Category: CAIRIBU Investigator Spotlight

Quentin Clemens Lead Author on Recent Paper on Widespread Pain in Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

Quentin Clemens, MD, MS, was first author on a recent paper, “Transitions From Regional to Widespread Pain in Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain II Research Network Study.” The well-designed prospective study featured a 3-year follow-up, multiple participating sites, and standardized data collection and included both …

BPH RIG Begins

The CAIRIBU Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Research Interest Group (BPH RIG) has officially launched. Kazumi Taguchi, MD, PhD (The University of Alabama at Birmingham), Petra Popovics, PhD (Old Dominion University), Scott Quarrier, MD, MPH (University of Rochester), and Renee Vickman, PhD (NorthShore University Health System), will lead the RIG. The group connects investigators from a variety …

Dr. Pei Zhong and Dr. Junqin Chen’s Milestone Kidney Stone Study

Junqin Chen, PhD, post-doctoral scholar at Duke University in the lab of Dr. Pei Zhong, studies the mechanism of stone fragmentation in laser lithotripsy. Dr. Zhong is the PI of a prior CAIRIBU P20 Center at Duke University. Recently, Drs. Chen and Zhong published an article together comparing the differences between holmium:YAG and thulium fiber …

Indira Mysorekar Named Vice Dean For Research, Basic Science And Graduate Studies

Indira Mysorekar, PhD was appointed vice dean for research, basic science and graduate studies at Penn State College of Medicine. She will also be the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Medicine and professor of medicine and cell and biological systems. Her 18-year research career has focused on host- pathogen interactions in …

From Conversation to Collaboration: The CAIRIBU P20 Urology FORWARD Center at Endeavor Health

What began as a conversation between investigators during a CAIRIBU K12 Scholar Seminar evolved into a collaborative center addressing one of benign urology research’s biggest challenges: understanding how different experimental models can better represent benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and lower urinary tract dysfunction. Since its inception, the P20 FORWARD Center at Endeavor Health has exemplified …

Alison Huang, MD, MAS Appointed Editor in Chief of JAMA+ Trials

Alison Huang, MD, MAS, PI of the University of California San Francisco KUroEpi program, has been appointed Editor in Chief of JAMA+ Trials, a new online platform that highlights the vision, innovation, and resilience of clinical trial research. Dr. Huang shares her vision for the new journal: “JAMA+ Trials celebrates every trial across the JAMA …

Unmasking Pathogen Traits For Chronic Colonization In Neurogenic Bladder

Maria Hadjifrangiskou, PhD, PI of the prior P20 Exploratory Center at Vanderbilt University, recently published an exciting new article about uropathogen evolution in spina bifida patients. The article, titled, “Unmasking pathogen traits for chronic colonization in neurogenic bladder,” discusses how small genomic changes over time lead to pathogen persistence and, ultimately, chronic colonization of the …

AUA & SBUR Joint Symposium

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 …

Dr. Pei Zhong’s Groundbreaking Research in the Treatment of Kidney Stones

Pei Zhong, PhD, PI of the Duke University FORWARD Urology Center, has spent his career researching how to optimize laser lithotripsy treatment. The following excerpt from a recently published article highlights Dr. Zhong’s groundbreaking work. “Zhong first encountered kidney stone treatment, or lithotripsy, while attending graduate school at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center …

Seth Reasoner, MD/PhD, Reflects on CAIRIBU’s Lasting Impact as He Begins Next Chapter

Seth Reasoner recently completed his MD-PhD at Vanderbilt University. Since then, he has continued his engagement with CAIRIBU and credits his CAIRIBU Community engagement as a transformative experience that strengthened his collaborative network and contributed to his professional development.