News Archive 2020
2020 News Archive - Urology at UCLA
November 20, 2020
Dr. Mark Litwin - UCLA Urology has been awarded renewed funding to extend our state-funded IMPACT program providing access and high-quality medical care to low-income, uninsured men with prostate cancer in California. Since the program's inception in 2001, IMPACT has served thousands of men across all 58 counties of our state and created a model for similar efforts in other states. In addition to providing cancer care for these men and support for their families, numerous academic projects in population science and health services research have been completed, from which medical students, residents, fellows, and faculty members have published and presented scholarly work. The current award extends funding through 2023, allowing for consistent funding for the program's 22-year existence to date. Dr. Mark S. Litwin, Chair of UCLA Urology, directs the IMPACT program. Learn more >
November 20, 2020
Dr. Leonard S. Marks - Everyday Health covered a UCLA-led study finding the use of hemi-gland cryoablation, or cryotherapy, is an effective primary treatment for men with clinically significant, or grade 2, prostate cancer. Research was led by Leonard Marks, MD, DeKernion Chair in urology, clinical professor and member of the UCLA IUO and UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
November 13, 2020
UCLA Urology donors Cam and Peter Starrett will be honored as Outstanding Philanthropists in Los Angeles on the 35th anniversary of National Philanthropy Day. The award is given annually by the Association of Fund Raising Professionals and will be presented virtually this year on November 13, 2020. Mark S. Litwin, MD, MPH, Professor and Chair of UCLA Urology says “Peter and Cam Starrett represent everything that is good and inspiring about humanity. They are generous yet humble in their philanthropy, passionate in supporting education, cancer research, and health care. Peter and Cam are paragons of the cultural north star, to which we adhere at the David Geffen School of Medicine: do what's right, make things better, and be kind. They are our angels.” View full story >
October 2, 2020
Dr. Mark Litwin - Renal & Urology News interviewed Mark Litwin, MD, professor and chair of urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and UCLA Fielding School of Public Health professor of health policy and management, about human factors in the use of different techniques to treat prostate cancer across the United States. Dr. Litwin also is a member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
October 01, 2020
Dr. Efe Chantal Ghanney Simons, urology fourth year resident, is the inaugural winner of the Diversity Equity & Inclusion Award, a new honor bestowed jointly by the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) and The Society of Black Academic Surgeons (SBAS). This award is to be given annually for the pursuit of a career in surgery that is in alignment with the missions of AWS and SBAS. Dr. Simons is focusing her residency research year on issues of social justice and health disparities in urology. Congratulations! UCLA Health Newsroom >
September 25, 2020
Dr. Renea Sturm, Assistant Professor of Urology, has been awarded a development grant from the National Science Foundation for her work with Dr. Ali Khademhosseini (CEO, Terasaki Institute) in developing a biodegradable surgical closure device for lower urinary tract reconstruction. This award supports her team's participation in the national I-Corps program focused on commercialization of innovative technologies from the academic environment. Dr. Sturm's team includes Dr. George Aninwene II, urology project scientist, Peyton Tebon, a UCLA bioengineering PhD student, and Katerina Lembrikova, a SUNY Downstate medical student. Read more about the NSF I-Corps program >
September 25, 2020
Isla Garraway, MD, PhD -- KABC7 interviewed Isla Garraway, MD, PhD, associate professor of urology and member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, about who is most at risk of prostate cancer and what can be done to help lower that risk.
September 25, 2020
SP Robot for Prolapse: 1st in LA. Ja-Hong Kim, MD, Associate Professor in the Division of Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, along with her surgical team at the Center for Women's Pelvic Health at UCLA, completed the first single-port robotic sacrocolpopexy surgery in September of 2020 for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse, an uncomfortable condition that occurs in women when the tissue of the pelvic floor no longer support the pelvic organs (such as the uterus or bladder). These organs drop (prolapse) downward from their normal position and cause several issues. This new surgical approach requires only one incision, offering patients rapid recovery and improved cosmetic benefits. UCLA Urology is the first in Southern California to utilize this innovative technology for female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. FDA approval for this use is pending.
August 28, 2020
Matthew Rettig, MD -- WebMD interviewed Matthew Rettig, MD, professor of urology and medicine and member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, on how male hormones may make men more susceptible to COVID-19.
August 28, 2020
Dr. Jesse Mills - Jesse Mills, MD, professor of urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of the Men's Clinic, was quoted in Men's Health Spain on common penis injuries.
July 17, 2020
Robert Reiter, MD -- The UCLA Specialized Program of Research Excellence, known as SPORE, has awarded $525,000 to 11 researchers whose projects are at the forefront of developing new therapies for men battling prostate cancer. UCLA Newsroom >
June 12, 2020
Alexandra Drakaki, MD -- OncLive interviewed IUO member Alexandra Drakaki, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine and member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, about research advances being made in urothelial cancer, as well as unmet needs and challenges.
June 12, 2020
Matthew Rettig, MD -- The UCLA Health Zone Show with Dr. Phil Cohen featured IUO member Matthew Rettig, MD, professor of medicine and urology and member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Rettig talked about his clinical trial to determine if hormone therapy used for men with prostate cancer can help men with COVID-19.
June 12, 2020
Dr. Jesse Mills - The UCLA Health Zone Show with Dr. Phil Cohen featured Jesse Mills, MD, associate clinical professor of urology and director of The Men's Clinic at UCLA, to talk about the most vital health issues for men during June's “Men's Health Month.”
May 22, 2020
Matthew Rettig, MD -- CBS News Los Angeles, Telemundo 52, Yahoo News!, The Cancer Letter, NBC Los Angeles, HealthDay, The Santa Monica Daily Press and 12 other outlets reported on a new clinical trial led by Matthew Rettig, MD, professor of medicine and urology and member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, that uses a hormone suppressor commonly used to treat men with prostate cancer to help improve clinical outcomes for men infected with COVID-19. UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center news release >
Ask the Experts: Common questions about kidney cancer and COVID-19
April 10, 2020
Brian Shuch, MD -- The Kidney Cancer Association interviewed Brian Shuch, MD, associate professor of UCLA Urology, as part of an expert panel to answer patients' questions about how kidney cancer and the novel coronavirus COVID-19 impact each other.
Feb 10, 2020
Dr. Hans Gritsch Named Inaugural Chair in Kidney Transplantation. Hans A. Gritsch, MD -- Last November, members of the UCLA Department of Urology, philanthropists, friends and family gathered to celebrate Dr. Hans A. Gritsch and the gift from the John Jergens Estate to establish the Jergens Administrative Chair in Kidney Transplantation. U Magazine >
Feb 6, 2020
Dr. Christopher Saigal, professor and vice chair of urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, was quoted in Men's Health Latin America on men's cancer prevention.
Jan 31, 2020
Kidney Cancer: $100,000 Gift. Brian Shuch, MD -- The UCLA Kidney Cancer Program received a generous gift from Driven to Cure, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocacy and providing funding for research on rare genetic forms of kidney cancer. The gift will support the work of physician-scientist Brian Shuch, MD, an associate professor of urology and director of the UCLA Institute of Urologic Oncology Kidney Cancer Program. UCLA Newsroom > | UCLA Health Video >