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“Long-term and sustained improvements is the goal”
The year was 2010 when Dr. Robert Flanigan (US), then secretary of the American Urological Association (AUA), initiated the Global Philanthropic Committee (GPC). The AUA, the European Association of Urology (EAU), and the Société Internationale d'Urologie (SIU) united forces to support education initiatives in “areas where needs are important and resources limited.” Six years later, the International Continence Society (ICS) joined this collaboration. In this four-part interview series, we are putting the spotlight on each of these four organisations and their respective GPC projects, starting with the AUA represented by its secretary Dr. John Denstedt (CA).
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Why did the AUA initiate the GPC? Dr. Denstedt: “The GPC is a way for urology organisations to pool their collective resources to fund larger humanitarian projects in urology. It is a way for the largest urological societies in the world to collaborate and to focus on a common goal of advancing urology in underserved areas.”
Dr. John Denstedt
What projects has the AUA added to the GPC? “The AUA was closely involved in coordinating the equipment and monetary support for two endourologic centres in Senegal and Nigeria from 2012 to 2013. With our industry partners, we also facilitated a large donation of endoscopic equipment to the University of the West Indies in Jamaica.”
“In addition, we have been very active in Haiti over the last several years. The AUA has held an ultrasound course in Haiti, supported several urological meetings, supports the salary of a nurse at the Hôpital Saint François de Sale in Port au Prince to manage and oversee urological equipment, and has worked with industry supporters and individual donors to send thousands of dollars worth of equipment and supplies to Haiti. The AUA also works closely with the Global Association for the Support of Haitian Urology (GASHU) and its co-founder, Dr. Angelo Gousse (US), on ongoing projects in Haiti to improve the urological training system and ultimately the urological patient care.” What are the results of the support for these projects? “In 2013, at the GPC meeting held during the AUA Annual Meeting, Prof. E. Oluwabunmi OlapadeOlaopa (NG) noted that since the GPC had begun its support and equipment donations to his institution in Ibadan, Nigeria, he had seen a 30-40% increase in procedures. He also mentioned that there had been more multidisciplinary interactions between urologists, nurses, and general surgeons, which was an unexpected benefit from the GPC’s support. It’s clear that GPC support has led to long-term improvements in urology care in underserved areas, which is exactly the goal of this collaborative effort.”
“As for the GPC support in Haiti, with the nurse in place at the Hôpital Saint François de Sale, a more regular and standard level of training and patient care now occurs. I have visited and performed surgery at this hospital myself as part of a humanitarian mission and found all of the physicians and staff to be very dedicated to improvements in patient care. The AUA has a strong relationship with the Haitian urological leaders and leaders in GASHU and will continue to build upon that strong sense of collaboration. Despite the ongoing unrest in Haiti, we remain in close contact and continue to work together to improve the urological education and care in Haiti. GASHU will have an on-site meeting at the AUA2021 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas to discuss continued projects in this area.” What is the AUA’s ultimate goal for the GPC? “In regard to the ongoing humanitarian work in Haiti, the Hôpital Saint François de Sale has served as a good model for other hospitals in Haiti and the hope is to replicate the success there to hospitals in Cap Haitien and other areas of Haiti, which would include having a dedicated nurse at a hospital to maintain the donated equipment. The goal is to elevate the training standards in Haiti and to have strong key opinion leaders in urology here to serve as mentors and leaders for the next generation of urologists in the country. I would think this is a similar goal that other GPC members have with their respective humanitarian projects: long-term and sustained improvements.”
What can the average urologist in the western world do to help remove the inequality between the western world and global south? “Learn from and listen to the urologists and patients in other countries. Furthermore, get involved with groups like the Urology Care Foundation and International Volunteers in Urology.”
EAU Hans Marberger Award 2022
The EAU Hans Marberger Award will be handed out for the best European paper published on Minimally Invasive Surgery in Urology. The award, annually given since 2004, is named after Prof. Hans Marberger to honour his pioneering achievements and contributions to endourology and the development of urologic minimally invasive surgical procedures.
The awardee will be honoured during the 37th Annual EAU Congress in Amsterdam, 18-21 March 2022, during the Opening Ceremony.
Rules and Eligibility • All urologists and scientists are invited to send in papers. • The topic of the paper should deal with
Minimally Invasive Surgery in Urology. • The paper must have been published or accepted for publication in a European
Journal between 1 October 2020 and 30 September 2021. • All papers must be submitted in English. • All applicants have to be a member of the
EAU. • The submitting author must be either the fi rst or the corresponding senior last author. • Each author is allowed to submit no more than one paper. • Deadline for submission is 1 November 2021.
A review committee, consisting of members of the EAU Scientifi c Congress Offi ce, will select the winning paper.
How to apply Please send your paper to the EAU Central Offi ce at m.smink@uroweb.org and mention “EAU Hans Marberger Award 2022” in the subject line of your e-mail.
The EAU Hans Marberger Award is supported by a grant of €5,000 from KARL STORZ SE & CO.KG
