AUA2025 Showcases Desai Sethi Urology Institute Urology Leadership
Summary
- Desai Sethi Urology Institute faculty and trainees participated in more than 20 presentations, courses, panel discussions and poster sessions at the American Urological Association annual meeting.
- Dr. Chad Ritch was selected for the AUA’s leadership program while Dr. Raveen Syan was named to its early-career investigator showcase.
- Dr. Sanoj Punnen presented two prostate cancer clinical trials.
At the American Urological Association’s (AUA) annual meeting, Desai Sethi Urology Institute (DSUI) faculty and trainees participated in more than 20 presentations, courses, panel discussions and poster sessions on a wide range of urological topics. Several faculty members stood out as global leaders at the meeting of the largest urologic member organization in the world.
DSUI expert clinicians and researchers shared major studies and took part in discussions on topics ranging from prostate, bladder and other cancers to female pelvic medicine, men’s health and fertility. DSUI was front and center in the meeting’s technology and innovation topics, including artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR).
“DSUI celebrated several important milestones at this year’s AUA, all reflecting our faculty’s leadership in the specialty of urology,” said DSUI Founding Director Dipen J. Parekh, M.D., chief operating officer (COO) for UHealth–University of Miami Health System.
AUA Leadership Program
DSUI’s Chad Ritch, M.D., M.B.A., associate professor of urologic oncology at the Miller School, was selected to participate in the highly competitive and coveted 2025-2026 AUA Leadership Program. Dr. Ritch, who also presented on prostate cancer staging and non-muscle invasive bladder cancer treatment dilemmas, was recognized with colleagues during the meeting.
Dr. Ritch’s selection, according to the AUA’s acceptance letter, “is a direct reflection of both your achievements and demonstrated leadership skills in the field of urology.”
As a result, Dr. Ritch will participate in the AUA’s in-depth leadership training, networking and mentoring opportunities.
“This is a steppingstone toward national leadership positions in AUA, and I look forward to embracing this opportunity and making an impact on the future of our specialty,” Dr. Ritch said.
Influencing AUA’s Approach to Urology Education
As AUA’s Office of Education chair, DSUI Vice Chair Mark Gonzalgo, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., a Miller School professor of urology, will lead the organization’s educational initiatives and work to ensure the quality and medical accuracy of its educational content. At AUA2025, Dr. Gonzalgo highlighted the opportunity for hands-on skills trainings, in addition to traditional learning platforms.
“The AUA Office of Education will continue to offer instructional courses at the annual meeting and also seeks to provide more practice-based learning with hands-on courses. As urologists, we do a lot of procedures. It’s one thing to have a lecture on how to perform them. It’s another to have hands-on instruction led by experts in the field,” Dr. Gonzalgo said. “So, this year, we offered a number of hands-on, one-day courses covering several high-yield surgical techniques relevant to practicing urologists.”
DSUI’s Clinical Trial Success
As part of his leadership responsibilities with the AUA’s Clinical Trials Collective, Sanoj Punnen, M.D., DSUI vice chair of research and a professor of urologic oncology at the Miller School, shared DSUI’s success in developing a robust clinical trial portfolio on the national stage. In fact, abstracts from two major prostate cancer trials that Dr. Punnen oversees, the Miami Active Surveillance Trial (MAST) and Marker Driven Selection of Patients for Prostate Biopsy and Management (MDSelect), were presented at AUA2025.
AUA wants to increase clinical trials in the specialty by engaging industry and community partners, as well as improving nationwide clinical trial accrual and awareness. Dr. Punnen is among the academic and community leaders helping to design a plan for AUA. At the annual meeting, he participated in a related panel, Collaboration of Three Worlds: Independent Practice, Academia, and Pharma.
“These forums at the AUA are great platforms for us to share our experiences with others, so we can gain from each other’s expertise and challenges and do a better job facilitating clinical trials access and research to our patients throughout the nation,” said Dr. Punnen, who also presented “Prostate Cancer: Localized Surgical Therapy II.”
Outstanding Early-Career Urology Investigators
AUA selected Raveen Syan, M.D., assistant professor of clinical urology at the Miller School, for its Early-Career Investigator Showcase, which highlights young urologists engaged in significant research. Dr. Syan was invited to give a podium presentation to discuss her work, “Improving Outcomes in Pelvic Floor Disorders Among Minority Populations: Evaluating Barriers to Care, Examining Patient Care-Seeking Attitudes Among Minority Women and Implementing a Program to Improve Pelvic Floor Disorders Among Female Bladder Cancer Survivors.”
Dr. Syan’s work shows that some women with pelvic floor disorders face challenges, including limited information, difficulty navigating the health system and concerns about trust, that can inhibit access to care.
“This is quite an honor, as the list of prior invited presenters includes the best in the field. It is a privilege to contribute to the field of health disparities research, and I am grateful to be part of a community in Miami where I have the opportunity to improve treatment outcomes among minorities,” said Dr. Syan, who also is moderating the Indian American Urological Association (IAUA) poster presentation section at the meeting.
Medical students and fellows presented research for which Dr. Syan was senior author, including:
• A podium presentation by medical student Christina Yarborough, “Beyond p-Values: Application of Fragility and Reverse Fragility Indices in Trials for Interstitial Cystitis”
• A podium presentation by Dr. Syan’s fellow, Amy Wu, M.D., “Single Institution Comparison of Mesh Sacrocolpopexy Use Between Urology and Gynecology Trained Urogynecologists for the Treatment of Apical Prolapse in Elderly Patients”
• A poster presentation by Miller School medical student Max Sandler, “Assessing Influence of Physician Gender Congruence and Language Interpreter Services in Urology.”
Desai Sethi Honors and Presentations at AUA2025
• Katherine Amin, M.D., assistant professor of urology at the Miller School and a former urology resident at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, was honored as resident of the year during the Mount Sinai New York alumni event at AUA2025.
• Alan J. Wein, M.D., Ph.D. (hon.), professor of clinical urology and director of business development and mentoring for DSUI, participated in a new AUA meeting format that mirrors a grand rounds case presentation, “Flip the Script: Case Submissions.” Dr. Wein presented a case about a 68-year-old female with urinary retention of unclear etiology.
Dr. Wein also co-chaired the course, “Contemporary Oral Pharmacotherapy for Overactive Bladder 2025.” He presented “Physiological and Pharmacological Principles Underlying Pharmacotherapy for OAB,” “Oral Mono Pharmacotherapy for OAB in 2025” and “Future Considerations for the Pharmacotherapy of OAB.” Dr. Wein also moderated the urodynamics/lower urinary track dysfunction and female pelvic medicine non-neurogenic voiding dysfunction poster session.
• Bruno Nahar, M.D., associate professor of urologic oncology and the Eric and Elizabeth Feder Family Endowed Chair in Urologic Oncology Research at the Miller School, presented “Focal Therapy in Prostate Cancer: Ready for Prime Time?” and was among the faculty for the robotic high-Intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) masterclass, a pre-AUA course hosted by the University of Southern California.
• Bruce Kava, M.D., DSUI professor of clinical urology and director of men’s health, delivered sessions on the successes and challenges of developing men’s health platforms as well as the importance of sleep medicine in men’s health.
• Thomas Masterson, M.D., assistant professor of clinical urology at the Miller School, is senior scientific program co-chair for the Urological Society for American Veterans (USAV), the AUA’s professional society for the advancement of urological care for Veterans Administration patients. Dr. Masterson spoke during the USAV’s session at AUA2025 and participated in a panel of fertility experts helping audience members to solve difficult cases. Miller School medical students, urology residents and fellows were also in attendance, presenting on a wide range of topics related to care of prostate cancer and kidney stone patients.
Tags: AI, American Urological Association, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, bladder cancer, Department of Urology, Desai Sethi Urology Institute, Dr. Alan Wein, Dr. Bruce Kava, Dr. Bruno Nahar, Dr. Chad Ritch, Dr. Dipen Parekh, Dr. Katherine Amin, Dr. Mark Gonzalgo, Dr. Raveen Syan, Dr. Sanoj Punnen, Dr. Thomas Masterson, men's health, overactive bladder, pelvic floor dysfunction, prostate cancer, technology, urology