Kristina Penniston, PhD, RD, PI of the CAIRIBU Interactions Core, is co-directing a symposium for the Society for Basic Urologic Research (SBUR) to be held at the American Urological Association’s (AUA) annual meeting in Washington, D.C. The symposium will take place on Friday, May 15th, 2026, from 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM. It will highlight foundational and translational urologic research, focusing on the mechanisms that drive disease understanding and therapeutic innovation.
Through expert-led presentations and moderated panel discussions, participants will examine how basic scientific discoveries are advanced along the translational pathway toward clinical relevance and improved patient outcomes in urology. Multiple scientists will present their research within 3 sessions: (1) BPH, (2) comorbidity-associated genitourinary disorders, and (3) urothelial dysfunction. Panels of urologists will follow each session to engage in discourse about cross- disciplinary communication and collaboration, critical knowledge gaps, and moving progress more quickly from the bench to the bedside.
Featured CAIRIBU speakers and topics include:
- Michael Odom, PhD, K12 Alumni from Duke University, speaking on diabetes and bladder dysfunction
- Ajinkya Limkar, MD/PhD student in Will Ricke’s lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, speaking on Alzheimer’s induced lower urinary tract symptoms
- Aruna Sarma, PhD, MHA, PI of the University of Michigan’s KUroEpi program, speaking on diabetes and erectile dysfunction
- Cathy Mendelsohn, PhD, PI of Columbia University’s U54 George M. O’Brien Center, speaking on bladder repair mechanisms
- Teresa Liu, PhD, K12 Alumni from UW-Madison, speaking on racial disparity in benign prostatic hyperplasia
- Bernadette Zwaans, PhD, MS, PI of Michigan State University’s P20 Exploratory Center, speaking on post-radiation cystitis
To see the full list of CAIRIBU-affiliated investigators presenting at this symposium and throughout the rest of the AUA meeting, click here.