Men’s Health Boot Camp
Desai Sethi Urology Institute experts are offering a boot camp on the latest knowledge, techniques and treatment strategies for conditions that affect men.
Desai Sethi Urology Institute, a leader in men’s health, is offering a new and improved men’s health boot camp for health care providers.
The two-and-a-half-day program is designed for residents, fellows, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, faculty and practicing urologists who want to improve the care they offer their male patients.
“It really is immersive experience for the trainees,” said Bruce Kava, M.D., professor of clinical urology and director of men’s health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “I’m proud of the fact that we’re providing something so unique. No other institution offers such an array of learning opportunities with a focus on men’s health.”
Gaps in Men’s Health Care
Very few providers in urology offer comprehensive care for conditions exclusive to men.
“There’s no standard curriculum in residencies, nursing programs or nurse practitioner programs,” for men’s health, explained Thomas Masterson, III, M.D., an assistant professor of urology at the Miller School.
One of the most pervasive myths in men’s health is that conditions such as erectile dysfunction exist in a bubble. But, in fact, Dr. Kava said, “The conditions all have ramifications that may be related to systemic disease.”
Studies have shown that men often have seen multiple doctors—their primary care physician, a urologist and another specialist, for example—before receiving a diagnosis and appropriate treatment for Peyronie’s disease, an often devastating condition for men. Even once they do receive that diagnosis, effective treatment can feel like a minefield. There are treatments offered that have little basis in science, explained Dr. Kava.
The University of Miami launched the men’s health boot camp in 2023, training 24 health care providers in the latest techniques and research about conditions such as Peyronie’s disease, infertility, testosterone deficiency and erectile dysfunction. The goal was to send providers home prepared to offer the highest quality care to men.
The Skills to Manage Men’s Health
The boot camp includes a combination of didactic sessions, training in clinic-based procedures such as penile Doppler ultrasounds, testosterone pellet placement and intracavernosal injections for erectile dysfunction and building laboratory skills such as semen analysis.
“There’s one day that is dedicated to learning how to perform penile Doppler ultrasonography, when they look at the blood flow and characteristics of the arteries in the penis, which could be a reflection of arterial dysfunction elsewhere, as well,” said Dr. Masterson.
Participants will have access to penis models and a simulation laboratory so they can practice doing the ultrasounds, as well as injections and other in-office procedures.
To ensure that participants get the most out of the short training, they’ll participate in working dinners, during which they’ll hear “quick lectures on testosterone replacement, management of erectile dysfunction, penis implants and artificial urinary sphincters,” said Dr. Masterson.
Most importantly, Dr. Kava said, participants will learn how to approach men’s health in a fresh, state-of-the-art manner, understanding the various disorders themselves in order for them to treat individuals in the most personalized and contemporary manner.
Tags: Desai Sethi Urology Institute, Dr. Bruce Kava, Dr. Thomas Masterson, erectile dysfunction, male infertility, men's health, Peyronie's disease, testosterone deficiency