Our Team
At the CAIRIBU Interactions Core, we connect researchers across basic, clinical, and population science to push forward discoveries in non-malignant urology. We help investigators and trainees secure competitive grants, build a more diverse and collaborative research community, and mentor the next generation of leaders. Through meetings, newsletters, our website, social media, and the annual CAIRIBU meeting, we create opportunities to share ideas, pool resources, and spark collaborations that drive the field forward.
The CAIRIBU Network
The CAIRIBU Community was launched in 2018 from within the Urology Centers Program at the NIDDK in concert with leaders of the U54 Urology O’Brien Centers, P20 Urology Centers, and urology-focused K12 Career Development Programs. The CAIRIBU concept was to bring together investigators from these Centers and Programs to engage in dialogue, strategic visioning, and collaborative research. The first CAIRIBU meeting, in 2018 near NIH headquarters in Bethesda, was attended by around 75 investigators and trainees. CAIRIBU outreach at that time – individuals who received news and announcements from the CAIRIBU Interactions Core – numbered around 150.
Today in 2025, as the CAIRIBU Interactions Core enters its second 5-year grant cycle, CAIRIBU communications and outreach goes out to >1,000 individuals, not only those who were or currently are in NIDDK-funded CAIRIBU Centers and Programs, but also to a broad cross-section of the genitourinary research community. The CAIRIBU Community is now a central hub of coordination and activity for investigators engaged in all kinds of urologic research, from basic science to epidemiology. The breadth of research in which CAIRIBU investigators are involved is increasing and includes: aging in the lower urinary tract, urobiome and infection, benign prostate disorders, male reproductive issues and female sexual health, neurogenic bladder and other neuro-uro dysfunction, pelvic pain, voiding problems, and more.
