AUANews Inside Tract

Women's representation in urology continues to grow, but recruitment is only part of the story. Drs. Maheetha Barathwaj, Jaime Cavallo, Angie Smith, and Cheryl Lee examine findings from the 2025 AUA Census and share perspectives from different career stages. They discuss mentorship, leadership, retention, work-life integration, and the opportunities and barriers shaping the future of women in urology.

We are pleased to announce that Dr Stephen Nakada, AUA Past President (2024-2025), has joined the AUANews editorial board as the new Associate Editor for Leadership and Business. He will be leading a new series on leadership within the AUA. The third installment features a conversation between Dr Nakada and two recent Leadership Program graduates, Dr. Una Lee and Dr. Kevin Koo.

In this episode of AUANews Inside Tract, medical student David Stack speaks with Dr. Brock O'Neil from the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah about the growing role of AI in medicine. They discuss the challenges and questions this new technology is bringing up in the field of urology.

Quality Improvement and Patient Safety

In this episode, Dr. Tariq Chaudry joins Dr. Andrew Harris, chair of AUA's Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QIPS) Committee, to discuss the University of Kentucky's journey to becoming a high-reliability organization (HRO), where safety, accountability, teamwork, continuous improvement, and learning come together to minimize risk and reduce harm. This episode explores what sparked UK's HRO commitment, how teams turned principles into action, the lessons and changes that made the greatest impact, and practical first steps any organization can take to begin its own journey.

In this episode of the AUANews Inside Tract Global Perspectives series, host Jose Karam, MD, speaks with French urologists Gaëlle Margue, MD, and Denis Séguier, MD, about their AUA-supported observerships at MD Anderson Cancer Center and Yale. They compare urologic care in France and the United States, exploring clinical workflows, multidisciplinary collaboration, research integration, access to resources, and patient care.

AI-powered scribes are increasingly available to urologists, but access, adoption, and satisfaction tell different stories. Using findings from the 2025 AUA Census, host Daniel Lee, MD, speaks with Kenneth Nepple, MD, and Giovanni Cacciamani, MD, about the real-world promise and limitations of AI-assisted documentation. They examine workflow integration, time savings, accuracy, clinician oversight, data governance, and privacy—plus what urologists should consider before bringing these tools into practice.

What's it really like to transition into urology from another specialty? In this episode, Brandon Sterling sits down with fellow APP Maggie O'Block to discuss their personal journeys into urology and the lessons they learned along the way. Drawing from their own experiences, Brandon and Maggie share practical tips for navigating the learning curve, building confidence in a new specialty, finding mentorship, and adapting to the unique challenges and opportunities of urologic practice. Whether you're considering a move into urology or are just getting started in the field, this candid conversation offers valuable insights, encouragement, and advice to help make your transition a successful one.

Quality Improvement and Patient Safety

In this episode, Dr. Kara Watts joins Dr. Andrew Harris, chair of AUA's Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QIPS) Committee, to discuss the implementation of an electronic medical record-based ureteral stent tracker. They explore how this intervention has decreased average stent dwell time and the frequency of retained ureteral stents. To learn more about how to implement quality improvement projects, view the AUA's Quality Improvement Project Guide.

We are pleased to announce that Dr Stephen Nakada, AUA Past President (2024-2025), has joined the AUANews editorial board as the new Associate Editor for Leadership and Business. He will be leading a new series on leadership within the AUA. The second installment features a conversation between Dr Nakada and current AUA Treasurer Dr Jennifer Miles-Thomas.