Christina Bergemann, PhD, was recently appointed as a K12 Scholar in the CAIRIBU Multidisciplinary K12 Urologic Research Career Development Program (KURe) at Duke University, led by Cindy Amundsen, MD. Duke’s KURe Program is a K12 …
News
Kymora Scotland, MD, PhD Discovers Bacterial Role in Calcium Oxalate Kidney Stones
Kymora Scotland, MD, PhD, member of the CAIRIBU Urobiome Research Interest Group, led a team that discovered bacteria are present in the most common type of kidney stone – calcium oxalate kidney stones. Previously, only struvite stones have been shown to contain bacteria, while calcium oxalate stones have been considered “noninfectious” and not associated with a bacterial presence.
ASM Microbe Approves Session Proposal by Silvia Grant, PhD
Silvia Grant, PhD, member of the CAIRIBU Urobiome Research Interest Group (U-RIG), submitted a session proposal to the ASM Microbe Conference, titled “Translating Urogenital Microbiome Science into Clinic Impact,” which was approved by the ASM Microbe planning committee.
J. Quentin Clemens AUA Victor A. Politano Award
J. Quentin Clemens, MD was recently awarded the American Urological Association’s Victor A. Politano Award for outstanding leadership and groundbreaking research in the fields of urinary incontinence and interstitial cystitis. Congratulations Dr. Clemens.
CAIRIBU 2025 Best Poster Winners
The CAIRIBU 2025 meeting, held December 3rd-5th in Madison, WI, was a huge success! The meeting featured a trainee and early-stage investigator pre-meeting, six scientific sessions, various breakout sessions, and two poster sessions. All poster presenters were scored on the quality of their posters and their presentation skills. See the top-rated posters in twelve categories that were awarded the title of Best Poster.
Alexandra Polasko, PhD Receives 2025 RISE Award
Alexandra Polasko, PhD, received a 2025 Recognizing Individuals for Support and Empowerment (RISE) Award. These awards celebrate faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and residents who have exemplified exceptional mentorship for visiting medical students from Historically Black Medical Colleges (HBMCs).
CAIRIBU Best Abstracts Announced
All 98 abstracts submitted to the 2025 CAIRIBU Annual Meeting were reviewed and scored by leaders in the CAIRIBU community. The top 3 abstracts were submitted by: (1) Ashika Goel, graduate student, Michigan State University; (2) Ananya Pinnamaneni, undergraduate student, Duke University; and (3) Hannah Anderson, graduate student, Medical College of Wisconsin
Jean-Phillipe Gourdine, PhD, MS awarded grant from NSF
Jean-Phillipe Gourdine, PhD, MS, was awarded a $249,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support his project, “Exploring the Role of Urinary Host N-Glycans as a Nutrient Source for Bladder Bacteria Metabolism.”
David Chu, MD, MSCE, awarded $10M from PCORI
David Chu, MD, MS, Associate Professor, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, co-investigator with Gregory Tasian, MD, MSc, for the CAIRIBU P20 Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, was awarded $10M from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study strategies for improving bowel continence in people with spina bifida. Maryellen Kelly, DNP, CPNP, MHSc, will serve as Associate Director.
Indira Mysorekar, PhD awarded an R01 research grant from NIDDK
Indira Mysorekar, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Chief of Basic and Translational Research at Baylor College of Medicine and PI of a prior CAIRIBU P20 Exploratory Center at Washington University, was awarded an R01 research grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health for the project “Mechanisms of age- and sex-dependent changes in urinary bladder immunity.”