Martin G. Sanda, MD Muta M. Issa, MD, MBA, Professor, Director of Urology Communications
Professor and Chair James P. Owen, III, Director of Development
Letter from the Chair Martin G. Sanda, MD
Chairman & Chief of Urology Emory School of Medicine & Emory Healthcare
(404) 778-‐6874 [email protected] www.urology.emory.edu
Whether you are a patient, a referring physician, an alumnus,
friend of Emory Urology, or a prospective candidate for employment or training, I hope that our newsletter will provide you a fitting introduction to our team and update you on current news within the department. Emory Urology is among the foremost programs for delivering sophisticated, patient-‐centered care across the entire spectrum of adult and adolescent urological conditions. Our doctors have been recognized by innumerable national and regional awards and commendations. We take care of more than 15,000 patients
with urological diseases annually. Our surgical expertise spans the gamut from the most routine urological procedures to the most complex cases referred from urologists across the region and throughout the country. We practice at 4 hospitals: Emory University Hospital, Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Grady Memorial Hospital, and the Atlanta VA Medical Center. Our residents and fellows also work with affiliated Pediatric Urology faculty at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. In addition to exemplary patient-‐centered care, Emory Urology does much more: scientists and physician-‐scientists in our Department are developing new treatments for both urological cancers (including prostate, bladder, kidney, and penile cancer) and non-‐cancerous urologic problems (including kidney stones, male infertility, urinary incontinence, urinary reconstruction, erectile dysfunction and more). Many of the country’s top urological surgeons, including Department Chairs at other leading institutions, started their careers at Emory. It is an honor for me to have the opportunity to lead Emory Urology, and I welcome you to join or revisit our network of patients, referring physicians, alumni, and friends.
Reorganizing Department into Divisions -‐ Sanda Names Three New Leadership Positions New Emory Department of Urology Chairman, Martin G. Sanda MD, nominated Emory Urology faculty members to three new leadership positions within the department: Dr. Chad Ritenour as Vice Chair of Education and Faculty Affairs, Dr. John Petros as Associate Chair of Research, and Dr. Viraj Master as Associate Chair for Quality and Clinical Affairs. These appointments were supported by unanimous consensus at the March faculty meeting as part of strategic restructuring of the Department into 4 Divisions: Division of Oncology, Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery and Endourology, Division of Reconstructive Urology, and Division of Men’s Health, Infertility and Office Urology.
Emory Urology Service established at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital Emory Urology is leading the way among Emory surgical specialties in establishing clinical services at Emory’s newest affiliate hospital, Saint Joseph’s. Dr. John Pattaras, Associate Professor of Urology, is assuming leadership of this endeavor as the Director of the Emory Urology Service at SJH. Emory urologists Dr. Martin Sanda, Dr. Peter Nieh, and Dr. Wayland Hsiao as well
as incoming Health Services Scholar Dr. Akanksha Mehta comprise the Emory Urology team at SJH. Clinic and office space for Emory Urology at SJH is being constructed in 5,500 square feet on the fifth floor of the “5973” Building adjacent to SJH. Starting in July, Emory urology will have a 5-‐day-‐per week presence in both outpatient clinics and inpatient OR at SJH. On April 16, Sanda performed the first major robotic case by Emory Urology at SJH (a robotic prostatectomy).
Dr. John Pattaras
A Newsletter from the Emory University Department of Urology | Spring 2013 www.urology.emory.edu
EMORY I UROLOGY
Multidisciplinary Prostate Cancer Care Center Initiated at Saint Joseph’s Hospital Under the direction of Dr. Martin Sanda, a Multi-‐disciplinary Prostate Cancer Clinic is opening at Emory’s newest affiliate hospital, Saint Joseph’s. Dr. Sanda, who previously directed such a Clinic at University of Michigan and established a multidisciplinary prostate center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, will lead the center in coordination with Dr. Peter Rossi of Radiation Oncology and the Emory Winship Cancer Institute. Drs. Pattaras, Dr. Nieh, and Emory medical oncologists will also provide patient care in the center. The Center will serve as a “one-‐stop shop” for prostate cancer patients with urologic cancer experts, radiation specialists, and medical oncology specialists all under one roof. Along with an in-‐house lab, patient care coordinators will also be employed to enhance patient experience.
Emory Urology at the 2013 American Urological Association Convention • Dr. John Petros was invited as a distinguished speaker at the AUA Urologic Oncology Research Symposium. He delivered a keynote presentation entitled “Mitochondrial Genetics and Cancer.” • Dr. Viraj Master delivered a featured presentation about Emory’s innovative video-‐based educational tool that enhances patient comprehension of common prostate health terminology. • Dr. Jeff Carney participated as a lead faculty in a postgraduate educational course to teach urologists on urethral reconstruction. • Dr. Sanda’s research on PHI (prostate health index) as a new method to selectively detect aggressive prostate cancer was selected by the AUA for a press release. Dr. Sanda’s contribution to prostate cancer research was featured and highlighted by the AUA during the convention.
Overall, Emory Urology contribution to the AUA totaled 34 Emory scholarly activities, which included 29 scientific podium and poster presentations, 2 keynote presentations, 2 post-‐graduate educational courses and 1 educational video.
Urology PA Residency started at Emory -‐ First in Southeast Dr. Chad Ritenour, Dr. John Pattaras and Tania Soloman PA-‐c have begun the first Physician Assistants (PA) urological residency program in the southeast. The program provides a broad-‐based educational experience whereby a certified PA is trained in urological conditions. The PA resident program will emphasize patient care, medical knowledge, interpersonal and communication skills and professionalism. Training is provided in a well-‐established academic university, national cancer center and associated hospitals, focusing on intellectual stimulation, surgical skills and evidence-‐based medicine. Objectives include exposure to outpatients, inpatients and surgical settings, with peri-‐operative involvement, to enable the resident to gain the expertise necessary to practice in a urology setting of their choice. The inaugural resident started April 1.
Issa Promoted to Professor Dr. Muta M. Issa, Chief of Urology at The Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, was recently promoted to Professor of Urology with tenure. The Emory Board of Trustees voted to approve his promotion at its most recent meeting in March. Dr. Issa earned his medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland and received his urology training at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland and Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, California. Dr. Issa began practicing at Emory in 1997.
Research Highlight: “Health Buddy” Incontinence Trial at Atlanta VA A four-‐year research grant titled “Perioperative Post-‐Prostatectomy Incontinence Home Telehealth Program” recently received $1 million in federal funding. Dr. Muta M. Issa, Professor of Urology, at Emory University Department of Urology and Chief of Urology at the Atlanta VA Medical Center (AVAMC) is the Urology Site Director for the project at the AVAMC. The project involves testing pelvic floor muscle training program for urinary continence in patients following prostate surgery. The training program will be implemented using telehealth format through a Health Buddy. A Health Buddy is a home device that allows for remote monitoring and supervision of pelvic floor muscle training exercises. The device records patients’ activities and progress from the comfort of their homes. In an earlier pilot study, patients appreciated receiving the training in the privacy of their homes, and felt better prepared to deal with incontinence and empowered with new knowledge and skills. The study represents the next step in our continued commitment to help patients gain urinary continence and improve their quality of life. The earlier study, co-‐authored by Dr. Issa, was published in JAMA in January 2011.
Dr. Muta M. Issa
Carney Recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle H.M. Cauley, Contributing Writer Dr. Jeff Carney, Chief of Urology at Grady Memorial Hospital and Assistant Professor of Urology at Emory, was featured in the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Carney grew up in “a blue-‐collar family in a pretty small town” where his family lived payday to payday. Straight after high school, he joined the Air Force and worked as a bomb loader. He attended pharmacy school and obtained a doctorate degree in pharmacology. Most would have simply stopped but not Carney. He went on to chase his dream to become a urologist through medical school, urology residency and three separate fellowships (trauma, reconstruction, and urologic oncology), after which he joined Emory as a Urology faculty member in 2001. Carney stays grounded by remembering his roots growing up in a family of mill workers outside of Rome, Ga. He worked as a pharmacist to pay his way through medical school. His ability to connect with people has earned him a reputation for an outstanding bedside manner. “It’s very important to have a good bedside manner, so much so that they’re actually teaching that now in medical schools,” Carney said. “But I don’t think you can teach it. It’s an innate gift.” “As far as his abilities and skills, they’re second to none,” said Dr. Pine, Emory University critical care specialist. “But he also has a great personality. Everybody wants to work with him, and he spends a lot of time training medical students, nurse practitioners, fellows and residents. If I call his cellphone at 10 at night, he’s still at the hospital. He’s really remarkable.” When Carney isn’t at Grady, he’s often donating his time to various causes.
Every February for 10 years, he has traveled to El Salvador where he performs pediatric surgery. He’s now planning a similar excursion to Kenya. “It’s a demanding profession,” he said. “But it’s what God put me here to do, and I enjoy doing it.”
Emory Medical Student Sarah Holzman gets Brendler Award The Urology Care Foundation awarded a prestigious fellowship to Sarah Holzman, a medical student at Emory University School of Medicine. Sarah won the Brendler Summer Medical Student Fellowship Program award, which will support a two-‐month study with Dr. Viraj Master to elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of renal cell cancer.
Urology Resident Accomplishments • Dr. Lindsey Herrel (working with Dr. Hsiao) received the Best Research Award at the 2013 Georgia Urological Association spring meeting.
• Dr. Adam B. Shrewsberry received the highest in-‐service score for senior residents.
• Emory University urology residents beat the Georgia Regents University residents in the annual Resident Bowl at the 2013 Georgia Urological Association spring meeting.
• Dr. Paymon Nourparvar received the highest in-‐service score for junior residents and a 2nd place for Best Case Presentation at the 2013 Georgia Urological Association spring meeting.
• Dr. Adam Shrewsberry was awarded second place for the T. Leon Howard Imaging Session at the 2013 Southeastern Section of the American Urological Association annual meeting in Williamsburg, VA.
Emory Urology Milestones • Dr. Akanksha Mehta is joining the Department of Urology starting in July as the inaugural Emory Urology Health Services Scholar. Dr. Mehta completed her undergraduate, graduate medical degree and urology residency at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She is currently
finishing a 2-‐year fellowship in Male Reproductive Medicine, Infertility & Microsurgery at Cornell University.
• Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredits a collaborative Emory Urology and Gynecology Fellowship in pelvic floor reconstruction.
Emory Urology Scientific Publications January-‐May 2013 (Online and Print) • Pathological Concordance and Surgical Outcomes of Sporadic Synchronous Unilateral Multifocal Renal Masses Treated with Partial Nephrectomy: Simhan, Canter, Sterious, Smaldone, Tsai, Li, Viterbo, Chen, Greenberg, Kutikov & Uzzo. Journal of Urology, Jan 2013
• Remote Monitoring and Supervision Of Urology Residents Utilizing Integrated Endourology Suites -‐ A Prospective Study of Patients' Opinions: Anderson, Kapp, Angell, Abd, Thompson, Ritenour & Issa. Journal of Endourology, Jan 2013
• Microsurgical Vasovasostomy: Herrel & Hsiao. Asian Journal of Andrology, Jan 2013
• Complications After Robot-‐assisted Radical Cystectomy: Results from the International Robotic Cystectomy Consortium: Johar, Hayn, Stegemann, Ahmed, Agarwal, Balbay, Hemal, Kibel, Muhletaler, Nepple, Pattaras, Peabody, Palou Redorta, Rha, Richstone, Saar, Schanne, Scherr, Siemer, St kle, Weizer, Wiklund, Wilson, Woods, Yuh & Guru. European Urology, Jan 16, 2013 [Epub ahead of print]
• Epithelioid Pecoma (Epithelioid Angiomyolipoma) of The Kidney: A Rare Tumor Subtype For Patients Presenting with an Enhancing Renal Mass: Shrewsberry, Sica, Osunkoya & Canter. Canadian Journal of Urology, Feb 2013
• A Win For All: Faculty-‐Student Partnerships in Surgical Humanitarianism: Leeds, Srinivasan, Pattaras & Master. Bulletin of American College of Surgeons, Feb 2013
• Is simpler better? Quality of life based on type of urinary diversion: Canter. Canadian Journal of Urology, Feb 2013
• International Surgical Clerkship Rotation: Perceptions and Academic Performance: Leeds, Hugar, Pettitt, Srinivasan & Master. American Journal of Surgery, Feb 26, 2013 [Epub ahead of print]
• Evaluation Of Novel Formula of PSA, Age, Prostate Volume, And Race in Predicting Positive Prostate Biopsy Findings: Patel, Issa & El-‐Galley. Urology, Mar 2013
• Characterization of Primary Prostate Carcinoma by anti-‐1-‐amino-‐2-‐[(18)F]-‐fluorocyclobutane -‐1-‐carboxylic Acid (anti-‐3-‐[(18)F] FACBC) Uptake: Schuster, Taleghani, Nieh, Master, Amzat, Savir-‐Baruch, Halkar, Fox, Osunkoya, Moreno, Nye, Yu, Fei, Wang, Chen, Goodman. American Journal of Nuclear Medicine Molecular Imaging, Mar 2013
• Partners' Long-‐Term Appraisal of Their Caregiving Experience, Marital Satisfaction, Sexual Satisfaction, and Quality of Life 2 Years After Prostate Cancer Treatment: Harden, Sanda, Wei, Yarandi, Hembroff, Hardy & Northouse; PROSTQA Consortium Study Group. Cancer Nursing, Mar 2013
• Uncertainty and Perception of Danger Among Patients Undergoing Treatment For Prostate Cancer: Kazer, Bailey, Chipman, Psutka, Hardy, Hembroff, Regan, Dunn, Crociani & Sanda; PROSTQA Consortium Study Group. British Journal of Urology International, Mar 2013
• Familiarity and Self-‐Reported Compliance with American Urological Association (AUA) Best Practice Recommendations for Use of Thromboembolic Prophylaxis Amongst American Urological Association Members: Sterious, Simhan, Uzzo, Gershman, Li, Devarajan, Canter,
Walton, Fogg, Ginzburg, Corcoran, Smaldone & Kutikov. Journal of Urology, Mar 25, 2013 [Epub ahead of print]
• A +20% Adjustment in the CT Measured Ureteral Length is an Accurate Predictor of True Ureteral Length Prior to Ureteral Stent Placement: Shrewsberry, Al-‐Qassab, Goodman, Petros, Ritenour & Issa. Journal of Endourology, Mar 28, 2013 [Epub ahead of print]
• Inherent Difficulties of Measuring The Burden of Surgical Disease In Resource-‐Poor Settings: Leeds, Hugar, Lorentz, Srinivasan, Pattaras & Master. World Journal of Surgery, Mar 29, 2013 [Epub ahead of print]
• Computed Tomography Based Renal Parenchyma Volume Measurements Prior to Renal Tumor Surgery are Predictive of Postoperative Renal Function. Kunzel, Small, Goodman, Pattaras, Master & Ogan. Canadian Journal of Urology, Apr 2013
• Multi-‐institutional Prospective Evaluation of Bowel Quality of Life After Prostate External Beam Radiation Therapy Identifies Patient and Treatment Factors Associated With Patient-‐Reported Outcomes: The PROSTQA Experience: Hamstra, Conlon, Daignault, Dunn, Sandler, Hembroff, Zietman, Kaplan, Ciezki, Kuban, Wei, Sanda, Michalski; PROSTQA Consortium Study Group. International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, Apr 2, 2013 [Epub ahead of print]
• Racial Disparities in Prostate Cancer Care: Is Adherence to National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines Good Enough For Our Patients?: Master VA & Moses KA. Cancer, Apr 10, 2013 [Epub ahead of print]
• Diagnosis of Relevant Prostate Cancer Using Supplementary Cores From Magnetic Resonance
Imaging-‐Prompted Areas Following Multiple Failed Biopsies: Costa, Bloch, Yao, Sanda, Ngo, Genega, Pedrosa, Dewolf & Rofsky. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Apr 18, 2013 [Epub ahead of print]
• Systematic Review of The Evidence of a Relationship Between Chronic Psychosocial Stress and C-‐Reactive Protein. Johnson, Abbasi & Master. Molecular Diagnostic Therapy, Apr 25, 2013. [Epub ahead of print]
• Use of Full-‐Length Metallic Stents in Malignant Ureteral Obstruction: Abbasi, Wyre & Ogan. Journal of Endourology, May 2013
• Urinary TMPRSS2:ERG and PCA3 in an Active Surveillance Cohort: Results From a Baseline Analysis in The Canary Prostate Active Surveillance Study: Lin, Newcomb, Brown, Brooks, Carroll, Feng, Gleave, Lance, Sanda, Thompson, Wei & Nelson; for the Canary Prostate Active Surveillance Study Investigators. Clinical Cancer Research, May 2013
• Patient-‐Reported Outcomes After 3-‐Dimensional Conformal, Intensity-‐Modulated, or Proton Beam Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer. Gray, Paly, Yeap, Sanda, Sandler, Michalski, Talcott, Coen, Hamstra, Shipley, Hahn, Zietman, Bekelman & Efstathiou. Cancer, May 2013
• Prospective Multicenter Evaluation of the Beckman Coulter Prostate Health Index Using WHO Calibration: Loeb, Sokoll, Broyles, Bangma, van Schaik, Klee, Wei, Sanda, Partin, Slawin, Marks, Mizrahi, Shin, Cruz, Chan, Roberts & Catalona. Journal of Urology, May 2013
• Histologic Findings on Prostate Needle Core Biopsies Following Cryotherapy as Monotherapy for Prostatic Adenocarcinoma: Gooden, Nieh & Osunkoya. Human Pathology, May 2013
2013 Emory Urology AUA Alumni Reception in San Diego
Your Support Can Do Wonders!
As a nonprofit organization, Emory Urology depends on gifts from patients and friends of the department to help support its mission to provide the very best in urological research, training, and care. Gifts of any size truly make a difference! • Support the day-‐to-‐day operations -‐ Urology Excellence Fund • Educate future urologists -‐ Residency Support Fund • Support clinical care & research centers -‐ Uro-‐oncology, The Stone Center, Men’s Health, and/or The Continence Centers
Please contact: James Owen, Director of Development 404.778.5429 [email protected] To give online, go to www.emory.edu/give and select ‘School of Medicine’ and enter ‘Urology’ in the text box, or mail your support to 1365-‐B Clifton Road, Suite 1403, Atlanta, GA 30322