CAIRIBU is a community of NIDDK-funded benign urology research centers and programs. 
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) U54 Urology O’Brien Cooperative Research Centers formed the basis for CAIRIBU.
The O’Brien Centers were initially established as P50 programs by the NIDDK in 1987. Each Center worked independently until 2012, at which time they were converted to the U54 mechanism. This was done to encourage collaboration between funded centers and with the larger research community.
In December 2013, at the “Urology Program Directors’ Meeting,” NIDDK program staff brought together the research teams of the U54 O’Brien Centers as well as those of the P20 Exploratory Centers for Interdisciplinary Research in Benign Urology, the FORWARD P20 Urology Centers and the K12 Urology Career Development Programs. The “Directors’ Meetings” continued annually until 2018, at which time the meetings were formally transitioned to “CAIRIBU Meetings” in an effort to more formally promote interactions and collaboration between constituent Centers and Programs.
1-min video brief about CAIRIBU HERE
CAIRIBU MISSION
- Support the next generation of urologic researchers by providing meaningful education, support and mentoring
- Cultivate new research tools and ideas by expanding the collaborative network within and outside of the traditional urologic research field
- Enhance knowledge of mechanisms associated with normal development, function, and disease pathology related to the urinary tract, kidney, and prostate
- Translate the knowledge and tools generated from our collaborative work to the clinical setting to reduce the burden of benign urologic illness by developing and testing therapies to better treat, manage, and prevent these diseases
U54 GEORGE M. O’BRIEN CENTERS HISTORY
The first of the U54 George M. O’Brien Centers for Benign Urology Research was awarded to Mayo Clinic (2013-2018). The Mayo O’Brien Center team was led John Lieske, MD, a nephrologist specializing in the clinical management of urolithiasis and whose active research interests are detailed here. In 2014, two new U54 Centers received 5-year O’Brien Center grants. The UW-Madison was renewed in 2019, and Columbia University was renewed in 2020. Stanford University received a urology O’Brien Center award in 2021. SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS about these Centers. From 2016-2021, the University of Pittsburgh (PI, Zhou Wang, PhD) had an O’Brien Center award.
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University of Wisconsin-Madison: 2014-2019; 2019-2024 – PI, Will Ricke, PhD
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Columbia University: 2014-2019; and 2020-2025 – PIs are Cathy Mendelsohn, PhD; Jonathan Barasch, MD, PhD; Ali Gharavi, MD; and Anne-Catrin Uhlemann, MD, PhD
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Stanford University: 2021-2026 – PI, James Brooks, MD
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P20 EXPLORATORY CENTERS FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH IN BENIGN UROLOGY
Current CAIRIBU P20 Exploratory Centers:
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Michigan Interdisciplinary Center for Urology Research and Education, PIs Bernadette Zwaans, PhD; Michael Chancellor, MD (2021-2023)
Prior CAIRIBU P20 Exploratory Centers:
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Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center-Harvard University, PI Mark Zeidel, MD (2018-2020)
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Columbia University, PI Simone Sanna-Cherchi, MD (2018-2020)
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NorthShore University HealthSystem-Purdue University, PIs Simon Hayward, PhD and Timothy Ratliff, PhD (2018-2020)
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Washington University, PI Indira Mysorekar, PhD (2018-2020)
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Albert Einstein College of Medicine, PI Kelvin Davies, PhD (2019-2021)
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center, PI Maria Hadjifrangiskou, PhD (2019-2021)
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University of Tennessee Health Science Center, PI Robert Wake, MD (2019-2021)
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Duke University, PI Pei Zhong, PhD (2019-2021)
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University of Alabama at Birmingham, PI Dean G. Assimos, MD (2018-2020, 2020-2022)
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Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia-University of Pennsylvania, PI Greg Tasian, MD, MSc, MSCE (2020-2022)
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Medical College of Wisconsin, PI Kathryn Flynn, PhD (2020-2022)
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FORWARD P20 UROLOGY CENTERS
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Mayo Clinic Rochester, PIs Kevin Koo, MD, MPH; John Lieske, MD (2022-2025)
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Duke University, PI Pei Zhong, PhD (2022-2025)
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MULTIDISCIPLINARY UROLOGIC RESEARCH (KURE) CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS (K12)
Duke University, PI Cindy Amundsen, MD
University of Wisconsin – Madison, PIs Dale Bjorling, DVM, MS; Wade Bushman, MD, PhD
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UROLOGICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY (KUROEPI) INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS (K12)
University of California San Francisco – Kaiser Permanente, PIs Alison Huang, MD; Stephen Van Den Eeden, PhD
University of Michigan, PIs Aruna Sarma, PhD; Quentin Clemens, MD
NIDDK SUPPORT:
Julie Barthold, M.D. – Project Scientist; and Deepak Nihalani, PhD – Program Official
Kristina Penniston, PhD, RDN, is the PI of a U24 Urology Centers Program (DK127726) that provides coordination and directs interactions between CAIRIBU Centers and Programs. She is a senior scientist in the Department of Urology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.