Olutiwa Akinsola, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Examining Gaps in Transitional Care for Pediatric Urologic Patients in Tennessee
Olutiwa Akinsola is a fourth-year urology resident at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is a first-generation Nigerian, born and raised in Cincinnati, OH. She obtained her bachelor's degree in emergency medicine from the University of Pittsburgh. She then went on to obtain a master's degree in biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Akinsola returned to the University of Pittsburgh to complete her medical degree, graduating in 2020. Her interests in Urology include social determinants of health and enhancing medical education.
Peter Cai, Harvard University
Characterizing Non-billable Psychosocial Services in a Pediatric Urology Practice
I am a pediatric urology fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital with research interests in clinical trials, health services, and population health. I completed a six-year urological surgery residency training program at New York Presbyterian – Weill Cornell Medicine and am currently in a three-year pediatric urology fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. I am also a candidate for Master in Public Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health with a focus on Health Management and have had the opportunity to cross-register at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. I have a track-record of conducting clinical research and am a current recipient of a National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program Award (2022 – 2024) to support my research interests. Through my current MPH coursework, I have also developed background knowledge in biostatistics, epidemiology, health services research, and the U.S. healthcare environment. Since my future career will be dedicated to caring for pediatric urology patients who need medical and surgical care, many of my patients will have complex and chronic conditions secondary to congenital anomalies. I am passionate about providing the best medical care for each patient, but I also want to make a broader impact through shaping payment incentives and healthcare systems to deliver value.
WINNING SELECTION: Emily Clennon, Oregon Health and Science University
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Emily Clennon is a PGY4 in Urology at Oregon Health & Science University. She received her undergraduate degree in Biological Chemistry at Grinnell College and began her career in public health working with the Ryan White Program at the Iowa Department of Public Health before pursuing a career in medicine. She received her MD and MPH from OHSU in 2020. She has been active in legislative advocacy since her time at IDPH and has been attending the AUA’s Annual Advocacy Summit since 2019. She is currently serving as the Policy and Advocacy Resident/Recruitment Workgroup chair and is applying into pediatric urology fellowship.
Brian Cortese, University of Pennsylvania
Brian is a fifth-year MD/MBA candidate pursuing an M.D. from the Perelman School of Medicine and a Master of Business Administration in Health Care Management at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He has several first-author publications, in journals such as the Journal of Urology and Journal of Clinical Oncology, analyzing the impact of public-private partnerships on Medicare Part D spending for urologic and oncologic drugs as well as examining the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on out-of-pocket costs for patients being treated for advanced prostate cancer. Additionally, he worked in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania identifying low-value services in CMS billing codes that culminated in an official memo written to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). Brian will be pursuing Urology residency next year at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. His policy interests include prescription drug pricing, the role of telemedicine in urologic care delivery, and prior authorization. His clinical interests include urologic oncology, andrology and infertility, and genitourinary reconstruction.
WINNING SELECTION: Cesar Delgado, University of California, San Diego
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Born to immigrant parents who instilled the value of hard work as a key to unlocking opportunities, I navigated the uncertain path of pursuing a career in medicine as a member of an underrepresented community. I entered and continue through my Urology residency with the goal of establishing patient-physician relationships extending beyond symptomatic relief by drawing upon my diverse skillset and lived experiences to provide care to underrepresented and underinsured communities.
Victoria Edmonds, Mayo Clinic
Victoria is a third-year Urology resident at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. She graduated from the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in Arizona. She is passionate about health policy and minimally invasive surgery. She plans to pursue a fellowship in Endourology.
WINNING SELECTION: Taryn Ellis, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
National Cancer Drug Shortages: Policy Response and Potential Solutions
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Taryn Ellis is a fourth year Urology resident at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. Growing up in rural Mississippi instilled a profound commitment to addressing healthcare disparities and increasing access to care for the underserved which led her to embark on her academic journey at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning a degree in Global Public Health. She then returned to her home state and obtained a master's degree in biomedical sciences and a subsequent medical degree at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine during which she was heavily involved in local and state healthy policy advocacy efforts. She is currently applying for fellowships in urologic oncology and is dedicated to policy and research endeavors which ensure comprehensive urological care is accessible to all.
WINNING SELECTION: Michelle Leach, University of California, San Diego
Implementation of Health Policy, Equity, and Advocacy Curricula within a Urology Resident Program
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Mikki Leach is a 4th year Urology Resident at UC San Diego. She currently is the District 3 representative to the California Medical Association's Resident and Fellow Section and is current a member of the American Urological Association's Policy & Advocacy Resident Leadership Team. She's worked with multiple non-profit organizations from the local to international level, including with the World Health Organization in Geneva. She is planning a career in general urology and hopes to continue her advocacy work at the state and national levels after graduation.
WINNING SELECTION: Kelly Lehner, Mayo Clinic
Geographic Changes in Rural Access to Urological Care in the United States
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Katharine (Kara) Michel, University of Pennsylvania
A Quality Improvement Pilot: A Quality Improvement Pilot
Katharine (Kara) Michel, MD MSHP, is a fourth year Urology resident at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to residency Dr. Michel obtained a bachelor’s degree in medical anthropology from Yale College and then a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Michel’s policy research interests are in health care systems, particularly in studying the cost and quality of healthcare in the US. To that end, she also earned a Master of Science in Health Policy Research while at the University of Pennsylvania. Her master’s thesis explored the impact of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion on the uninsurance rate, diagnosis, and treatment of genitourinary cancers. Since starting residency, she has taken on several Quality Improvement projects, including projects to reduce operating room turnover time, aid patients in finding lower cost drugs, and increase price transparency for ambulatory surgeries. She has also engaged in clinical research, serving as principal investigator for the CARE trial, a randomized trial comparing forms of extended venous thromboembolism prophylaxis after radical cystectomy. The CARE trial was awarded grant funding by the Urology Care Foundation via the 2023 Resident Research Award. After completing her Urology training, Dr. Michel hopes to continue to pursue a career blending surgery and health policy work.
Ava Mousavi, University of California, Los Angeles
Disparities in Telehealth Usage Across Gender, Language, and Race/Ethnicity
Ava Mousavi is a 4th year medical student at UCLA, currently pursuing an MPH in Epidemiology as part of the Program in Medical Education-Leadership and Advocacy (PRIME-LA) program. Her and her family are refugees from Iran, and their experiences have inspired her to be passionate about social justice and health advocacy, especially for under resourced immigrant populations. She has been working with Dr. Juan José Andino MD, MBA on research aimed to improve health disparities in underserved populations in Los Angeles. Dr. Andino is an Andrologist who completed his training at the University of Michigan and UCLA and is also an inaugural Bruin Scholar, focused on promoting Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the health system. His current research focus is on Telehealth and how it can be use to improve access to care for patients.
WINNING SELECTION: Benjamin Pockros, University of Michigan
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Ben Pockros, MD, MBA is a second-year urology resident at the University of Michigan. Ben is interested in urologic oncology and health policy. His research focus is on prescription drug spending and out-of-pocket costs for patients. Dr. Pockros is on the Executive Committee of the AUA Policy and Advocacy Resident Workgroup.
Susanna Wang, Michigan State University
Gender Disparity Trends Among Top Earners of Urology Industry Payments
Susanna Wang is a third-year medical student at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience from University of Michigan (2018) and Master of Science in Basic Medical Sciences from Wayne State University (2020). Her passion for organized medicine took off when working at a women’s health clinic in Detroit, Michigan, during the COVID-19 pandemic and Supreme Court ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson. Soon after, Susanna became a rising leader for several organizations at her medical school, including American Medical Association and Michigan State Medical Society. She also served on the Task Force to Advance Health Equity, which was awarded a $200k grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. This past summer, Susanna participated in the PROSPECT Clinical Research Program sponsored by the North Central Section of the American Urological Association. She attended fourteen weeks of urology didactics and eight weeks of mentored research and clinical learning with Michigan Medicine Urology. Most recently, Susanna has been accepted as a member of the 2024 AUA Policy & Advocacy Recruitment Workgroup. She is looking forward to more opportunities to support an equitable future in the field of urology. Fun fact: Susanna has competed in eight national championships for two different sports - synchronized skating and Olympic weightlifting!