advanced nurse practitioner caring for patients three days a week and perhaps teach nursing education at a university with nursing students. Even if I retire, I could work part-time teaching a nursing course at the university level. I feel like I am going to be a student my whole life.

Regardless of the field, anyone who works in health care and medicine experiences lifelong learning by attending grand rounds, a medical conference, or a medical journal review. I love interacting in the classroom on Zoom or in person.

I am dedicated to the future nursing profession to offer nurses support and encouragement in achieving their professional goals. I feel profoundly grateful and fortunate to have a supportive network along my nursing journey who have inspired me throughout the years.

What about your life outside of work?

Bewick: Robin, my significant other for 40 years, enjoys travel, outdoors, and sporting events. We do not have any children. I regret that, but I have nieces, nephews, and godchildren who I love. We have a dog. He is our furry baby--an Irish Setter who just turned 11 years old. His name is Keefe, which means lovable, gentle, handsome, and noble in Irish.

My hometown is Mount Carmel, not far from Pottsville, where they brew Yuengling Beer. My parents worked hard their whole life. Neither of them went to college.

My mom's family ran a restaurant selling tacos along the roadside, which grew into something much bigger. They thought I was going to stay and run the restaurant, and when I told them I wanted to become a nurse, my mother was upset, but my father said to go for it.

I followed that dream but still love to cook. Maybe someday I will run a health food restaurant and check your blood pressure when you come in.

I enjoy spending time walking with the dog and being outside on trails. I like going to the beach in Cape May, one of my favorite spots.

Staff Spotlight: Megan Sabonjian, MBA, PMP

Megan Sabonjian, MBA PMP, the new administrator at Jefferson Urology, said the department’s people are what inspired her to apply for the job after serving as interim administrator.

“I joined because I love the challenge. I don’t know a thing about urology but love how passionate the staff and doctors are and want to be a part of that,” she said.

Sabonjian does know about operations management and information technology (IT). Having had experience in those areas in prior roles at Jefferson, Sabonjian joined Jefferson in 2015 and worked as a telehealth project manager during the early days of Jefferson’s telehealth expansion. She was a critical partner in Jefferson Urology’s ability to rapidly expand its telehealth services during the pandemic. Sabonjian also was a clinical informatics in the Emergency Department and served as operations manager for advanced practice providers before transitioning to urology.

Among her initial focuses at Jefferson Urology are to oversee the growth of the new Cherry Hill and Abington practices.

“I come with a fresh set of eyes, which is useful when we talk about doing things a different way or how we want to go forward,” Sabonjian said.

Sabonjian said she looks forward to coming to work because of Jefferson Urology’s staff and physicians—their love for patients and their drive to make Jefferson Urology the best it can be.

“I want to assist the providers in getting where they need to be with clinical trials, new equipment, the necessary procedures,” said Sabonjian, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Stockton University and a Master’s in Business Administration from Rutgers University, Camden. She also received her Project Management Certification which will be very helpful in managing the many different projects Urology has on the horizon.

When she’s not at work, Sabonjian spends her time with her husband Nate, two stepchildren Miller and Noa, and beloved golden retriever Petey. Her favorite pastimes include keeping up with Philadelphia sports and spending time with the kids (and Petey) at their homes at the beach in Ventnor, NJ, and in Old City, Philadelphia. Like many of her coworkers in Urology, Sabonjian is an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan (and as of November 2022 is already looking for hotel rooms in Arizona for the Super Bowl).

Community Activities

2022 Walk to End Bladder Cancer

On April 20, 2022, the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) sponsored their annual “Walk to End Bladder Cancer.”

Funds raised enable BCAN to continue offering educational and support programs, support the advancement of bladder cancer research and other initiatives.

Pictured are BCAN 2022 Walk participants Dr. Ed Trabulsi, a grateful Jefferson patient, SKCC medical oncologist Dr. Bill Tester and our SKCC GU Multidisciplinary Clinic navigator, Crystal Sypherd.

Prostate Cancer Screening and Educational Event

MEN’S HEALTH

On November 5, 2022, members of the Department of Urology and the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center participated in a community event that combined educational presentations on how basic science research informs clinical practice in prostate cancer. Throughout the event, SKCC-sponsored prostate cancer screenings. This event was the first screening event offered by the SKCC outreach team. Moriah Cunningham, a PhD candidate in the Department of Urology Schiewer Research lab, was the main organizer of the event. The event was held at the New Covenant Church on Germantown Pike in Mount Airy. Dr. Whitney Smith provided valued input from the perspective of urology. There were more than 50 attendees, and 25 men participated in the free prostate cancer screening offered during the event. All participants received information on prostate cancer and were able to learn about the research being done for the disease to help them make more informed decisions regarding their health.

On March 8, 2022, Dr. Weiner participated in a Men’s Health Overview program held at the Kennedy Fitness Center in Washington Township, NJ. The center is a family fitness center and is an affiliate of the Jefferson Health NJ.

Moriah Cunningham, PhD student (pictured above) in our Department of Urology research lab, presented information on how basic science research and community outreach are involved in helping advance our understanding of prostate cancer. Learn more about Moriah on page 8.

Participants in the community outreach program at the New Covenant Church (pictured below) included assistant professor of Urology Dr. Whitney Smith; Moriah Cunningham, PhD, student and main program organizer; Dr. Charnita Ziegler-Johnson; Dr. Russ Schilder SKCC medical oncologist who directs our Phase I Drug testing unit; and Dr. Amy Leader, SKCC Associate Director of Community Integration. Dr. Matthew Schiewer (not pictured), Department of Urology Vice Chair for Basic Science Research also participated in the event.

Cancer Screening Event at SKCC-Asplundh Cancer Pavilion

On November 10, 2022, more than 100 patients were provided an educational and screening event for Prostate Cancer along with Colon, Head and Neck, Skin, Lung, and Breast Cancer.

Members involved in the prostate screening event at Asplundh Cancer pavilion included Noreen Wielgus, MSN, Nurse Navigator; Morgan Schmanek, RN, Urology nurse; Peg O’Grady, MSN, Administrative Director for Oncology; Joseph Izes, MD, Urologic Oncologist; and Patrick T. Gomella, MD, MPH, Urologic Oncologist.

SKCC Screening Van Updates

The SKCC Deitz and Watson Screening Van has been active in the Breast Cancer Screening Mission since launching in late 2021.

Through a generous donation from Janssen, the program will also now be including prostate cancer screening events through questionnaires and PSA blood testing. We have partnered with the Prostate Conditions Education Council (PCEC) to utilize their screening protocol and lab services.

The Department of Urology and the SKCC have partnered with the PCEC in the annual Prostate Cancer Awareness project since the early 1990’s. Fatuma Doka and Suzanne

Since the early 1990’s, the Department of Urology and SKCC have partnered with the Prostate Conditions Education Council in the annual project.

Barron, our inpatient NP, along with our Urology research coordinators Olivia Dahlgren and Alex Kolesnikov, have kindly agreed to provide their technical expertise during these prostate cancer screening events. We also plan on connecting these events to our Men’s Health Program initiatives across the Delaware Valley.

The initial prostate cancer screening event on this new platform took place on November 5, 2022.

Inset: Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and Dietz & Watson Mobile Cancer Screening Unit.

Right: Urology team members Alex Kolesnikov, Fatuma Doka and Olivia Dahlgren pose by the SKCC van after a prostate cancer screening event invited by Parx Casino in Bensalem.

Pediatric Urology News

Ferris Memorial Lectureship in Pediatric Urology

Sponsored by the Hohn Family

The annual L. William Ferris, MD, Memorial Lectureship in Pediatric Urology was held on Wednesday October 19. The Memorial Lectureship in Pediatric Urology was established in 1992 to honor Dr. Ferris, Director of The Wilmington Medical Center’s Department of Urology, who passed away in 1982. The Division received a very generous donation from the Hohn family to support this conference for the next several years.

Through the generosity of the Hohn family, the L. William Ferris Lectureship in Pediatric Urology was established.

We were pleased to welcome Armando J. Lorenzo, MD, MSc, FRCSC, FAAP, FACS Associate Professor, Department of Surgery University of Toronto and Head, Division of Urology for The Hospital for Sick Children (pictured).

Dr. Lorenzo was born in Panama City, Panama, where he lived until moving to the United States for residency training in urology. He spent six years in Dallas, completing an ACGME-approved program in urology at UT

Southwestern Medical School. While rotating at Children’s Medical Center, he had the opportunity to explore all medical and surgical aspects of pediatric urology, and experience that led him to pursue fellowship training in this subspecialty. After visiting Toronto, he was granted a fellowship position at the Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto, including a research year in basic science funded by the Urology Care Foundation of the American Urological Association.

Once he completed his fellowship, Dr. Lorenzo obtained a master’s degree in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Toronto’s HPME program. Since then, he has been a staff pediatric urologist at the Hospital for Sick Children and has advanced to the academic position of associate professor in the Department of Surgery and investigator at the Research Institute. He is board-certified in urology and pediatric urology by the American Board of Urology and as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Canada.

Dr. Lorenzo’s interests are centered in clinical care, with a focus in outcomes research, pediatric urological oncology, and renal

transplantation, generating multiple peerreviewed publications and book chapters. He is also co-director of the Fertility Preservation Program at Sick Kids, a unique project in Canada that has grown in scope to address future fertility concerns for pediatric patients at risk, most notably those receiving chemotherapy and radiation. Dr. Lorenzo is also actively involved in multiple national and international societies, currently serving on the executive committee of the Society for Fetal Urology and the Pediatric Urology Oncology Working Group of the Society for Pediatric Urology.

One of the most exciting aspects of his academic mission is traveling to different parts of the world, interacting with scientists and health care providers, sharing ideas, and seeking collaboration. In addition to his clinical and research interests, Dr. Lorenzo is the current division head, a position that he accepted in April 2020.

The program consisted of a lecture by Dr. Lorenzo titled “Posterior Urethral Valves: Can We Delay the Progression of Chronic Kidney

Disease” and case presentations by urology residents at the Nemours Children’s Hospital, our pediatric affiliate in Wilmington Delaware.

The next day, Dr. Lorenzo presented Grand Rounds at Sidney Kimmel Medical College titled, “Emerging Technologies in UrologyAntenatal Hydronephrosis.”

Pediatric Urology Update from Nemours Children’s Hospital PRESENTATIONS

In 2022, Dr. Jennifer Hagerty started serving a six-year term as a member of the ACGME Urology Residency Review Committee. Dr. Hagerty was promoted to Associate Professor of Urology and Pediatrics, Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. In May, Dr. Hagerty participated as a panelist at the AUA-SPU meeting in New Orleans. The panel was titled Neurogenic Bladder-Beyond Spina Bifida, and Dr. Hagerty presented the overview of Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury.

Dr. Puneeta Ramachandra assumed the responsibilities of Quality Officer, Division of Urology. In this role, Dr. Ramachandra oversees the quality efforts for the Division, including Morbidity and Mortality Conference, participation in the ACS NSQIP and ACS Children Surgery Verification at Nemours.

Dr. Ahmad Bani Hani has taken an indefinite leave of absence to attend to the care of an ailing family member in Jordan. We are very sorry to see him leave our institution. Ahmad

has served as the Pediatric Urology residency coordinator at our hospital for the last decade, providing an excellent job in the education of the Jefferson urology and other residents. In July 2022, Dr. Bani Hani led a medical mission to Jordan that included participation by two of our Jefferson Urology residents, Drs. Halley Foss and Edward Kloneckie. See page 10 for details on this trip.

In his place, Dr. Sonny Figueroa, Chief of Pediatric Urology at Nemours has named Dr. Keara De Cotiis as the new residency and medical student coordinator. She will oversee the educational programs for the pediatric urology rotation. Keara, completed her urology residency at Brown under Dr. Tony Caldamone, and her Urology/Transplant fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto under Dr. Armando Lorenzo who was our 2022 Ferris Lecturer (see page 29). She has been the medical student coordinator for our division since she joined us. We are very excited to have Keara take the lead in this important area and in the training of the urology residents.

Spinal

Nicole F. Ambrose, DO

Kesavan Sadacharam, MD

Brian Burke, MPH, MSF

Ernesto Figueroa, MD

Scott Lang, MD

Stephanie Kjelstrom, MPH, CPH

Jennifer Hagerty, DO

Societies For Pediatric Urology Fall Congress, Las Vegas, Nevada October 23, 2022

Graduations and Awards: Chief Resident Graduation 2022

ALEX UHR, MD

CHIEF RESIDENT

Our 2022 Graduation and Award ceremony returned to an inperson format after 2 years of being held virtually. The event was on Friday June 17 as part of the DM Davis Visiting professorship meeting featuring Dr. Gopal Badlani from Wake Forest (see page 30). The official year end graduation party was held at the home of Dr. Tricia and Lenny Gomella in Chadds Ford, PA. In addition to the honorees, their families and friends attended the graduation celebration.

Alex was born and raised in the Philadelphia suburbs where he attended Haverford High School. His interests included snowboarding and skateboarding, soccer and lacrosse, playing at the varsity level throughout high school. Outside of sports, he has always had an interest in the sciences-an interest he shared with his twin brother, Josh, who is currently finishing his training as an ophthalmologist.

After graduating high school, Alex attended the University of Pittsburgh where he graduated with honors and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in psychology. At Pitt, Alex developed a passion for medicine and spent many hours volunteering at various hospitals both domestic and abroad, spending one summer working at a hospital in Nakuru, Kenya, with his brother, Josh. After college, Alex attended the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University and ultimately fell in love with Urology. He stayed at Jefferson for his residency training. It was here that he met his wife, Alizabeth, who works at Jefferson as a Physician Assistant in medical oncology.

Outside of academia, Alex enjoys traveling, golf, spending time with family at his parents’ beach house, and playing with his golden retriever, Finn. Following graduation, Alex will be staying within the Jefferson community and practicing at Jefferson Northeast campus.

Dr. Uhr: “I am incredibly privileged and lucky to have completed residency at Jefferson, an institution with an impressive history of training outstanding urologists for many, many years. I am eternally grateful to the attendings who have invested their time and effort into training me. I am thankful for my co-residents and co-chiefs who have made the past 6 years so enjoyable for me, and who have taught me so much as well. To my parents and brother, who have showered me with support and endless encouragement, my graduation is equally your accomplishment. To my amazing wife, Alizabeth, I am not sure how I could survive without you by my side, essentially keeping my life outside of residency on track. You have made my life so much easier and happier.

Residency is filled with very long days, but quick years. It is challenging and demanding, but also very rewarding. I am so honored to have spent the last 6 years at Jefferson with all of you.” After graduation, Alex will be joining our Jefferson Health Urology community practice in the Northeast.

BENJAMIN RUDNICK, MD CHIEF RESIDENT

Benjamin Harris Rudnick was born in New York City and raised in Croton, New York, a small town in the lower Hudson Valley. He has an older brother Josh who now lives in Los Angeles where he works as a talent manager. Ben has always had a passion for athletics and played both varsity baseball and football in high school. He was named New York State all-section honorable mention his senior year. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he graduated cum laude and majored in Medicine, Health, and Society with a minor in corporate strategy.

Ben’s interest in urology actually began one summer during college when he was introduced to a local urologist through a family friend and spent time shadowing him in the office and operating room. Having been an athlete with a passion for sports, Ben later considered a career in orthopedics, however it was during his clinical rotation during his third year of medical school at Jefferson that Ben’s decision to pursue a career in urology was solidified.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys exercising and spending time with his wife Melissa and their 4-month old daughter Hannah. They enjoy traveling, hiking, and exploring Philadelphia’s restaurant scene. Ben continues to root for his beloved New York sports teams despite having lived in Philadelphia for the last decade. Following graduation, Ben will be completing a one-year fellowship in advanced robotics at Hackensack University Medical Center/New Jersey Urology with Drs. Mutahar Ahmed and Gregory Lovallo.

Dr. Rudnick: “I feel extremely lucky and proud to have matched at Jefferson six years ago. Having been a medical student here, I knew after my sub-internship rotation that Jefferson urology was where I wanted to spend my years of residency. It has been an honor to train here in a department with such rich history and sense of tradition. I would like to thank Dr. Gomella and Dr. Shenot, in particular, for providing me this opportunity, and all the other faculty who have helped me become the urologist and surgeon I am today. To all the residents- it has been an absolute privilege to work with each of you and I consider you all lifelong friends. The camaraderie we enjoyed together is without a doubt what I will miss most after I leave Jefferson. Finally, I would like to thank my family. I would not be where I am today without the love and guidance of my parents Don and Marlene and my brother Josh. Most of all, I would like to thank my wife Melissa who has made tremendous sacrifices married to a surgical resident. I will be forever grateful for all of your loving support you provided me these past six years. You are an incredible partner, best friend, and now mother to Hannah. I can’t wait for our next chapter together.”

Victor Michael Kucherov, MD was born in Poughkeepsie, NY and was raised there with his older brother. Growing up he enjoyed film making and was an avid rower. After graduating from Arlington High School, he attended the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. There he graduated cum laude with a B.S. degree in physics. As an undergraduate, he performed research in experimental physics but ultimately decided to pursue a career in medicine.

Following undergrad, he joined a basic science lab at the University of Rochester Medical Center. There he worked as a laboratory technician assisting in RNA biology research. He was accepted into the University of Rochester School of Medicine which he attended the following year. His interest in urology was sparked during his third-year

rotation and he ultimately was awarded a yearout fellowship studying renal cell carcinoma. He graduated medical school with a distinction in research and afterward attended Jefferson for urology residency. Following residency he will be a pediatric urology fellow at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC.

Dr. Kucherov. "The last six years have passed in a flash and it seems like only yesterday intern year was beginning. Over these years, I have learned and grown in ways I could only dream about. I would like to thank the urology faculty at Jefferson for truly world-class training and mentorship. To Drs. Gomella and Shenot, thank you for giving me the opportunity to train here. To my co-residents, you have become a second family. We shared long hours but also countless laughs and good times. I am so proud to call you all my colleagues. To my co-chiefs Alex and Ben, we were and always will be brothers in arms. I could not have

gotten through chief year without you both. You are both superb urologists and your patients will be lucky to have you. To my parents, Misha and Anita, thank you for raising me to be the compassionate, curious, and the hardworking man I am today. You are the foundation of everything I have accomplished. I love you. To my brother, Sasha, I could not have asked for a better older brother. You are always there for late night calls, to complain to seek guidance from, and to laugh with. You are an excellent father, husband, and physician and I still have a lot to learn from you. To my amazing wife Julie, it's hard to put into words how much you mean to me. You are the sun that lights my world and the glue that keeps me together. To my daughter Elena, your laugh brings joy to our lives and I am so excited to see who you will grow up to be. I love you all!"

Over the years, I have learned and grown in ways I could only dream about.

Dr. Victor Kucherov

Graduations and Awards

FELLOW

Aseem Malhotra, MD was born in India. At the age of eleven, his family immigrated to a suburb of Philadelphia, PA where he attended elementary, middle, and high school. Throughout his childhood, he always enjoyed playing sports- his love for cricket translated into his passion for baseball where he excelled. In high school, he ran track and field specializing in short distance sprints including 100 and 200 meter dash and relays. Aseem graduated in the top ten of his high school class of over 1200 students. He then attended Temple University on a full academic scholarship. He was also admitted into the Bachelor's in Science/Medical Doctorate program that granted high achieving high school students with conditional acceptance to medical school.

At Temple University, Dr. Malhotra obtained a Bachelor's in Science in Biology. He cultivated

Fellows Graduation 2022

his research interests in the field of molecular nanotechnology. He developed interests in the arts and obtained a minor in Religious Studies. During his senior year, he spent a semester abroad in Sweden and traveled extensively. He eventually graduated Summa Cum Laude from Temple University. He then attended the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. He was initially interested in medicine but quickly cultivated a growing interest in Urology after a brief rotation during his clerkships. He pursued research in urologic oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center. He matched and completed his urologic training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Following residency, he elected to pursue a one year clinical fellowship in Endourology and Minimally invasive Surgery at the Urology Department at Thomas Jefferson University.

Dr. Malhotra met his wife, Paola, while the two were enrolled in medical school. When not working, the pair enjoy traveling extensively. He is an avid sports fan, enjoying a dying allegiance to Philadelphia Sports teams. He enjoys spending time with his family. He and his wife had their first child in the summer of 2022. Following graduation, Dr. Malhotra will be joining Potomac Urology, a private practice in Alexandria, Virginia.

Jefferson Urology Scholars Graduation

CASSRA CLARK, MD, MS RESEARCH FELLOW

Dr. Cass Clark graduated from SKMC in 2021 and stayed on with our department for a research fellowship. He had previously completed an MS Degree in Medical Genetics and Genomics at Tulane. This was a nice introduction to his research year. Cass had a very productive year with multiple abstracts and papers published. As a research fellow, Dr. Clark submitted 27 abstracts to major meetings including AUA, MA-AUA ASCO, SUFU and others. This year he began his urology residency program at Penn State in Hershey, PA.

Award Presentations

MAX KOPPEL RESIDENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: ZACHARY PREBAY, MD

The Koppel Award is given annually to the resident who achieves the highest score on the annual Urology in service exam. The award is given to honor Dr. Max Koppel who completed his residency at Jefferson in 1964. While in private practice in the Philadelphia area, Dr. Koppel participated as an officer in the United States Public Health Service, serving in many deployments. After retirement from practice, he became a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Urology assisting in a variety of educational and philanthropic activities.

DOLORES SHUPP BYRNE SENIOR UROLOGY AWARD: JARED RAIKIN, MD

The Dolores Shupp Byrne award is given in honor of Dr. Dolores Byrne who has been a member of the Department of Urology Faculty since 1987. The award acknowledges her dedication to student teaching and mentorship. She received her PhD in 1981 from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. As a basic science researcher, Dr. Byrne was historically the critical link between the residents who had the opportunity to work

in the lab during their research time before our program reduced the basic lab time. She has served as Assistant Director to Urological Education, and mentored SKMC students through their 3rd and 4th year rotation and assisted with the initial application stages of our urology residency program. While still active in supporting our medical student experience in Urology, she now serves as is the Program Director of the Post-Baccalaureate

Pre-Professional (P-4) program at Thomas Jefferson University.

Jared is a 2022 graduate of Sidney Kimmel Medical College chosen by the faculty for his contributions to our specialty as a medical student. As President of the Jefferson Urology Society, he organized many events to share the specialty of urology with our SKMC students.

1 The Jefferson signs marks the spot for the 2022 Graduation Celebration in Chadds Ford.

2 Before the guests arrived, the honorees images graced the party tables.

3 Deb Glassman sharing a story with Puneeta Ramachandra and Paul Chung.

4 Intense ping-pong action with Anthony Tokarski and Eddie Kloniecke serving to Radhika Ragam and Aseem Malhotra.

5 Graduating chief resident Dr. Ben Rudnick with wife, Melissa.

6 When inside, masks were requested per local township regulations, but the masks came off outside in the beautiful spring afternoon.

7 About 60 partygoers enjoyed a nice spring day while each of the graduates had the chance to say goodbye and to reminisce about their time in the Department of Urology.

8 Aseem Malhotra, graduating endourology fellow, taking a moment to express his appreciation for the time spent at Jefferson.

9 Chief resident Victor Kucherov with his brother Sasha and his wife Sabrina, Victor’s mother and father Anita and Misha along with Victor’s wife Julie and daughter Elena.

10 Ben Rudnick look alike, Ben Rudnick, Leonard Gomella, and Ben’s brother, Josh.

11 Thenu Chandrasekar with Aseem Malhotra and Paul Chang.

12 Josh Rudnick and Ben Rudnick’s mother, Marlene, along with our new intern Carlos Perez and his wife Stephanie, a pediatric nephrology fellow at CHOP.

13 To complement the pizza theme of the party, Tricia Gomella created mini cookie pizzas and custom designed urology themed tarts for dessert.

14 Victor Kuckerov and brother Sasha, an OB-GYN specialist who joined in the celebration, came to town from Ossining, New York.

15 In our urology residency program, the Chiefs work closely with the junior residents. Here the graduating Chiefs Alex Uhr, Victor Kucherov and Ben Rudnick share a goodbye moment with PGY-3 residents Radhika Ragam, Brian Calio and Halle Foss.

16 Jy Leong is always willing to pitch in, including babysitting seen here with Elena Kucherov.

17 The award-winning Pitruco Pizza truck from Philadelphia served fresh out-of-the-oven delicacies throughout the party.

18 Alex Uhr and his mother Jane celebrating his urology graduation and his special gifts.

19

20 Looking relaxed in their shades, graduating endourology Fellow Aseem Malhotra with Chief Residents Alex Uhr, Victor Kucherov and Ben Rudnick.

The Kucherov family (Julie, Victor and Elena) with Melissa and Ben Rudnick and Alex and Alizabeth Uhr.

The “Milk and Sugar” dessert truck serving up tasty treats to the crowd.

Pat Shenot relating a Victor Kucherov story from a six-year residency book of tales from the OR. Anthony Tokarski videotaping the event for the Jefferson Urology archives.

A special 2022 gift to the 2022 graduates were customized animated doctor bears.

Customized Hershey bars for the graduating chiefs and fellows to celebrate their last graduation ceremony.

Leonard Gomella with some departing words of wisdom for Ben Rudnick before passing the mike to Pat Shenot.

PGY-4 Residents Radhika Ragam and Halle Foss.

Pediatric powerhouse with Sonny Figueroa, Jennifer Hagerty, Puneeta Ramachandra and future pediatric urologist Victor Kucherov.

Partygoers enjoying some closing remarks by the Chief Residents.

The traditional graduating chief and fellow bobble head gifts with their designer, Tricia Gomella.

Residents and Fellows*

CHIEF RESIDENTS (PGY 6)

Edward Kloniecke, MD, MHA

Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical College Undergraduate: University of Scranton Interests: Skiing, Eagles and Phillies, craft beer and bourbon, coffee, Philly food scene, traveling

Andrew Salib, MD Medical School: Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Undergraduate: Rutgers University Interests: Traveling, craft beer, reading

PGY 4

Brian Calio, MD Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical College Undergraduate: University of Delaware Interests: Eagles football, movies, Fantasy sports, golf

Halle Foss, MD Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin Undergraduate: St. Olaf College Interests: Tennis, coffee, card/board games, exploring new bars and restaurants

Radhika Ragam, MD Medical School: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Anthony Tokarski, MD Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical College Undergraduate: Pennsylvania State University Interests: Video and photo editing PGY 3

Courtney Capella, MD Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical College Undergraduate: Dickinson College Interests: Plants, National Parks, and Peloton

Maria D'Amico, MD Medical School: Boston University School of Medicine

Undergraduate: Columbia University Interests: Yoga, Peloton, traveling, the beach

Joon Yau (JY) Leong, MD

Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical College

Undergraduate: The College of New Jersey Interests: Golf, snowboarding, movies, beer gardens, biking on the Schuylkill River Trail PGY 2

Mauro Dispagna, MD

Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University's College of Medicine, Syracuse Undergraduate: University of Central Florida Interests: Soccer, Formula-1 racing, traveling, wine

Matthew Buck, MD Medical School: Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University

Undergraduate: University of Connecticut Interest: U Conn basketball, hiking, coffee, urological oncology, observational research

Zachary Prebay, MD Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee

Undergraduate: University of Michigan Interests: Michigan football, reading, coffee, running

David Fu, MD Medical School: University of Nebraska Medical Center Undergraduate: Boston College Interest: golf, basketball, cooking

Undergraduate: International Medical University Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Interests: Hieroglyphics, Oreos, being "niceee"

Afzal Shakir, MD Medical School: University of Oklahoma College of Medicine

Undergraduate: University of Oklahoma Interest: Trivia night, table tennis, bass guitar, flight simulators, 3D printing, movie character impersonations

Carlos Perez, MD., PhD Medical School: Minnesota Undergraduate: University of Puerto Rico at Cayey Interest: Long-distance running, anything related to reggaeton and Latin trap (merengue, salsa, bachata), cooking Puerto Rican food and trying to blend with midwest cuisine, a good beach day with friends

PREVIOUS

SOCIETY

ENDOUROLOGY & ROBOTIC SURGERY FELLOW: Daniel

Welcome to Dr. Dan Simon our new Endourology and Robotic Surgery Fellow. Dan was born in Illinois and moved around the Midwest in childhood, ultimately landing in Overland Park, KS, where he attended high school. After graduating summa cum laude from the University of Kansas with a B.S. in Microbiology (2009-2013), he completed his medical education at the University of Kansas School of Medicine (2013-2017) in Kansas City, KS. Dr. Simon recently completed his urology residency at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL (2017-2022).

Dr. Simon’s interest in urology started during his urology rotation in medical school. According to Dr. Simon, “My desire to pursue a robotics fellowship stems from my passion for improving patient outcomes and shortening surgical recovery through leading-edge minimally invasive techniques”. Outside of work, Dan enjoys traveling with his wife and dog, sailing, and skiing. On weekends in the fall and winter, you will catch him rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs or cheering on the Kansas Jayhawks during March Madness.

Partial support of the Jefferson Fellow in Endourology and Robotic Surgery was provided by a grant from Boston Scientific.

RESEARCH FELLOW: Rishabh “Rishi” Simhal, MD

Dr. Rishabh Simhal joins us as our new research fellow after completing medical school at the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. Prior to that, he was an undergraduate student at Duke University in Durham, NC, where he graduated with distinction. He then went on to complete a yearlong research fellowship at the Robert J. Lefkowitz laboratory at Duke, where his work primary focused on allosteric drug discovery for G protein-coupled receptors. Rishi’s work was presented and published numerous times, including in the academic journal, Science. So far, he has been a great addition to the Jefferson urology team with his enthusiasm and workethic. He has been extremely productive for the

department, and has presented numerous abstracts at academic conferences. He’s had a particular interest in preoperative frailty and surgical risk prediction as well as work in diversity, equity, and inclusion in urological training. He also has been performing basic science research in collaboration with the orthopedic surgery department at Jefferson investigating drug binding and device infections for inflatable penile prosthesis. Dr. Simhal is from Northern Virginia but has lived all over the country as his father was a military contractor, and even lived in Allentown, PA, for a year.

He is extremely passionate about urology, and is currently applying for urology residencies. Outside of medicine, Dr. Simhal is an avid guitar player and musician, and enjoys playing live blues and writing original music.

JY Leong

PGY3 JY Leong has been elected to the Editorial Board of the Journal of Urology International (CJUI). The CJUI Editorial Board elects two resident representatives who assist with the review of publications with a focus on the development of the “Residents Corner” section of the journal. The term is for two years starting July 2022.

FELLOWS

1996-2023

1996-1997- Michael J. Conlin, MDOregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon

2000-2001 – Gregory Chen, MD- Kaiser Permanente, Hayward, California

2002-2003 – Eric Chenven, MD –Broward Health Medical Center, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

2003-2004 – Sanjay Razdan, MD – International Robotic Institute for Prostate Cancer, Miami, Florida 2004-2005 – Pankaj Kalra, MD – MidLantic Urology, Pottstown/ Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

2005-2006 – Sameer Chawla, MD – WakeMed Urology, Raleigh, North Carolina

2006-2007 – Brent Yanke, MD, MPH– New York Health, Brooklyn, New York

2007-2008 – Raymond Pak, MD, MBA – Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida

2008-2009 – Nicholas T. Leone, MD – United Urology Group, Chesapeake Urology, Pikesville, Maryland

2009-2010 – Arturo Colon Herdman, MD – Private Practice, San Juan, Puerto Rico

2010-2012 – Kelly Anne Healy, MD – Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York

2012-2013 - Sanjay S. Kasturi, MD –New Jersey Urology, Vineland, New Jersey/Linwood,NJ

2011-2013 – Nir Kleinmann, MD – Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel

2013-2015 – Ryuta Tanimoto, MD – Professor, Okayama University, Japan

2014-2015 – Mark J. Mann, MD –New Jersey Urology, Milburn, New Jersey

2016-2017- Daniel Verges, MDSt. Luke’s Center for Urology, Easton, Pennsylvania

2018-2019 – Thenappan Chandrasekar, MD – UC Davis Urology/Lawrence J. Ellison Ambulatory Care Center, Sacramento, California

2019-2020 – Katherine Smentkowski, MD – United Urology Group, Chesapeake Urology, Annapolis, Maryland

2020-2021 - Abhay Singh, MD –St. Luke’s Center for Urology, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

2020-2021 – Asaf Shvero, MD –Sheba Medical Center, Israel

2021-2022 – Aseem Malhotra, MD – Potomac Urology, Alexandria, Virginia

2022-2023 – Current Fellow: Daniel Simon, MD – Instructor, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Residents and Fellows

Student News

AUA Fellowship Awarded to SKMC Student

Welcome New 2022 Urology Intern Class

Carlos Perez, MD, PhD, joins us from the University of Minnesota Medical School, Matthew Buck, MD is from Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, and David Fu, MD, graduated from the University of Nebraska.

Jefferson Fellowship in Endourology and Minimally Invasive Urologic Oncology

This Endourology Society Fellowship at Jefferson was established in 1996. Through 2022, 21 fellows have completed the training program (see page 59). The fellowship is a one-year program certified by the Endourology Society.

Fellows work with the physicians who specialize in advanced endourology and minimally invasive urologic oncology in the Department of Urology and the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center of Thomas Jefferson University.

Dr. Scott Hubosky is responsible for the endourologic aspects of the training. Laparoscopy and minimally invasive urologic oncology are managed by Dr. Costas Lallas with the other urologic oncologists who work in the Department of Urology and the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.

The fellowship focuses on ureteroscopy, percutaneous nephroscopy, and laparoscopic/ robotic reconstructive surgery and oncologic procedures, including nephrectomy, partial nephrectomy, pyeloplasty, prostatectomy, cystectomy, and more advanced procedures. Pure laparoscopic and robotically assisted approaches are employed.

The Fellow attends the Multidisciplinary GU Oncology Clinic at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. They are expected to participate in weekly urology conferences and be involved in teaching residents and medical students.

There is a dedicated Endourology Suite at TJUH, with a wide range of endourologic equipment, and five daVinci Robots with dual consoles, including a single port (SP) system. The Fellow is expected to participate in research endeavors in the department, which includes writing abstracts and manuscripts, and presenting at major regional and national meetings. The fellow is appointed as an instructor at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College and has full attending privileges.

We thank Boston Scientific for providing partial support for this year's endourology fellow.

Yash Shah, a second-year SKMC medical student, was awarded the AUA Summer Medical Student Fellowship through the Herbert Brendler, MD, Research Fund for his project titled "Utilizing NSQIP to Identify Factors Impacting Surgical Approach for cT2 Renal Cell Carcinoma: Partial and Radical Nephrectomy." Under the mentorship of Drs. Thenu Chandrasekar and Costas Lallas, this study aimed to describe patient-specific factors influencing peri-operative morbidity following partial versus radical nephrectomy for localized RCC patients. The AUA Summer Medical Student Fellowship Program is a chance for outstanding medical students to pursue urology research by engaging in a research fellowship mentored by worldclass urologic scientists. Fellows receive a $4,000 stipend to support them during a ten-week mentored research experience and is awarded based on a competitive application process.

Throughout the summer, Yash also had the opportunity to work on various other projects with the Jefferson Urology Research Scholars and develop his clinical research skills while learning more about urology. Several abstracts have already been accepted and presented at the Mid-Atlantic AUA and other meetings. According to Yash “I am immensely grateful to the AUA and Herbert Brendler, MD Research Fund for providing me with the opportunity to expand my interests and skills within urology and clinical research. Although I am still early in my medical education, my summer experience has made me certain that I would be interested in pursuing a future career in urology.”

Jefferson Urology Research Scholar

Kerith Wang has been accepted as our next Jefferson Urology Research Scholar for the 2022-2023 academic year. Kerith is originally from Delaware and just finished her 3rd year at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC). She graduated with a BA in Ecology and a minor in Global Health from Princeton University, which promoted her interest in Public Health. Kerith decided to pursue medicine after working at SKCC on the bone metastasis biorepository and other translational research studies for several years. She was interested in joining the department after discovering the intersection of medical management and surgery and the potential impact urology has on an individual’s quality of life. Outside of work, you’ll find her running along the Schuylkill, decorating fancy cakes, creating 3D origami, traveling (42 countries so far), or enjoying all kinds of art from music to theater and reading books. Kerith is excited to be a part of Urology and to work with and learn from everyone this year. As of December 2022, Kerith has already submitted numerous abstracts that have been accepted at national meetings.

We are grateful to Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. for supporting this year’s Jefferson Urology Research Scholar Program.

SKMC 2022 Urology Match Results

Pre-Medicine Enrichment Program

During the summer of 2022, Jefferson Urology participated in the Mid-Atlantic American Urologic Association (MAAUA) Pre-Medicine Enrichment Program (PEP). This program was developed to support an underrepresented minority undergraduate student to shadow in the Department of Urology for eight weeks. Students received a stipend of $5,000 through the MAAUA, and six of these scholarships were offered in total. PEP was funded through a competitive award to our Department from the Mid-Atlantic AUA (our regional section of the AUA). A careful program schedule was developed for these students to maximize their experience as part of the application process. Ten local institutions (including Historically Black Colleges and Universities) were contacted about the program to see if they had qualified interested URM students. Through this process, we chose an underrepresented minority student from Haverford College, Fadumo (Famo) Haji.

Famo is a sophomore student at Haverford, who immigrated to the United States from Somalia when she was eight years old. Famo had a very successful and impactful two months experience, joining various members of the Department in clinic and in the operating room. She attended all educational conferences and resident didactics and participated in a research project with the departmental research scholars. The faculty and residents in the Department of Urology were so pleased with the success of the experience that we will reapply for the program next year. We are committing to self-fund the next student if not selected by the MAAUA for two consecutive years. This underscores the commitment to DEI that both the Department of Urology and Jefferson Health Enterprise are promoting and extends the reach of Jefferson Urology educational programs to undergraduate students.

International Student Rotation

Luca Cerri recently completed a clinical observership rotation in the Department of Urology. Luca is currently a 4th year medical student at Humanitas University in Milan, Italy. His visit was facilitated by Dr. Ignazio Marino, EVP for International Strategic Clinical Ventures and Professor of Surgery at Jefferson. Luca is no stranger to the US medical system having previously completed observership in Neurology and Orthopedic surgery in Providence and Hartford. He is interested in training in Urology. He shadowed with our current PGY 3’s, Drs. Maria D’Amico, Courtney Capella, and JY Leong.

According to Dr. Marino, who helped in securing Luca’s international rotation spot, “Jefferson Urology is recognized internationally as a top training program with outstanding faculty and facilities. It is a dream of many students interested in the field to spend time with the Department of Urology at Jefferson.”

Student Affairs, Thomas Jefferson University Vice Dean, Student Affairs & Career Counseling, SKMC

Urology match results were announced in February, ahead of the major match program. This early match allows for students interested in Urology to secure a spot in a general surgery preliminary year.

According to Dr. Charles Pohl, Vice Provost, Student Affairs, Thomas Jefferson University Vice Dean, Student Affairs & Career Counseling, Sidney Kimmel Medical College: “The number of interviews granted to our SKMC students was remarkable and above national statistics. Another great urology match with 100% (5/5) SKMC students matching into this very competitive specialty. Most SKMC students got one of their preferred choices and all of them matched into great programs. Congratulations to the department of Urology on another successful SKMC Urology match.” According to Dr. Pat Shenot, Jefferson Residency Program Director, there is a 70% Urology match rate nationally for United States senior medical students.

SKMC Class of 2023 Urology Match Results

Kaitlin Berry

Southern Illinois University

Cassra Clark

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Andrea Quinn

UPMC

Jared Raikin

Cooper University Hospital

Bowen Yao

University of Minnesota

Jefferson Urology Society

The Jefferson Urology Society (JUS) is a student-run organization that works to increase medical student exposure to the field of urology. Dr. Costas Lallas serves as the faculty advisor to the society. Throughout the academic year, JUS hosts several events that promote mentorship, early clinical experiences, and research opportunities that are tailored to bolster urologic exposure across all phases of the JeffMD curriculum. Preclinical students benefit from a number of lectures, journal clubs, and our annual winter externship, which provides 1st and 2nd year medical students with robust clinical exposure to urology prior to the start of their clinical rotations. Students in their clerkship years are provided additional robotics exposure through our annual robotics demonstration as well as ample opportunities to network with Jefferson urology faculty. In an effort to further garner interest in urology, JUS recently established a formal mentorship program. Through this initiative, medical students are encouraged to engage with those actively applying to urology residency so that they may learn more about how best to approach topics such as CV development, away rotations, and the ERAS application.

JUS continues to play a critical role in providing medical students with early exposure to urology. The organization is growing and well positioned to continue to serve the Jefferson student body in 2023. Any questions or comments may be directed to urology. society@students.jefferson.edu

The following activities represent some of the major JUS programs conducted throughout 2022.

JUS Annual Robotics Lecture and Demonstration

The annual robotics lecture and demonstration is an incredibly popular event every year. Despite the event being canceled in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions, students were able to attend the event in person this year. With over 30 students in attendance, Dr. Costas Lallas provided a lecture on the history of robotic surgery in urology followed by a demonstration of the Da Vinci robot in an operating room. Students were also provided the unique opportunity to practice specific surgical skills with the robotic simulator.

JUS Journal Club

JUS hosted its first entirely student-run journal club this year. The event began with loweryear medical students providing an overview of anatomy and physiology that was relevant to the articles being discussed. Following this introduction, upper-year medical students presented notable and controversial articles pertaining to an interesting topic in urology. With guidance from Dr. Thenappan Chandrasekar, articles selected this year focused on outcomes from the RAZOR trial.

Fall Career Fair

The Fall Career Fair is an event hosted by Jefferson’s MD Compass, which is an organization that provides medical students with additional opportunities to help clarify specialty choice. At the Career Fair, members of JUS were present at a table to answer questions and educate students regarding the benefits of pursuing a career in urology.

JUS Annual Introduction to Urology Meeting

The annual introduction to urology meeting is one of the first events JUS holds during the academic year. The event consists of a series

of lectures delivered by JUS members which provides students with a brief overview of urologic subspecialties as well as exposure to the diversity of urologic pathology and treatment options. Students are also provided a general introduction to the ways in which urology is incorporated into both the preclinical and clinical curriculums at Jefferson. Other topics discussed include compensation, specialty lifestyle, and the residency application process.

JUS Annual Winter Externship

The annual externship was an initiative started in 2021 to increase clinical exposure to urology for interested preclinical students. In its inaugural year, 4 students participated in the program after being selected from a competitive applicant pool. Students spent 2-weeks of their winter break interacting with Jefferson urology faculty and residents in the clinic, ORs, and floors. Students learned basic skills such as knot tying and foley catheter placement as well as general OR etiquette. Feedback from students that completed the externship was incredibly positive, thus, the externship has returned for 2022. The externship will continue to be a 2-week experience over winter break with the goal of providing early exposure to encourage more students to consider pursuing a career in urology. The externship will be expanding this year to include both TJUH and Methodist Hospital as rotation sites to maximize the number of students that can participate in the program.

JUS Mentoring Program

The mentoring program is a new initiative established in 2022 to provide 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year students with additional opportunities to connect with 4th year students actively applying to urology residency. Through this formal program, JUS members believe students will benefit from the knowledge and advice of students that are familiar with topics such as away rotation applications and navigating social media as a urology applicant. The urology application process continues to change and evolve year by year, and JUS believes a formal mentorship program will serve to ensure Jefferson students continue to excel in the match.

A Zoom shot of a recent Jefferson

Urology

Jefferson Urology Society Officers 2022-2023

President

Connor McPartland (‘23)

VP Clinical Adam Schneider (‘23)

VP Research Jessica Bulafka (‘23)

Secretary Joseph Schultz (‘23)

Treasurer Yash Shah (‘25) Event Coordinator Amit Syal (’25)

Upper-class Liaison Eshika Agarwal (’24)

Lower-class Liaisons Xiya Wu (’25) Emily Yanoshak (’25)

Society

Board

meeting (left to right): Jessica Bulafka, Vice President for Research, Connor McPartland, President, Yash Shah, Treasurer and Xiya Wu, Lower Class liaison.

2022 Martin L. Dresner, MD, Jefferson Urology Alumni Achievement Award: Dr.

David Rivas

Dr. David Rivas is the recipient of the 2022 Martin L. Dresner, MD, Jefferson Urology Alumni Achievement Award. The selection committee’s decision was based on Dr. Rivas’s contributions to ensure the success of our department’s educational mission, as well as contributions to the Pharmaceutical Industry in general and urology specific product development.

Dr. David Rivas is an alumnus of Sidney Kimmel Medical College (Jefferson Medical College) Class of 1984, completed his residency in Urology (1987-91) and fellowship in Neuro-

Urology and Incontinence (1992-94) at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He was Assistant Professor of Urology at Jefferson from 19942000 and Director of the Division of NeuroUrology from 1996-2000. While a faculty member at Jefferson, he was involved with coordination and oversight of the residency program with Dr. Mulholland. Currently, Dr. Rivas leads pharmaceutical research and development efforts in the Infectious Diseases and Vaccines Therapeutic Area at Janssen, the Pharmaceutical Company of Johnson & Johnson.

Jefferson Urology Alumni Association

Let us know if you—our urology alumni, student, residents, fellows and faculty—should have any personal or professional news announcements to share. If you do, contact Dr. Paul Chung, Director Jefferson Urology Alumni Association (paul.chung@jefferson.edu). We are committed to keeping connected to our urology alumni across the United States and internationally. Update your contact and other information by using the following link https://tinyurl.com/jeffersonurology or by using the QR code on your cellphone. Alumni may also directly contact our office by phone (215-955-6961) or email barbara.devine@jefferson.edu to update your contact information. Specific questions on the Jefferson Urology Alumni Association can be directed to Dr. Paul Chung (paul.chung@jefferson.edu) or Dr. Leonard Gomella, Chair of the Department of Urology (leonard.gomella@jefferson.edu).

Jefferson Urology Alumni Awards have been previously presented to Drs. Ken Brownstein, Steve Strup, Marty Dresner and Michael Erhard. In 2022, the award became the Martin L. Dresner, MD Jefferson Urology Alumni Achievement Award thanks to a gift in honor of Dr. Martin Dresner, 1965 graduate of Sidney Kimmel Medical College (Jefferson Medical College). The formal award presentation took place during our year-end David M. Davis Visiting Professor Program on June 16-17, 2022.

Dr. Kymora Scotland Named 2022 Young Urologist of the Year

Kymora Scotland, MD, PhD, was named the 2022 Young Urologist of the Year by the American Urological Association Western Section. Dr. Scotland earned her medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University and her doctorate at the Tri-Institutional Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering MD-PhD Program. She completed her urology residency at Thomas Jefferson University in 2017, where she developed an interest in endourology while performing research with Dr. Demetrius Bagley. Next, Kymora completed an endourology fellowship at the University of British Columbia in Canada, during which she obtained a Urology Care Foundation Research Scholar Award.

Dr. Scotland is now an Assistant Professor at UCLA, where she serves as Associate Director of the Endourology Fellowship and Chief of Endourology Research. Her clinical practice has focused on the treatment of kidney stones, benign prostatic hyperplasia and upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Her basic research at UCLA investigates stone pathogenesis and the physiology of peristalsis. She has a particular clinical research interest in developing techniques aimed at improving quality of life for nephrolithiasis patients and has focused recent work on patient engagement with medical management regimens. She is the President of the Collaborative for Research in Endourology (CoRE), an international group of endourologists focused on developing innovative solutions to the care of kidney stone patients and the Vice President of the Society for Infection and Inflammation in Urology.

Dr. Scotland has engaged in wide-ranging mentorship of students and trainees from grade school through to fellow urologists. As the Director of Resident Outreach for the R. Frank Jones Urological Society, she developed the Urology Resident Mentorship Program, a nationwide program that provides mentorship to residents underrepresented in medicine. She also serves as the head of pipeline activities for the Department of Urology at UCLA where she has partnered with a number of local organizations to develop ongoing mentorship and engagement programs for school children with an interest in STEM. Dr. Scotland has organized systematic career and research mentorship for undergraduate and medical students underrepresented in medicine, resulting in several publications coauthored by these students. In her quest to introduce endourology skills internationally, she has performed global urology training in the Caribbean and West Africa specifically focused on teaching urologists to perform these cases independently and has continued to do so remotely throughout the pandemic using augmented reality technology. She has recently expanded her efforts to reach more urologists as part of the international Executive Committee of the Endourology Academy, an online platform that provides a structured format for the learning of skills in endourology.

News from Frank L. D'Elia MD, FACS

Frank completed urology training at Jefferson in 1984 and practiced in suburban Philadelphia for many years. He recently wrote to say that he is officially retired and moved to Sheldon, South Carolina. Frank does travel to the area frequently to visit with his daughter in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and to visit with his good friends in the area. He has a special fondness for his old neighborhood in Chadds Ford. As Frank notes, “I have always felt a special closeness with Jefferson and the residents in training. I am proud to see that Jefferson Urology has become one of the powerhouses in the field of Urology.”

ALLEN CHIURA, MD, EDITORIAL BOARD APPOINTMENT

Congratulations to Dr. Allen Chiura on his appointment to the editorial board of the recently launched journal, African Urology. Dr. Chiura completed urology training a Jefferson in 1997. Allen and his wife, Dr. Nozipo Maraire, a neurosurgeon, are involved in the training of residents in urology and neurosurgery at the University of Zimbabwe’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences and Parirenyatwa Government Hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe.

DRS. COUNSILMAN & UHR JOIN JEFFERSON HEALTH

We are pleased to announce that Drs. May Jean “MJ” Counsilman and Alex Uhr have joined our Jefferson Health Community Urology practice at Jefferson Northeast. According to Dr. Milt Coll, senior partner of the group, “We are so pleased to have two Jefferson Urology trainees join our well-established practice in Northeast Philadelphia. The quality of the Jefferson urology residency is well known regionally and nationally.”

MJ graduated as Chief Resident for our program in 2021. She went on to a oneyear fellowship in Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. While in Boston, she completed a course in clinical effectiveness through the Harvard School of Public Health. In the summer of 2022, she returned to Philadelphia and joined our Jefferson Health Community Urology practice at Jefferson Northeast along with Dr. Alex Uhr. Alex graduated from our Urology residency program in 2022. When he decided to stay in the area, we were pleased to have him join Jefferson Health Urology. We look forward to their future participation in our educational programs.

Dr. Chong Visits Jefferson

Dr. Yew-Lam Chong, MBBS, MRCS, MMed, FAMS, traveled from Singapore to attend Jefferson’s 22nd Annual Population Health Colloquium November 7-9, 2022, at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel and stopped by to visit the Department.

The program was sponsored by Jefferson’s College of Population Health, and it is recognized as the Leading Forum on Population Health Innovations. Yew-Lam completed an Endourology Fellowship at Jefferson and took the time to visit the Department. He serves as Senior Consultant of the Department of Urology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Concurrently, he is the Chairman of the Division of Surgery and holds Adjunct Associate Professorship at the NTU-Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and Adjunct Assistant Professorship at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. He also serves as an International Editorial Board Member of the Canadian Journal of Urology International

Michael Fabrizio, MD FACS, Alumni Update

Demetrius H. Bagley Jr., MD, FACS

Dr. Demetrius H. Bagley Jr., passed away on, January 17, 2022. Demetrius was the Nathan Lewis Hatfield Professor of Urology and Radiology at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA, and was part of our department since 1983. He is known internationally for his contributions to the field of endourology, particularly ureteroscopy and its diagnostic and therapeutic applications in diseases of the upper urinary tract. In 2010, he was the recipient of the Karl Storz Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2014 he was awarded the American Urological Association Lifetime Achievement Award for visionary leadership and educational contributions in ureteroscopy and minimally invasive surgical techniques for the upper urinary tract. He was a member of the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons.

Prior to his time at Jefferson, Dr. Bagley attended medical school at Johns Hopkins University, and urology residency at Yale University before fellowship at the NCI. His interest in endourology began in 1979 as an assistant professor at the University of Chicago. Together with Drs. Ed Lyon and Jeffrey Huffman, he pushed the boundaries of ureteroscopy, defining the limitations of the available instruments, and relentlessly working to improve and refine them.

Dr. Bagley’s passion for education matched his innovative contributions. In addition to the publication of more than 400 original papers and books, he has trained over 60 residents and endourology fellows. Many have risen in academia throughout the United States, and internationally in Egypt, the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Israel and

Jonathan Lee White, MD

Japan. Fully appreciating the importance of a care team, he was a strong supporter of multidisciplinary education, frequently including nurses and medical assistants in academic projects.

Additionally, Dr. Bagley has presented many courses to educate practicing urologists. Spanning nearly three decades, these include AUA courses, international hands-on, live demonstration and lecture courses and visiting professorships and invited lectureships in over 35 countries. Video presentations of his techniques and new instruments lead to widespread adoption of his methods.

His vision and tireless pursuit of excellence lit the path for the contemporary practice of semirigid and flexible ureteroscopy. Words cannot

express our appreciation for his contributions and leadership in the field of endourology. Demetrius will be sorely missed and truly is irreplaceable.

The Jefferson community extends sympathy to his wife Jackie, son Jacques, and daughter-inlaw Kathy on their loss. An online memorial to Dr. Bagley including many photos and comments from trainees and colleagues from around the world can be found at www.kudoboard.com/boards/cBvbKrsG

On Wednesday, August 31, 2022, Jonathan Lee White, MD, passed away at his home with his wife and children by his side at age 61. He was born on January 10, 1961 in Frederick, MD to John and Irene White. Jonathan graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science from Vanderbilt University and a Doctorate of Medicine from Georgetown University. Jonathan and Donna were married on November 22, 1986. Jonathan completed his general surgery and urology training at Jefferson in 1993. He practiced in suburban Washington DC for many years.

Jonathan took great pride in working as a Urologist and was frequently featured in

Washingtonian Top Doctors. In his spare time, he enjoyed hiking in national parks with his son Austin and was an avid runner, completing four marathons. He enjoyed traveling with his family, taking multiple cruises through Europe and traveled extensively across the U.S. He was also a large supporter of the Baltimore Ravens and a longtime season ticket holder of the Washington Capitals. Jonathan is survived by wife Donna, daughter Alexa, sons Andrew and Austin, and daughter-in-law Mary as well as a large extended family who all loved him dearly. His memorial site is located online:

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/ silver-spring-md/jonathan-white-10912275

YEAR IN PHOTOS

1 Drs. Pat Shenot and Leonard Gomella present Dr. Akhil Das with a memento of his time at Jefferson, an OR shot with Dr. Das at the center that graced the inaugural cover of our Department of Urology “Year in Review 2019”. Dr. Das relocated to University of California, Irvine to be close to family who moved to the LA area.

2 Our enthusiastic Urology surgical team ready to start the day at the Methodist Hospital Division in South Philadelphia.

From Left to right: Drs. Alex Uhr, Jeannie Llenado, Mark Mann, Courtney Capella, Andrew Salib and Paul Chung.

3 Thanks to the generosity of the Leonard and Barbara Frank Residents fund, this year the fund supported our Urology residents membership to Planet Fitness.

4 Dr. Yew Lam Chong, 2007-2008 Fellow, stopped by Urology while attending a Jefferson population health program. On page 66 is more on Dr. Chong and his urology career in Singapore.

5 Members of the Department of Urology celebrating with Brian Sweeney (center) President of Jefferson Health New Jersey during the Jefferson Health Foundation 2022 New Jersey Gala. The charity event at the Borgata in Atlantic City benefited the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. The event showcased entertainment by the Beach Boys featuring original band member Mike Love.

6 Jefferson Women Physicians in Urology at a fall dinner gathering event.

7 Congratulations to Dr. and Mrs. Kathleen and Edward Kloniecke on their marriage. Shown celebrating with Dr. Andrew Salib and his wife, Maryann, and Dr. Anthony Tokarski.

8 We discovered this unknown “Jefferson Urology Villain of the Year Award” in a secret location at TJUH. No one will publicly discuss the nature of the award, but sources tell us it is a “good award to receive from the residents.”

9 A full urology schedule in the Methodist OR in South Philly.

10 Congratulations to Caroline Richards and Scott Bowes who both announced their retirements in 2022.

11 Drs. Shreyas Rai and Ronak Shah, urology residents from KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital and MRC, Belgaum, India receive observership certificates while Dr. Rajendra Nerli, Urology Chief at Dr. Prabhakar Kore hospital and Dr. Leonard Gomella participate in the grand rounds farewell presentation (see also page 15).

12 Dr. Perry Weiner with Drs. Serg Ginzberg, Phil Abbosh and Puneeta Ramachandra at the DM Davis banquet. Drs. Ginzberg and Abbosh are Einstein Health colleagues that are now part of the Jefferson Health system.

13 A farewell grand rounds ceremony for Drs. Mark Mann and Thenu Chandrasekar with our Chief residents Drs. Uhr, Kucherov and Rudnick. Dr. Mann is relocating to Northern New Jersey in the St. Barnabus Health System and Dr. Chandrasekar and his wife will be moving to the West Coast and joining the UC Irvine medical center.

14 15 16 Busy activity in the Department of Urology research Lab directed by Dr. Matt Schiewer. For more details on our Department of Urology research lab see page 7.

17 The traditional “Movember” photo showing the Department of urology support for the month of November mustache challenge to support prostate cancer awareness. Dr. Ragam and Dr. Gomella tied for first place.

18 Doximity is an online community that connects medical professionals across the US including physicians, advanced practice providers, pharmacists and others. Our preop 3-D renal models were featured on the Doximity site.

19 Best wishes and congratulations to Theresa Muldoon on her retirement after many years of outstanding service to Jefferson Urology.

20 Dr. Andrew Salib posing for a humorous urology-themed photo during Dr. Kloniecke’s wedding reception.

YEAR IN PHOTOS

21 A busy inpatient urology day with Doka keeping her eye on 4 cellphones at once

22 Some Urology Halloween fun with Michelle, Caroline and Oksana in our center city office donated by Dr. Tricia Gomella.

23 Our residents enjoying a luncheon outdoors after taking the Fall Urology in-service exam on a very sunny day in November.

24 Dr. Gomella had the opportunity to meet with Jefferson Urology graduate Dr. Kymora Scotland during the 2022 Clinical Society of Genitourinary Surgeons meeting at UCLA in November. Kymora presented her research on understanding the physiologic impact of ureteral stents. See page 65 for more information on Dr. Scotland’s career and accomplishments.

25 2022 graduating Chief residents Drs. Kucherov, Rudnick and Uhr presenting the inaugural Faculty Teaching Award at the DMD Banquet at the Union League. The recipient could not attend the presentation but turn to page 35 to see who received the award.

26 Starting in the summer of 2022, our JUP faculty, Drs. Whitney Smith and Pat Shenot, began office hours at Einstein Elkins Park to provide UDS and other clinical services for Einstein Urology. The Elkins Park staff (pictured) include Erneshia Reynolds, Natasha Varela and Aliyah Zeigler, who provide excellent support for patient care.

27 Dr. Courtney Capella and her fiancé, Dr. Joe Godovchik, with Dr. Jean Llenado at the DM Davis banquet.

28 The 13th Annual Methodist Hospital Foundation Fashion Fundraiser was held at the Crystal Tea Room on Sunday, October 16, 2022. Guests of the Department of Urology sponsorship included Barbara Devine and her daughter, Amanda, Janice Harper, her sisters and other guests. The event included a portrait unveiling of Dr. Marty Koucher, a partner of Dr. Mark Graham from South Philadelphia, who passed away.

29 Members of the Department of Urology clinical trials research team include Kerith Wang, Jefferson Urology Research Scholar with clinical trials research coordinators

Oleksandr “Alex” Kolesnikov and Olivia Dahlgren.

30 Dr. Leonard Gomella was interviewed for the Inaugural issue of the Philadelphiabased magazine, Medicine and Doctors, in which he discussed the future of personalized medicine in Urology.

31 Some attendees at our 2022 DM Davis Banquet at the Union League included Drs. Ken Brownstein, Radhika Ragam, Andrea Becker and her husband, Milt Coll, Ben Rudnick and Brian Calio.

32 Center City office staff participating in the “Ugly Christmas Sweater” contest. Can you guess who the winner was?

33 Attendees at the Jefferson and the Canadian Journal of Urology International AUA reception in New Orleans.

34 Doka and Suzanne are frequent preceptors for our Jefferson’s NP program, seen here with Raine Robinson, RN-BC, BSN (Center). Raine is enrolled in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program at Jefferson and graduates in May 2023. She has observed in the OR, helped with floor management of patients, and performed bedside procedures in the SPU. She has high interest for pursuing a career in Urology after graduation, and wants to thank the entire urology team’s commitment to training her.

35 Residents Secret Santa party.

36 Dr. Gopal Badlani, 2022 DM Davis Visiting Professor (see page 29).

37 Urology OR staff holiday celebration. From left to right Nicholas Vadino, Alyson Ciglar, Monica Zagacki, Megan Forman and center Sonia Hurtado, RN Urology OR Nurse Specialist.

38 Chief residents Drs. Anthony Tokarski and Ed Kloniecke enjoying an Eagles game on a rainy Sunday evening in South Philly (‘GO BIRDS!!”).

Faculty Listing

Department of Urology Faculty, Sidney Kimmel Medical College Thomas Jefferson University

Alana M. Murphy, MD, FACS

Associate Professor

Associate Director Urology Residency Program

Director Female Urology Medical School: College of Physicians & Surgeons at Columbia University, New York Residency: Columbia University Medical Center, NY, NY Fellowship: Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH

Matthew Schiewer, PhD

Assistant Professor, Urology & Cancer Biology

Vice Chair for Basic Science Research

Graduate School: Thomas Jefferson University, Phila., PA Postdoctoral Fellowship: Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA

Mihir S. Shah, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor Social Media Coordinator Medical School: Rutgers, The New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ

Residency: Thomas Jefferson University Fellowship: Advanced Robotics, Laparoscopy and Urologic Oncology, USC Los Angeles, CA

Leonard G. Gomella, MD, FACS

Chairman, Department of Urology

The Bernard W. Godwin Jr. Professor of Prostate Cancer Sr. Director Clinical Affairs, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Ctr. Enterprise Vice President Urology, Jefferson Health Medical School: University of Kentucky Residency: University of Kentucky Fellowship: Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD

P. Kenneth Brownstein, MD, FACS

Clinical Assistant Professor

The Harold A. Honickman Physician Director of Jefferson Signature Services Director of Development

Medical School: Hahnemann University (now Drexel University College of Medicine), Philadelphia, PA Residency: General Surgery – University of California Hospital, San Diego, CA Urology Residency: Thomas Jefferson University, Phila., PA

Dolores E. Shupp-Byrne, PhD

Assistant Professor

Director of Medical Student Education Director Jefferson’s Postbaccalaureate Pre-Professional Program (P4)

Graduate School: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA

Paul H. Chung, MD, FACS

Associate Professor

Co-Director Men’s Health Program

Director Reconstructive Urology Trauma and Prosthetics Director Jefferson Urology Alumni Association

Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical College Residency: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas

Fellowship: Male Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgery and Trauma, University of Washington, Seattle WA

Deborah T. Glassman, MD, FACS

Clinical Associate Professor

Director Telehealth Program

Medical School: New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY Residency: University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland

Patrick T. Gomella, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor Urology and Surgery

CME Coordinator

Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical College Residency: George Washington University Fellowship: Urologic Oncology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD

Irvin H. Hirsch, MD

Clinical Professor

Co-Director Men’s Health Program

Medical School: Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NY, NY Residency: Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY Fellowship: Male Reproductive Medicine & Surgery/ Urodynamics & Uroprosthetics

Baylor University Medical Center, Houston TX

Scott G. Hubosky, MD

Demetrius H. Bagley Jr. MD Professor Vice Chair Quality Improvement & Safety Director Division of Endourology/Co-Director Fellowship Program Endourology & Laparoscopy

Medical School: Loyola University, Stritch School of Medicine, Chicago Residency: Thomas Jefferson University Fellowship: Robotic Surgery and Endourology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA

Joseph K. Izes, MD, FACS

Clinical Assistant Professor Medical School: Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA Residency: Lahey Clinic Foundation, Burlington, MA Fellowship: Urologic Oncology, Lahey Clinic, Burlington, MA

Costas D. Lallas, MD, FACS

The Nathan Lewis Hatfield Professor of Urology Vice Chair, Education Associate Director Urology Residency Program/Co-Director Fellowship Program Endourology & Laparoscopy Program Director, Einstein Urology Residency Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical College Residency: Duke University Fellowship: Robotic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ

Jeanne V. Llenado, DO, FACOS

Clinical Assistant Professor Vice Chair Regional Urology Director, South Philadelphia Campus Medical School: UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ Residency: UMDNJ, Stratford NJ

James Ryan Mark, MD

Assistant Professor

Vice Chair for Clinical Research Director of Clinical Trials Medical Director SKCC Biorepository Medical School: Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri

Residency: Thomas Jefferson University Fellowship: Urologic Oncology, Levine Cancer Institute, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC

Patrick J. Shenot, MD, FACS

Professor Deputy Chair Residency Program Director Medical School: State University of New York Stony Brook Residency: Thomas Jefferson University Fellowship: Neurourology, Thomas Jefferson University

Whitney R. Smith, MD

Assistant Professor

Director Abington Practice Medical School: Rutgers, The New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ

Residency: Thomas Jefferson University Fellowship: Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Wake Forest Baptist Health, Winston-Salem, NC

Perry R. Weiner, DO, MSc, FACOS

Clinical Associate Professor Director Men’s Health Program

Medical School: New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York Residency: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

JOINT

SIDNEY KIMMEL MEDICAL COLLEGE

FACULTY

Robert Den, MD

Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Biology and Urology

Karolynn Echols, MD

Associate Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Urology

Director, Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Ethan J. Halpern, MD

Professor of Radiology and Urology

Vice Chair for Research Department of Radiology

William Kevin Kelly, DO

Professor, Medical Oncology and Urology

Chairman Department of Medical Oncology

Associate Director of Clinical Research, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center

Mathew L. Thakur, PhD, FSNMMI, FNAI, FACNM, FICNM, FARR

Professor of Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Urology Director, Laboratories of Radiopharmaceutical Research, Molecular Imaging and Biofluid Diagnostics

VOLUNTEER FACULTY

Robert S. Charles, MD

Assistant Professor Chief of Urology, Abington Hospital

Mohammed Ismail, MD

Assistant Professor Chief of Urology, VA Medical Center Wilmington, DE

Edouard J. Trabulsi, MD, MBA, FACS Professor Chair, Department of Urology Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA

DUPONT NEMOURS PEDIATRIC UROLOGY FACULTY

T.E. (Sonny) Figueroa, MD, FAAP, FACS Professor of Urology and Pediatrics Chief, Division of Urology at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children Fellowship: Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI

Keara N. DeCotiis, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor of Urology Fellowship: The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada

Jennifer Hagerty, DO, FAAP

Clinical Assistant Professor of Urology and Pediatrics Fellowship: Northwestern University, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, Chicago, IL

Puneeta Ramachandra, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor of Urology and Pediatrics Fellowship: Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego, San Diego, CA

Outpatient Practice Locations: See Cover Graphic as of January 2023

Jefferson Department of Urology Outpatient Locations

Abington/Asplundh Cancer Pavilion

Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center

Site Contact: Noreen Wielgus, MSN, RN 3941 Commerce Avenue, Willow Grove, PA 19090 215-481-4668 | Fax: 215-481-8056

Jefferson Urology Abington Site Contact: Traciann Carr, RN Price Medical Office Building 1245 Highland Avenue, Suite 302 Abington, PA 19001 215-481-7700 | Fax: 215-481-4511

GU Multidisciplinary Clinic

Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Site Contact: Crystal Sypherd, CPhT 215-503-0581

111 S. 11th Street, Street Level Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-955-6700 | Fax: 215-955-0412

Jefferson Urology Center City

Site Contact: Janelle Browning 33 S. 9th Street, Suite 703 (Formerly 833 Chestnut) Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-955-1000 | Fax: 215-503-2066

Jefferson Urology Cherry Hill Site Contact: Beverly Scarlett 511 North Kings Highway Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 844-542-2273 | Fax: 856-667-2428

Jefferson Urology Navy Yard Site Contact: Tammy Aversa 3 Crescent Drive, 2nd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19112 215-503-7124 | Fax: 215-503-3191

Men’s Health Program at the Navy Yard

Site Contact: Alana Flowers 3 Crescent Drive, 2nd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19112 215-890-1090 | Fax: 215-503-3191

For Pediatric Urology Care Division of Pediatric Urology Nemours Physicians: 302-651-4200 Locations in Delaware, Philadelphia, Main Line and New Jersey

Jefferson Medical Group Urology Practices

Jefferson NE Urology Bucks 240 Middletown Boulevard

Langhorne, PA 19047 267-560-1001

Jefferson NE Urology Torresdale 3998 Red Lion Road Philadelphia, PA 19114 215-632-8882

Jefferson NE Urology Cottman 1342 Cottman Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19111 215-745-1612

Jefferson NE Urology Welsh Road 2137 Welsh Road Philadelphia, PA 19115 215-698-7333

Buxmont Urological Specialists 125 Medical Campus Drive

Lansdale, PA 19446 215-361-2304

Buxmont Urological Specialists 711 Lawn Avenue Sellersville, PA 18960 215-257-1050

Einstein Urology Elkins Park 50 Township Line Elkins, Park, PA 19027 215-663-6067

Einstein Urology Philadelphia 1200 W. Tabor Road Philadelphia, PA 19141 215-456-4600

Jefferson Urology Top Rankings U.S. News & World Report and Doximity Residency Programs

We are pleased that in the latest Doximity rankings our Jefferson Urology residency program was in the top 20 in the United States. Our training program was rated 18 out of 146 in the Doximity database.

The Department of Urology received a “Best Hospital for Urology” listing in the 2022-2023 ratings of U.S. New & World Report. U.S. News evaluated 1,490 hospitals and ranked the top 50 that see a significant number of challenging urology patients and treat conditions such as those affecting the urinary tract, bladder and prostate.

Jefferson Urology was ranked #36 nationally. The effort of all of our providers and staff helped us achieve this recognition. Additionally, the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, an important partner in our clinical and research activities, also achieved national recognition in the top 50. Eight other specialties at Thomas Jefferson University were also ranked in the top 50.

Built from Doximity’s network of more than 80 percent of all U.S. physicians, Residency Navigator leverages insights from the largest survey and CV analysis of current residents and recent alumni. Congratulations to our Program Director Dr. Pat Shenot and associate program directors Drs. Alana Murphy and Costas Lallas for the design and direction of our training program. Dr. David Paskin, SKMC Vice Dean for Graduate Medical Education & Affiliations, notes that, “Our Jefferson/Sidney Kimmel Medical College Urology program has always been one of the most sought after in the US. It is rewarding to see our program officially recognized as one of the tops in the United States.”

In a related note, Sidney Kimmel Medical College graduates contributed the second highest number of first year urology residents in the United States in the 2016-2021 period. SKMC noted a total of 37 seniors who entered urology training. Only SUNY Downstate had more at 41 graduates. (Kim JE, Kim IE, Lee J, et al Urology . 2022 Oct 14;S0090-4295(22)00824-X. doi: 10.1016/j. urology.2022.08.047. Online ahead of print).

Much of this high level of interest in our specialty by SKMC students relates to our outstanding student run Jefferson Urology Society (see page 62).

TOP DOCTORS 2022

JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY UROLOGY

Dr. Deborah Glassman – Jefferson University (Top Doctor for 3 years)

Jefferson Medical Group Urology Notes

Dr. Leonard Gomella – Jefferson University Urology (Top Doctor for 20 years)

Dr. Joseph Izes – Jefferson University Urology (Top Doctor for 5 years)

Dr. Costas Lallas – Jefferson University Urology (Top Doctor for 10 Years)

Dr. Alana Murphy – Jefferson University Urology (Top Doctor for 4 Years)

Dr. Patrick Shenot – Jefferson University Urology, Magee Urology (Top Doctor for 15 Years)

JEFFERSON PEDIATRIC UROLOGY

There are more than 850,000 practicing doctors in the United States and not all qualify to be a Castle Connolly Top Doctor. Unlike other “find a doctor” services, Castle Connolly has curated approximately 60,000 boardcertified U.S. physicians. Through their rigorous research process, only these hand-selected few have been awarded Top Doctor status. A 2018 study published in the Journal of Medical Research found that across several specialties Castle Connolly’s peer-reviewed directory was much more reliable than sites that just relied on patient reviews when it came to identifying quality care. The Urologists (listed on right) are members of the Jefferson Medical Group practicing in the Jefferson Health System and selected as “Top Doctors” in 2022. It also recognizes our academic pediatric partners at AI DuPont. For more information, visit: www.castleconnolly.com/.

The ”Top Doctor” listing from Castle Connolly is also now shared with the Philadelphia Magazine “Top Doctors” May 2022 issue.

Dr. T. Ernesto Figueroa – Nemours/ DuPont (Top Doctor for 5 Years)

Dr. Ahmad Bani Hani – Nemours/ DuPont (Top Doctor for 5 Years)

JEFFERSON MEDICAL GROUP

Dr. Philip Abbosh – Einstein Urology

Dr. Howard Altman- Jefferson NE Urology

Dr. Lee Blatstein – Jefferson Buxmont Urology Specialists (Top Doctor for 5 years)

Dr. David Kraman – Jefferson NE Urology (Top Doctor for 10 Years)

Dr. Cadence Kim – Jefferson NE Urology (Top Doctor for 5 years)

Dr. Edouard Trabulsi – Einstein Urology (Top Doctor for 10 Years)

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Launches Single Port Robotic Surgery Program

Jefferson Urology is proud to venture into the next generation of robotic surgery, the single port (SP) platform.

This surgical system offers an HD camera and three working arms that articulate from a single 2.5cm port. This technology is considered the next evolution of minimally invasive surgery and the only single port robotic system in the Jefferson Enterprise is at TJUH.

Dr. Lallas and his robotic surgery colleagues are actively exploring its potential for pelvic and retroperitoneal robotic surgery and report that the initial results are promising. They hope to be able to determine the role of single port robotic surgery in the minimally invasive surgery space for oncologic and nononcologic procedures. More to come over the next year.

Dr. Alex Uhr and Endourology Fellow Dr. Aseem Malhotra with the robotic single port system during a partial nephrectomy procedure.

For the second year in a row, Jefferson Health has landed the #8 spot on Diversity Inc's Top Hospitals and Health System list. Our achievement was based on data collected across six key areas: leadership accountability, human capital diversity metrics, talent programs, workplace practices, supplier diversity, and philanthropy. Thank you to all the teams across Jefferson, who have worked together to make DEI an organizational focus.

Jefferson Urology Office Opens on the Abington Campus

After many months of supply chain delays, the Jefferson Urology office on the Abington Main Campus opened officially on July 6, 2022. The new office suite is located in the Price office building, Room 302. Dr. Whitney Smith, Clinical site director for our Abington practice is shown here with our Abington office staff. The office is equipped with cystoscopy, prostate biopsy and UDS capability.

We will continue to have a urologic oncology specialty SKCC practice at the Asplundh Cancer Pavilion in Willow Grove working with Noreen Wielgus and the larger SKCC GU team. Our Abington practice providers include Drs. Whitney Smith, Patrick Gomella, Joe Izes along with our PA Vivian Ngo. Dr. Mihir Shah has also joined as one of the site providers in September. The Department of Urology Faculty members also help support the Hartnett Health Services Clinic. Harnett provides care for

vulnerable populations, the poor, minorities, and other under-served groups through this community benefit program.

The office came into existence through the significant efforts of Marlene Vallett, Peg O'Grady and Pam Frazier working with Dr. Smith in making this new office a reality. We are also appreciative of the support of the Abington division leadership including Alison Ferren and Dr. Gerry Cleary for welcoming our JUP practice to the Abington Main campus.

Dr. Gomella Discusses Precision Medicine

The role of precision medicine has been increasing in urology thanks to new laboratory technologies and a better understanding of genetic and genomic testing.

One area of intense interest is in the management prostate cancer. Dr. Gomella has been discussing the role of precision medicine in prostate cancer on on different platforms including online publications such as Urology Times and various Jefferson websites.

Nerli RB, Ghagane SC, Rangrez SS, Chandra S, Thakur ML, Gomella L. Author Reply Re: Nerli RB, Ghagane SC, Rangrez S, Chandra S, Thakur ML, Gomella L. Detection of bladder cancer using voided urine sample and by targeting genomic VPAC receptors. Indian J Urol 2021;37:345-9. Indian J Urol. 2022 JanMar;38(1):78-79. doi: 10.4103/iju.iju_462_21. Epub 2022 Jan 1. PMID: 35136304; PMCID: PMC8796771.

Chung PH, Leong JY, Machado P, Wessner CE, Trabulsi EJ, Halpern EJ, Eisenbrey JR, Forsberg F. Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound and Shear Wave Elastography: Novel Methods for the Evaluation of Urethral Stricture Disease. J Urol. 2022 Jan;207(1):152-160. doi: 10.1097/ JU.0000000000002146. Epub 2021 Aug 24. PMID: 34428090.

Das A, Han TM, Rudnick B, Hardacker T, Shenot PJ, Shvero A. Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate Following Previous Prostatic Urethral Lift. J Endourol. 2022 Jan;36(1):111-116. doi: 10.1089/end.2021.0351. PMID: 34235977.

Plair A, Smith W, Hines K, Schachar J, Parker-Autry C, Matthews C. Gluteal and Posterior Thigh Pain From a Suture Compared With an Anchor-Based Device in Patients Undergoing Sacrospinous Ligament Fixation: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2022 Jan 1;139(1):97-106. doi: 10.1097/ AOG.0000000000004629. PMID: 34856573.

McCann JJ, Vasilevskaya IA, McNair C, Gallagher P, Neupane NP, de Leeuw R, Shafi AA, Dylgjeri E, Mandigo AC, Schiewer MJ, Knudsen KE. Mutant p53 elicits contextdependent pro-tumorigenic phenotypes. Oncogene. 2022 Jan;41(3):444-458. doi: 10.1038/s41388-021-01903-5. Epub 2021 Nov 12. PMID: 34773073; PMCID: PMC8755525.

Mandigo AC, Shafi AA, McCann JJ, Yuan W, Laufer TS, Bogdan D, Gallagher L, Dylgjeri E, Semenova G, Vasilevskaya IA, Schiewer MJ, McNair CM, de Bono JS, Knudsen KE. Novel Oncogenic Transcription Factor Cooperation in RB-Deficient Cancer. Cancer Res. 2022 Jan 15;82(2):221-234. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472. CAN-21-1159. Epub 2021 Oct 8. PMID: 34625422.

Chung PH, Leong JY, Phillips CD, Henry GD. Microorganism Profiles of Penile Prosthesis Removed for Infection, Erosion, and Mechanical Malfunction Based on Next-Generation Sequencing. J Sex Med. 2022 Feb;19(2):356-363. doi: 10.1016/j. jsxm.2021.11.014. Epub 2021 Dec 26. PMID: 34963572.

Chung PH, Salib A, Tidwell T, Berry K, Leong JY, Frasso R. Impact of penile prostheses and intracavernosal injections on psychosocial functioning. Can J Urol. 2022 Feb;29(1):1096910975. PMID: 35150216.

Shvero A, Han TM, Salib A, Shenot PJ, Das A. Conversion of Holmium Laser Enucleation of Prostate to Open Prostatectomy. Urology. 2022 Mar;161:100-104. doi: 10.1016/j. urology.2021.12.010. Epub 2021 Dec 28. PMID: 34968568.

Mitra AP, Narayan VM, Mokkapati S, Miest T, Boorjian SA, Alemozaffar M, Konety BR, Shore ND, Gomella LG, Kamat AM, Bivalacqua TJ, Montgomery JS, Lerner SP, Busby JE, Poch M, Crispen PL, Steinberg GD, Schuckman AK, Downs TM, Svatek RS, Mashni J, Lane BR, Guzzo TJ, Bratslavsky G, Karsh LI, Woods ME, Brown GA, Canter D, Luchey A, Lotan Y, Krupski T, Inman BA, Williams MB, Cookson MS, Keegan KA, Andriole GL, Sankin AI, Boyd A, O'Donnell MA, Philipson R, YläHerttuala S, Sawutz D, Parker NR, McConkey DJ, Dinney CPN. Antiadenovirus Antibodies Predict Response Durability to Nadofaragene Firadenovec Therapy in BCG-unresponsive Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer: Secondary Analysis of a Phase 3 Clinical Trial. Eur Urol. 2022 Mar;81(3):223-228. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2021.12.009. Epub 2021 Dec 18. PMID: 34933753; PMCID: PMC8891058.

Leong JY, Schultz J, Zhan T, Marks JA, Chung PH. General surgeons' comfort and urologists' perceptions of bladder trauma management. Can J Urol. 2022 Apr;29(2):11101-11110. PMID: 35429429.

Shah M, Medina LG, Azhar RA, La Riva A, Ortega D, Sotelo R. Urine leak after robotic radical prostatectomy: not all urine leaks come from the anastomosis. J Robot Surg. 2022 Apr;16(2):247-255. doi: 10.1007/s11701-02101242-3. Epub 2021 Apr 24. PMID: 33895942.

Dylgjeri E, Kothari V, Shafi AA, Semenova G, Gallagher PT, Guan YF, Pang A, Goodwin JF, Irani S, McCann JJ, Mandigo AC, Chand S, McNair CM, Vasilevskaya I, Schiewer MJ, Lallas CD, McCue PA, Gomella LG, Seifert EL, Carroll JS, Butler LM, Holst J, Kelly WK, Knudsen KE. A Novel Role for DNA-PK in Metabolism by Regulating Glycolysis in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2022 Apr 1;28(7):1446-1459. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-1846. PMID: 35078861.

Giri VN, Walker A, Gross L, Trabulsi EJ, Lallas CD, Kelly WK, Gomella LG, Fischer C, Loeb S. Helix: A Digital Tool to Address Provider Needs for Prostate Cancer Genetic

Testing in Clinical Practice. Clin Genitourin Cancer. 2022 Apr;20(2):e104-e113. doi: 10.1016/j.clgc.2021.11.009. Epub 2021 Nov 27. PMID: 35012874.

Matin SF, Pierorazio PM, Kleinmann N, Gore JL, Shabsigh A, Hu B, Chamie K, Godoy G, Hubosky SG, Rivera M, O'Donnell M, Quek M, Raman JD, Knoedler JJ, Scherr D, Weight C, Weizer A, Woods M, Kaimakliotis H, Smith AB, Linehan J, Coleman J, Humphreys MR, Pak R, Lifshitz D, Verni M, Klein I, Konorty M, Strauss-Ayali D, Hakim G, Seltzer E, Schoenberg M, Lerner SP. Durability of Response to Primary Chemoablation of LowGrade Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma Using UGN-101, a Mitomycin-Containing Reverse Thermal Gel: OLYMPUS Trial Final Report. J Urol. 2022 Apr;207(4):779-788. doi: 10.1097/JU.0000000000002350. Epub 2021 Dec 17. PMID: 34915741.

Matin SF, Pierorazio PM, Kleinmann N, Gore JL, Shabsigh A, Hu B, Chamie K, Godoy G, Hubosky SG, Rivera M, O'Donnell M, Quek M, Raman JD, Knoedler JJ, Scherr D, Weight C, Weizer A, Woods M, Kaimakliotis H, Smith AB, Linehan J, Coleman J, Humphreys MR, Pak R, Lifshitz D, Verni M, Klein I, Konorty M, Strauss-Ayali D, Hakim G, Seltzer E, Schoenberg M, Lerner SP. Reply by Authors. J Urol. 2022 Apr;207(4):788. doi: 10.1097/ JU.0000000000002350.02. Epub 2022 Jan 4. PMID: 34985341.

Ahdoot M, Lebastchi AH, Long L, Wilbur AR, Gomella PT, Mehralivand S, Daneshvar MA, Yerram NK, O'Connor LP, Wang AZ, Gurram S, Bloom J, Siddiqui MM, Linehan WM, Merino M, Choyke PL, Pinsky P, Parnes H, Shih JH, Turkbey B, Wood BJ, Pinto PA; Trio Study Group. Using Prostate ImagingReporting and Data System (PI-RADS) Scores to Select an Optimal Prostate Biopsy Method: A Secondary Analysis of the Trio Study. Eur Urol Oncol. 2022 Apr;5(2):176-186. doi: 10.1016/j.euo.2021.03.004. Epub 2021 Apr 10. PMID: 33846112; PMCID: PMC9346635.

Gomella PT, Mark JR, Giri VN, Kelly WK, Gomella LG. Guidelines on Germline Testing for Urologic Tumor Syndromes. Eur Urol Focus. 2022 May;8(3):670-673. doi: 10.1016/j. euf.2022.06.010. Epub 2022 Jul 6. PMID: 35803854.

Williams C, Ahdoot M, Daneshvar MA, Hague C, Wilbur AR, Gomella PT, Shih J, Khondakar N, Yerram N, Mehralivand S, Gurram S, Siddiqui M, Pinsky P, Parnes H, Merino M, Wood BJ, Turkbey, Pinto PA. Why Does Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Targeted Biopsy Miss Clinically Significant Cancer? J Urol. 2022. doi: 10.1097/JU.0000000000002182. PMID: 34433302

Department of Urology Publications 2022

Shvero A, Hubosky SG. Management of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma. Curr Oncol Rep. 2022 May;24(5):611-619. doi: 10.1007/ s11912-021-01179-8. Epub 2022 Feb 25. PMID: 35212921.

Scott ER, Singh A, Quinn AM, Morano S, Karp A, Boyd K, Ho M, Schneider A, McPartland C, Denisenko A, Shumaker A, Clark CB, Chandrasekar T, Mann M, Trabulsi EJ, Desai V, Pugliese R, Lallas CD. The use of individualized 3D-printed models on trainee and patient education, and surgical planning for robotic partial nephrectomies. J Robot Surg. 2022 Jul 4. doi: 10.1007/s11701-022-01441-6. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35781195.

Shenot PJ, Teplitsky S, Margules A, Miller A, Das AK. Urinary undiversion by conversion of the incontinent ileovesicostomy to augmentation ileocystoplasty in spinal cord injured patients. J Spinal Cord Med. 2022 Jul;45(4):614-621. doi: 10.1080/10790268.2020.1829420. Epub 2020 Oct 15. PMID: 33054669; PMCID: PMC9246097.

Handley NR, Wen KY, Gomaa S, Brassil K, Shimada A, Leiby B, Jackson L, McMorris M, Calvaresi A, Dicker AP. A Pilot Feasibility Study of Digital Health Coaching for Men With Prostate Cancer. JCO Oncol Pract. 2022 Jul;18(7):e1132-e1140. doi: 10.1200/ OP.21.00712. Epub 2022 Apr 8. PMID: 35394806.

Xu M, Evans L, Bizzaro CL, Quaglia F, Verrillo CE, Li L, Stieglmaier J, Schiewer MJ, Languino LR, Kelly WK. STEAP1-4 (Six-Transmembrane Epithelial Antigen of the Prostate 1-4) and Their Clinical Implications for Prostate Cancer. Cancers (Basel). 2022 Aug 20;14(16):4034. doi: 10.3390/cancers14164034. PMID: 36011027; PMCID: PMC9406800.

Salib A, Halpern E, Eisenbrey J, Chandrasekar T, Chung PH, Forsberg F, Trabulsi EJ. The evolving role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in urology: a review. World J Urol. 2022 Aug 15. doi: 10.1007/s00345-022-04088-y. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35969244.

Leong JY, Capella CE, D'Amico MJ, Isguven S, Purtill C, Machado P, Delaney LJ, Henry GD, Hickok NJ, Forsberg F, Chung PH. A scoping review of penile implant biofilms-what do we know and what remains unknown? Transl Androl Urol. 2022 Aug;11(8):1210-1221. doi: 10.21037/tau-22-195. PMID: 36092843; PMCID: PMC9459550.

Loeb S, Cheng HH, Leader A, Gross L, Nolasco TS, Byrne N, Wise DR, Hollifield L, Brown LH, Slater E, Pieczonka C, Gomella LG, Kelly WK, Trabulsi EJ, Handley N, Lallas CD, Chandrasekar T, Mille P, Mann M,

Mark JR, Brown G, Chopra S, Wasserman J, Phillips J, Somers P, Giri VN. Technologyenhanced AcceleRation of Germline Evaluation for Therapy (TARGET): A randomized controlled trial of a pretest patient-driven webtool vs. genetic counseling for prostate cancer germline testing. Contemp Clin Trials. 2022 Aug;119:106821. doi: 10.1016/j. cct.2022.106821. Epub 2022 Jun 14. PMID: 35710085.

Chung PH, Leong JY, Machado P, Wessner CE, Trabulsi EJ, Halpern EJ, Eisenbrey JR, Forsberg F. Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound and Shear Wave Elastography: Novel Methods for the Evaluation of Urethral Stricture Disease. Reply. J Urol. 2022 Sep;208(3):564-565. doi: 10.1097/ JU.0000000000002787. Epub 2022 Jun 1. PMID: 35648646.

McCormick BJ, Keihani S, Hagedorn J, Chung PH, et al. A Multi-center Prospective Cohort Study of Endoscopic Urethral Realignment Versus Suprapubic Cystostomy after Complete Pelvic Fracture Urethral Injury: Comparison of EUR versus SPT after PFUI. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. Sep 19 2022;doi:10.1097/ TA.0000000000003774

Overholt TL, Dutta R, Smith WR, Velet LP, Xu R, Matthews CA. Patient Satisfaction, Provider Productivity, and Efficacy of a Standardized Preparatory Toolkit With Broad Telemedicine Adaptation in an Outpatient Urology Clinic. Urogynecology (Hagerstown). 2022 Sep 1;28(9):567-573. doi: 10.1097/ SPV.0000000000001211. Epub 2022 May 30. PMID: 35703263.

Fendereski K, McCormick BJ, Keihani S, Hagedorn JC, Voelzke B, Selph JP, Figler BD, Johnsen NV, da Silva RD, Broghammer JA, Gupta S, Miller B, Burks FN, Eswara JR, Osterberg EC 3rd, Carney KJ, Erickson BA, Gretzer MB, Chung PH, Harris CR, Murphy GP, Rusilko P, Anderson KT, Shridharani A, Benson CR, Alwaal A, Blaschko SD, Breyer BN, McKibben M, Schwartz IW, Simhan J, Vanni AJ, Moses RA, Myers JB. The Outcomes of Pelvic Fracture Urethral Injuries Stratified by Urethral Injury Severity: A Prospective Multi-institutional Genitourinary Trauma Study (MiGUTS). Urology. 2022 Sep 21:S0090-4295(22)00805-6. doi: 10.1016/j. urology.2022.09.006. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36152870.

Chandrasekar T, Clark CB, Gomella A, Wessner CE, Wang S, Nam K, Liu JB, Forsberg F, Lyshchik A, Halpern E, Mark JR, Lallas CD, Gomella LG, Kania L, Trabulsi EJ, Eisenbrey JR. Volumetric Quantitative Contrastenhanced Ultrasonography Evaluation of Complex Renal Cysts: An Adjunctive Metric to the Bosniak Classification System to Predict Malignancy. Eur Urol Focus. 2022 Oct

29:S2405-4569(22)00232-2. doi: 10.1016/j. euf.2022.10.004. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36319560.

Chung PH, Swaminathan V, Spigner ST, Leong JY, Bulafka J, Frasso R. Genitourinary and Sexual Symptoms and Treatments in Transfeminine Individuals: A Qualitative Exploration of Patients' Needs. Sex Med. 2022 Oct;10(5):100566. doi: 10.1016/j. esxm.2022.100566. Epub 2022 Sep 2. PMID: 36063656; PMCID: PMC9537262.

Prebay ZJ, Purcell L, Chung PH. Urethral Bleeding Following Excision and Primary Anastomosis Urethroplasty. Urology. 2022 Oct;168:e9. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2022.06.035. Epub 2022 Jul 10. PMID: 35830918.

Gomella LG. The Rise of Self-Service Health Care in Urology and Other Specialties. Can J Urol. 2022 Oct;29(5):11270-11271. PMID: 36245194.

D'Amico MJ, Foss H, Uhr A, Rudnick B, Kloniecke E, Gomella LG. Hemorrhagic cystitis: a review of the literature and treatment options. Can J Urol. 2022 Oct;29(5):1127611283. PMID: 36245196.

Hall WA, Karrison TG, Rosenthal SA, Amin MB, Gomella LG, Purdy JA, Sartor AO, Michalski JM, Garzotto MG, Bergom C, Jani AB, Lawton CAF, Simko JP, Moore JK, Gore EM, Lee WR, Nguyen PL, Danielson BL, Sandler HM, Feng FY. The Influence of the Pretreatment Immune State on Response to Radiation Therapy in High-Risk Prostate Cancer: A Validation Study From NRG/ RTOG 0521. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2022 Oct 1;114(2):266-274. doi: 10.1016/j. ijrobp.2022.05.048. Epub 2022 Jun 5. PMID: 35675855; PMCID: PMC9444930.

D'Amico MJ, Shumaker AD, Chung PH Urethral Cancer After Urethroplasty: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. Urology. 2022 Nov;169:218-225. doi: 10.1016/j. urology.2022.07.032. Epub 2022 Jul 29. PMID: 35914585.

BOOK CHAPTERS

Mark JR, Hurwitz MD, Gomella LG. Cancer of the Urethra and Penis. CANCER: Principles and Practice of Oncology 12th ed. DeVita VT, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg SA, eds. Wolters Kluwer, 2023. (in press).

Mark JR, Gomella LG. (2022) Creating a Multidisciplinary Clinic. In: Stratton KL, Morgans AK. (eds) Urologic Oncology –Multidisciplinary Care for Patients. Springer, Chan. Pgs 1-14.

Bagley DH and Hubosky SG: Difficult Access to the Ureter in Hubosky SG, Grasso M, Traxer O and Bagley DH (Eds) Advanced Ureteroscopy, First Edition, Springer Nature. 2022, pp 1-14.

Hubosky SG and Hardacker TJ: Instruments: Intracorporeal Lithotripters for Ureteroscopy in Hubosky SG, Grasso M, Traxer O and Bagley DH (Eds) Advanced Ureteroscopy, First Edition, Springer Nature. 2022, pp 68 – 72.

Doizi S, Keller EX, Traxer O, Hubosky SG: Basic Techniques: Fundamental Maneuvering During Ureteroscopy in Hubosky SG, Grasso M, Traxer O and Bagley DH (Eds) Advanced Ureteroscopy, First Edition, Springer Nature. 2022, pp 79 – 88.

Kloniecke EJ and Hubosky SG: Basic Techniques: Safety Considerations During Ureteroscopy in Hubosky SG, Grasso M, Traxer O and Bagley DH (Eds) Advanced Ureteroscopy, First Edition, Springer Nature. 2022, pp 96 – 101.

Shvero A, Kleinmann N, Hubosky SG: Stones: Flexible Ureteroscopic Treatment of Renal Stones in Hubosky SG, Grasso M, Traxer O and Bagley DH (Eds) Advanced Ureteroscopy, First Edition, Springer Nature. 2022, pp 117 - 124.

Hardacker TJ and Hubosky SG: Stones: Techniques for Ureteroscopic Holmium Laser Lithotripsy in Hubosky SG, Grasso M, Traxer O and Bagley DH (Eds) Advanced Ureteroscopy, First Edition, Springer Nature. 2022, pp 129 - 133.

Bagley DH, Sonzogni-Cella M, Hubosky SG: Stones: Positioning for Ureteroscopy in Hubosky SG, Grasso M, Traxer O and Bagley DH (Eds) Advanced Ureteroscopy, First Edition, Springer Nature. 2022, pp 142 - 148.

Rudnick BH, Hubosky SG, HooKim K, Bagley DH: Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: Diagnosis of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma in Hubosky SG, Grasso M, Traxer O and Bagley DH (Eds) Advanced Ureteroscopy, First Edition, Springer Nature. 2022, pp 156 - 166.

Grasso M, Sharma N, Fishman I, Izes JK, Bagley DH, Hubosky SG: Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: Ureteroscopic Treatment of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma in Hubosky SG, Grasso M, Traxer O and Bagley DH (Eds) Advanced Ureteroscopy, First Edition, Springer Nature. 2022, pp 171 - 185.

Hubosky SG and Bagley DH: Ureteroscopic Management of Upper Urinary Tract Obstruction in Hubosky SG, Grasso M, Traxer O and Bagley DH (Eds) Advanced Ureteroscopy, First Edition, Springer Nature. 2022, pp 209 - 225.

Singh AA, Hubosky SG, Tanimoto R, Bagley DH: Ureteroscopic Treatment of Chronic Unilateral Hematuria in Hubosky SG, Grasso M, Traxer O and Bagley DH (Eds) Advanced Ureteroscopy, First Edition, Springer Nature. 2022, pp 225 - 233.

Hubosky SG and Calio BP: Complications of Ureteroscopy in Hubosky SG, Grasso M, Traxer O and Bagley DH (Eds) Advanced Ureteroscopy, First Edition, Springer Nature. 2022, pp 249 - 274.

Gomella PT: Chapter 29. Common Emergencies in Clinician’s Pocket Reference, 12th Edition. McGraw Hill Medical, The McGraw Hill Companies, NY 2022.

Lallas, CD: Chapter 5. The Language of Healthcare in Clinician’s Pocket Reference, 12th Edition. McGraw Hill Medical, The McGraw Hill Companies, NY 2022.

Lizardi-Calvaresi AE: Chapter 4. Interdisciplinary Healthcare Teams in Clinician’s Pocket Reference, 12th Edition. McGraw Hill Medical, The McGraw Hill Companies, NY 2022.

Leong JY: Chapter 19. Bedside Procedures in Clinician’s Pocket Reference, 12th Edition. McGraw Hill Medical, The McGraw Hill Companies, NY 2022.

Murphy AM: Chapter 20. Specialized Diagnostics in Clinician’s Pocket Reference, 12th Edition. McGraw Hill Medical, The McGraw Hill Companies, NY 2022.

ALTERNATIVE MEDIA

Chung PH. Space the Next Frontier. Video Interview for Your Radio Doctor, 4/17/2022.

Gomella LG. A commentary on: Prostatespecific antigen nomogram to predict advanced prostate cancer using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve boosting. PracticeUpdate website. Available at: https://www.practiceupdate.com/content/ psa-nomogram-to-predict-advanced-prostatecancer/130946/65/3/1. Accessed February 15, 2022

Gomella, LG, Giri, VN and Mark JR. Genetic connections in Surgical Oncology. American College of Surgeons Bulletin Brief. On Line. March 16, 2022.

Gomella LG. A commentary on: Transperineal Prostate Biopsy is Associated With Lower Tissue Core Pathogen Burden Relative to Transrectal Biopsy: Mechanistic Underpinnings for Lower Infection Risk in the Transperineal Approach. PracticeUpdate website. Available at: https://www.practiceupdate.com/content/ transperineal-prostate-biopsy-is-associatedwith-lower-tissue-core-pathogen-burdenrelative-to-transrectal-biopsy/136682/65/3/1. Accessed June 09, 2022

Gomella LG. A commentary on: Detection of clinically significant index prostate cancer using micro-ultrasound: correlation with radical prostatectomy. PracticeUpdate website. Available at: https://www.practiceupdate. com/content/detection-of-clinicallysignicant-index-prostate-cancer-using-microultrasound/139096/65/3/1. Accessed August 16, 2022

Gomella LG: Editorial: RVU-itis: Is There A Cure? Can J Urol Dec 2022;29 (6):11340-11341.

Herzog TJ, Vergote I, Gomella LG, et al. Testing for homologous recombination repair or homologous recombination deficiency for poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors: A current perspective [published online ahead of print, 2022 Nov 2]. Eur J Cancer. 2022;179:136-146

BOOKS

Hubosky SG, Grasso M, Traxer O and Bagley DH (eds). Advanced Ureteroscopy, First Edition, Springer, January 2022

Gomella LG and Haist SA: Clinician’s Pocket Reference, 12th Edition. McGraw Hill Medical, The McGraw Hill Companies, NY 2022

What a difference a year makes!

Our new Specialty Care Pavilion has been renamed the Honickman Center thanks to a generous gift from the Honickman Family.

In 2022, the building was topped off and is now enclosed. Dr. Gomella and Stephen Smith, EVP and Chief Advancement Officer, had the opportunity to tour the 11th floor Urology space as the interior fit out begins.

See page 16 for more about the Honickman Center and plans for Urology's new clinical location on 11th and Chestnut in Center City.

Upcoming Department of Urology Events

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Nathan Lewis Hatfield Professorship Celebration In Honor of Costas Lallas, MD, FACS Hamilton Building Connelly Auditorium 4:30-6:00 p.m.

MARCH 1-2, 2023

Visiting Professor Tracey L. Krupski, MD, MPH Jay Y. Gillenwater Professor of Urology

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Case Presentations

Wednesday, March 1 6:00-8:00 p.m. Grand Rounds Thursday, March 2, 2023 7:15-8:15 a.m.

MARCH 22,23 2023

2023 Paul Zimskind Visiting Professor Howard B. Goldman, MD, FACS

Professor and Vice Chair Glickman Urologic and Kidney Institute

Cleveland Clinic, Lerner College of Medicine Cleveland, OH

Journal Club: Wed., March 22, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Grand Rounds: Thurs., March 23, 7:15-8:15 a.m.

JUNE 16, 2023

2023 DM Davis Visiting Professor Stephen A. Boorjian, MD, FACS

Carl Rosen Professor and Chair of the Department of Urology Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 8:00-3:00 p.m.

Awards/Graduation Ceremony: 11:00-12:00 p.m.

JUNE 17, 2023

Graduation, 4:00-9:00 p.m., Chadds Ford, PA