Timothy B. Hopkins, MD

I feel honored to serve as your New England Section President. It is certainly a pleasure, but humbling task to follow in the footsteps of the outstanding job our previous Presidents have done.

With the spring season now upon us, activities for the New England Section are in full swing. Plans are well underway for the Joint Meeting with the Mid-Atlantic Section, AUA. We hope to have another excellent turn out from NE members, just as we did for the Annual Meeting held last October in Providence. In Providence about 400 of our Section members and devoted industry representatives convened to participate in excellent science and innovative sessions as well as a fun social program. New to the meeting was the industry Product Showcase and Young Urologists Committee Jeopardy game. Both were very well received. We look forward to strong participation as we continue these programs in the future.

Our Annual Meeting in 2011 is being held in conjunction with the Mid-Atlantic Section, AUA at The Swan Hotel in Orlando, Florida this coming November 3-6, 2011. This is a very impressive venue and promises to be a memorable experience. I recently had the privilege of visiting the property along with Mid-Atlantic Section President, Dr. Harry Koo. The Swan Hotel will be excellent for our joint scientific program and is a stone's throw from the wonderful Disney parks. You can walk to Epcot or take a free boat ride to Epcot and Hollywood studios. I encourage you to bring your families to the Joint Meeting this November. We have outstanding scientific and social programs scheduled. The social program includes the Beach Olympics, Welcome Reception, Attendee Theme Dinner, golf, tennis and President's Dinner.

With the outstanding reservoir of talent in our two Sections this should be a wonderful, contemporary, and relevant scientific meeting. Our Program Committee Co-Chairs, Dr. Adam Feldman (NE Section) and Dr. Adam Klausner (MA Section) are presently working to finalize the program to include topics that reach our private practitioners, academic community, and allied health and resident populations. The preliminary program shell is scheduled for publication later this spring.

The Section Board of Directors recently held their winter Board meeting and incorporated a strategic planning session. This is an innovative initiative started by our Section Long Range Planning Committee Chairman, Dr. David Green. We considered the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to our organization. The session was very productive and we hope to begin implementing some of the outcomes of the session into Section activities soon. We would greatly appreciate your input in this process. A tool that will assist in identifying the needs of our Section members, which will help to ensure Section member needs are being met, is a Member Profile Survey, similar to the poll conducted in 2007 by then Secretary, Dr. Kevin Loughlin. The survey will be released within the coming months and I encourage all Section members to take time to complete this study. This is your organization and the report will only be as representative as the response we get. We also plan to send a subsequent, brief resident's survey to more specifically understand the needs of those in training within the region and solicit suggestions to improve our Section.

There will be much more activity with the Section as we work through the spring and approach the fall Joint Meeting. I hope you will participate in all that is offered to you as an NEAUA member and communicate to me your thoughts, comments, and suggestions.

I look forward to seeing everyone in Orlando later this year.

Sincerely yours,
Tim Hopkins, MD

E. Ann Gormley, MD

The 79th Annual Meeting of the New England Section of the AUA was a great success with record breaking attendance: 219 total professional attendees, 21 individuals for the Coding Course; 21 guests/spouses. With industry representatives, the grand total meeting registration was near 400 attendees. The Co-Chairs of the Scientific Program Committee, Drs. Lori Lerner and Gyan Pareek, put together an outstanding and very diverse scientific program from a record number of submitted abstracts and included an exceptional variety of podium and poster presentations, panels, state-of-the art lectures, videos, invited lectures and courses, including a coding course.

New in 2011 was a Product Showcase which allowed industry representatives podium time to showcase their new products to the Section. This was very well received by the membership and we will continue this initiative at future Section meetings. Also new to the Section at the 2010 Annual Meeting, the AUA Young Urologist Committee organized an evening Jeopardy game that was very well attended. Credit for coordination of our wonderful social program goes to Dr. Stephen Schiff. I would like to thank Dr. Schiff for organizing amazing venues with fabulous food for our group. The Market Tour of Federal Hill was again a very popular excursion for our attendees as well.

Plans are underway for the 2011 Joint Meeting which will be held with the Mid- Atlantic Section. Our 80th Annual Meeting will be at the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel November 3 – 6, 2011. Please check the NEAUA website for updates and information on the meeting as it becomes available. I hope to see many of you in Florida!

Our last Section Town Meeting was in Connecticut in September 2010 and was held in conjunction with the Connecticut State Urology Meeting. Since this format allowed for increased attendance at less cost to the Section, we will continue to explore these types of collaborative meetings. If there is a topic or speaker that you would like to hear at your state's Town Meeting or if there is another urology group that you would like to partner with to host a Town Meeting, please let me know. The Section leadership is always interested in collaboration.

As Secretary of the New England Section, I am a member of the AUA Section Secretaries Committee. I am pleased to report that the AUA is continuing to reach out to non-physician members by appointing the Chair of the Advanced Practice Nurses/Physician Assistant Committee to the Section Secretaries/Membership Council. The AUA will soon conduct a survey to determine this population's needs. Discussions are ongoing if a separate tier for non-physician providers will be added to the AUA Core Curriculum. If you have non-physician providers working in your office, please encourage them to become a member of the New England Section. It is important to align ourselves as urologists with our allied health colleagues and encourage their continued education.

A valuable educational tool, the AUA Core Curriculum, which is a comprehensive reference guide detailing knowledge for quality urological care, is accessible through the AUA website (http://www.auanet.org/eforms/elearning/core/). The Core Curriculum Committee, of which I am a member, is going to continue to modify the curriculum to keep it current. Please let me know if you have suggestions as to what we can do to continue improvement of the Core Curriculum. You can communicate suggestions to me via email to admin@neaua.org.

If you have any additional ideas of how to improve the Section, please send them to the NEAUA administrative office. I thank you for the privilege of allowing me to serve as your Section Secretary.

Sincerely yours,

E. Ann Gormley, MD

Mark K. Plante, MD

I want to firstly begin my report by recognizing and thanking Aurelie Alger and her staff at PRRI for the tireless and professional support they have lent me during my tenure as the Section's Treasurer.

At the last Board meeting, I provided the members a report of the Section's finances and am happy to say that the finances have improved considerably from the year prior. I need underline this improvement is largely the result of the very responsible stewardship and leadership of Dr. Mark Sigman as well as all those who helped arrange the Annual Meeting in Providence. As I have discussed in previous reports, the monies that are needed to 'run' the Section are largely derived from Annual Meeting income. This year's realized margin from the meeting was a bit more than double than budgeted.

I believe that overall the Board and the Section membership are more aware of the need to partner with our meeting's industry supporters and many people from industry commented to me directly on their positive interactions with attendees during last year's Annual Meeting – thanks to all who made the effort.

Further financial growth was realized by way of the Section's investment account managed by our advisor, Joel Blau who is the President of Mediqus Asset Advisors, Inc. The account has seen significant gains such that at present it has total assets that have not only recovered from the severe corrections of 2007 and 2008 but have overall positive gains approaching 25% from initial investments, outpacing broad market benchmarks. These gains have been garnered under the Section's continued focus to minimize its investment risk while creating long term asset growth. Specifically, as of the March 2010 Board Meeting, the account underwent a reallocation strategy that allowed for a slightly higher weighting in international investments, with resultant higher returns. Our investments, however, are not immune to market fluctuations but given the present allocation, the risk is lessened. The investments remain allocated for future Section expenses and are not, at present, earmarked for present operational expenses. Again, the Section derives the funds necessary for daily operations through Annual Meeting revenues.

I know many speak to the fact that we are in the midst of an economic recovery. I, however, do not feel that this is necessarily and entirely guaranteed to be the case. Destabilization of the world's petroleum producing nations has seen spikes in the price of oil and, as has been seen time and time again, this has negative impact on the US economy both in terms of inflation and the ability to grow the GDP. Further, tax revenues tend to shrink further with the cost of oil given its entrenchment in so many facets of the economy and, amidst the issue of government 'overspending', the problem is further compounded for the economy in general. Other issues have potential to weigh negatively on the recovery and in light of all these facts, I feel the proactive approach the New England Section Board has taken to maintaining its financial stability is most cogent at this time. The Section's Long Range Planning Committee recently met with the Board to examine developing a strategic financial plan for the Section in addition to overhaul the Section's overall mission.

With respect to cost saving measures, members have likely noticed the reductions in Section printed materials including the newsletters and preliminary program for the Annual Meeting. These types of initiatives will serve to keep the Section's operations environmentally and fiscally sound. I and the Board appreciate the patience and acceptance of these changes demonstrated by the Section members.

As always, I thank all our members for allowing me the privilege to serve the Section as your Treasurer and I look forward to seeing you in Orlando this coming November. If you have any ideas as to how to improve our Section, please contact the NEAUA administrative office at admin@neaua.org.

Respectfully,

Mark K. Plante, MD, FRCS(C), FACS
Treasurer

To the New England Section: I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of my colleagues at the New England Section AUA for nominating me for this award. I am humbled by this honor and most appreciative of the support of my peers. Thanks again to everyone in the New England Section who helped make this happen. I am extremely grateful. - Dr. Richard Babayan

Read more about the AUA Awards presented in 2011

If you know of someone with an inspiring life story that should be recognized, please contact Dr. Peter Tiffany, NEAUA Historian, at admin@neaua.org.

2nd Place
"Caffeine Intake and Risk Of Stress, Urgency, And Mixed Urinary Incontinence"
Ying H. Jura, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

3rd Place
"Office-Based Endourology Using Fluoroscopic Guidance: Clinical Outcomes and Cost-Effectiveness"
Boris Gershman, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

2010 International Volunteer Award – Dr. Samuel B. Broaddus (article from http://www.operationgivingback.facs.org/content3179.html)

Samuel B. Broaddus, MD, FACS, of South Portland, ME, is presented the Surgical Volunteerism Award for international outreach for his commitment and significant contributions toward improving surgical care in Haiti, where he has volunteered frequently over the last 16 years. Each year from 1994 to 1998, he spent two weeks at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in central Haiti, performing urological surgery where there was no other urologist. Since 2002, he has led annual surgical missions to Justinien Hospital in Cap Haitien, a 250-bed teaching hospital operated by the Haitian Ministry of Health. His work is done in partnership with Haitian physicians at Justinien through Konbit Sante, a Maine-based not-for-profit. In 2008, Dr. Broaddus and Konbit Sante conducted a comprehensive assessment of current and future needs for surgical services and surgical postgraduate education at the hospital. This groundbreaking situation analysis has proven to be a valuable model for understanding surgical needs in other resource-poor countries. After the January 2010 earthquake, Dr. Broaddus led a surgical response team from Konbit Sante to Cap Haitien to provide emergency surgical care to injured Haitians.

http://www.operationgivingback.facs.org/

NEW ENGLAND SECTION OF THE AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
2010 MEMBERS BUSINESS MEETING
Saturday, October 25, 2010
7:30 AM – 8:00 AM
Ballroom D&E
Rhode Island Convention Center
Providence, Rhode Island

MINUTES

1. Call to Order and Approval of 2009 Section Member Business Meeting Minutes

Dr. Sigman called the 2010 Member Business Meeting to order at 7:40 AM on Saturday, October 25, 2010 and noted that the Minutes of the September 26, 2009 Business Meeting had been published in the Section's newsletter, Highlighter, earlier in October.

VOTED to approve the 2009 Section Business Meeting Minutes, as printed and distributed.

2. Report of the President

Dr. Sigman thanked Drs. Lori Lerner and Gyan Pareek for their outstanding efforts organizing a diverse and innovative scientific program, which included new components for the Section. Dr. Steven Schiff was also acknowledged for his efforts in putting together a robust social program, showcasing the excellent venues of Providence. 2010 Annual Meeting industry partners were thanked for their generous support and involvement in new industry programming, the Section Product Showcase.

3. Report of the Treasurer for the Period Ending September 30, 2010

Dr. Plante began his report by noting that the 2010 financial report was significantly brighter than the report he presented in 2009, and noted the Section had Total Assets of \,151, comprised of cash and cash equivalents of $393,460, investments of $456,891 and prepaid expenses of $9,800. He noted investments, under the supervision of Mediques Asset Advisors, Inc., had realized excellent returns, outperforming the S&P 500 across the board for the fiscal year. With Total Liabilities of $75,000 to the AUA Foundation for the New England Research Scholar, the Section maintained Total Net Assets of $785,151.

The Statement of Activities reported total receipts of $368,355, consisting of $35,140 in Grants and Contributions and $333,215 in Meetings and Education. Disbursements of $192,659 included $124,160 in General and Administrative expenses, $572 in Publications, $29,946 in Meetings and Education expense, and $11,332 in Committee expense.

The Section C6 corporation, as of October 2010, held $19,072 in Total Assets and $175 in Liabilities for a total of $18,897 in Total Net Assets. Dr. Plante reminded Section members that each year 80% of membership dues collected by the C6 are transferred to the C3 corporation. As of the 2010 Business Meeting, the transfer had already occurred for the year, which caused a significant difference in the C6 asset comparison to 2009. He noted that the 501c6 had been created to better support advocacy efforts and that the Section Board was currently reviewing ideas for increased state level advocacy.

Dr. Plante thanked Dr. Sigman for being a steward for the Annual Meeting, as the 2010 program will come in under budget, and PRRI for serving as a true partner to the Section. It was noted that the NEAUA has an inclusive contract and capped agreement, regarding expenses.

Dr. Plante provided follow-up on his report from the 2009 Member Business Meeting. He noted that the Highlighter is now electronic-only; the Section membership roster and By-Laws are no longer printed in the Annual Meeting Program Books, referencing the 2010 Program Book as an example (Section membership roster and Section By-Laws are available online); and that a Financial Taskforce had been formed to analyze Section investments and advise the Board of Directors on Section financials. From this, it was decided the Section will not support Section Research Awards unless partnering with industry.

In closing, Dr. Plante thanked the membership for the privilege of serving as Section Treasurer. He reminded attendees the importance of supporting its industry partners who have contributed grants, exhibition, and project showcase time/funds to the Section's Annual Meetings and encouraged all to visit the exhibit hall to thank those industry partners present.

4. Report of the Secretary

Through the use of slides, Dr. Gormley, Secretary, reviewed the current membership statistics of the Section noting a total of 734 members, with 362 Active, 200 Senior, 35 Associate, 4 Honorary, 13 Affiliate, 66 Candidate Members in-program, and 54 Candidate Members post-program, the highest membership in history for the Section. She noted that for those that do not fit the Active and/or Associate membership categories, they are encouraged to explore the option of Allied Membership in the Section.

Dr. Gormley then presented the Section Necrology, announcing those who had passed since the 2009 Member Business Meeting, as listed below.

Joshua J. Hurwitz, MD
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

William Fagan, Jr., MD