It was wonderful to see both new and familiar faces, earlier this month, when we hosted the 3rd Annual Yale Urology Bulldog Debates, the department's flagship CME event at the Yale Club. I would like to express my gratitude to co-directors, Angela Arlen, MD; and Stan Honig, MD. Also, special thanks to distinguished keynote speakers: Earl Cheng, MD (Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine); Ricardo Gonzalez, MD (Houston Methodist Academic Institute); Jihad Kaouk, MD (Cleveland Clinic); and Manoj Monga, MD (University of California, San Diego).

This year, the Bulldog Debates’ programming broke ground with the first-ever live surgery broadcast from Yale New Haven Hospital. I conducted a robotic single-port prostatectomy, while Steven Kardos, MD, led an interactive panel discussion. The surgery proceeded smoothly, and the patient was discharged home on the same day, around 3 p.m.

During the Bulldogs' symposium, we also presented the inaugural Department of Urology Ralph J. DeVito Surgical Skills Award to PGY-4 resident, Dylan Heckscher, MD. In addition, the second annual Robert M. Weiss Distinguished Alumni Medal went to John Phillips, MD, resident graduate of the class of '97.

Yale Urology’s educational team, led by Piruz Motamedinia, MD; Josh Sterling, MD, MSc; and Arlen, is staying extra busy as the selection process for next year’s residents is in full swing. I’d like to particularly thank faculty who have committed three days of their busy schedules to meet with applicants during this hectic holiday season.

We are already making plans for the June 2026 graduation ceremony. The Lytton Visiting Professor will be Eila C. Skinner, MD, Thomas A. Stamey Research Professor of Urology and chair of the Department of Urology at Stanford Medicine. We look forward to benefiting from her extensive experience in urologic oncology, especially surrounding bladder cancer.

Here are some further dates to watch for:

• November 24, 25 – Residency and Sub-I Interviews
• December 12 – Peds Visiting Professor: Kate Kraft, MD, MHPE, Univ. of Michigan
• December 17 – Annual Holiday Party

Finally, I would like to wish each of you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday!

Isaac Yi Kim

Education is a prominent part of Yale Urology's mission. We recently had two of the biggest events of the year surrounding surgical exposure and technique:

• A hands-on skills fair, geared toward Yale School of Medicine students who are interested/learning about urology and surgery.
• An interactive training session for residents to kick off the annual Bulldog Debates weekend.

Skim or dive deep into this comprehensive list of Yale Urology's latest research work. Publications or abstracts were published in the third quarter of this calendar year (July-September).

Principal Investigator Fed Ghali, MD, and team's CONSOLIdATE-1 phase II clinical trial is now open to those with urothelial cancer.

Yale Urology has established a new Division of Urologic Sciences, led by Ping Mu, PhD.

Read the full announcement sent on Nov. 13.

Yale Medicine writers, working closely with Isaac Kim, MD, PhD, MBA, recently released two new urology fact sheets (comprehensive articles that explain treatments):

• Aquablation
• Single-Port Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy

Federal telehealth waivers have been reinstated for patients ensured by Medicare, at least through Jan. 30, 2026. Learn more from Yale School of Medicine-Yale New Haven Health lead digital health/virtual care officers.

Nominations for the annual Claire Puklin, RN, Award are due Dec. 1. Please contact Cheri Lewis if you're having trouble accessing the form. Submissions can be emailed directly to Diana Glassman, MBA, BSN, RN.

Pictured is the most recent winner, Michelle Carrara, RN.

Yale Urology is partnering with the Department of Children and Families to "adopt-a-family" for the holidays. A list of needs, requests, and gift ideas have been compiled for sign up.

All gifts must be brought to the department's main academic offices in New Haven in the Fitkin Memorial Pavilion, Suite 312, by Friday, Dec. 12. Please wrap gifts and attach the corresponding item number as noted on the list.

[please check with your unit/region if you are based outside of New Haven as you may be doing another donation event for the holidays.]

Oral presentations for Medical Education Day at Yale are due by Monday, Dec. 15. This submission form is for oral presentation abstracts only. The call for posters will open in January.

On Monday, Dec. 1, enterprise-wide staff masking requirements will go into effect, which requires all physicians, employees, and volunteers to mask for patient interactions.

The Yale Flu and COVID Vaccine Program offers vaccinations through January to faculty, staff, and students. The flu vaccination is mandatory for all Yale School of Medicine faculty and staff in patient-facing and human research subject-facing positions, including per diem staff. Flu shots must be received by Dec. 1.

Did you know there are schoolwide guidelines for showcasing your signature block? Here is the best practice:

• Name
• Title(s)
• Yale School of Medicine (if abbreviated for internal circles, it’s YSM, not SOM)
• Department of Urology

Isaac Kim, MD, PhD, MBA (pictured at podium), recently shared encouraging statistics for patients with metastatic prostate cancer at the Society for Basic Urologic Research's annual meeting. Su Deng, PhD (pictured far right), chaired the session where Kim spoke about the benefits of combining surgery with systemic treatments.

Michael Leapman, MD, MHS, discussed the current practice of active surveillance for patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer with podcast host, Adam Weiner, MD, in the first episode of The UroOnc Minute, produced by Urology Times.

Eric Bortnick, MD, MMSc, sat down with Charting Pediatrics, a weekly podcast produced by Children's Hospital Colorado, at the 2025 American Academy of Pediatrics' National Conference & Exhibition in Denver. He talked about "Undescended Testis, Hernia and Hydrocele."

Resident Nicholas Brutus, MD, discussed "Rare vs. Common Pediatric Urological Conditions" during a virtual Universidad Central del Caribe Urology Interest Group event.

John Onofrey, PhD, assistant professor of radiology & biomedical imaging, and of urology, spoke during the Yale Biomedical Imaging Institute: Advancing the Understanding of Health & Guiding Treatment event. His talk was titled, "Infrastructure and Applications in Image-Guided Radiation Oncology, Breast and Prostate Imaging."