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Meet the 2018-2019 Class
Sero Andonian, MD, MSC, FRCS(C), FACS
Northeastern Section
Dr. Andonian completed a two-year endourology fellowship at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. He has been on faculty at McGill University since 2009 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2014. Since his faculty appointment, he has been active in clinical research on radiation safety and assessment of endourologic skills of urology residents. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts in addition to authoring 11 book chapters. Currently, he is the Associate Editor of the Canadian Urological Association Journal and president of the Canadian Endourology Group. He will be chairing AUA's Young Urologists Committee for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Humphrey Atiemo, MD
North Central Section
Dr. Atiemo is a urologist at the Vattikuti Urology Institute in Detroit, Michigan. He has been in practice for 11 years with specialty certification in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery. He attended the University of Maryland as a Benjamin Bannekar Scholar and wrestling student athlete. After graduating with distinction as an ACC scholar athlete, he matriculated to the University of Maryland for medical school and urology residency followed by fellowship training at the Cleveland Clinic. He currently serves as the Urology Residency Program Director at the Henry Ford Health System and strives to train the future leaders in the field.
Gina M. Badalato, MD
New York Section
Dr. Badalato completed her residency training in urology at Columbia University Medical Center in 2013; during her training, she served as president of the New York Section's Resident Committee and vice chair of the AUA Residents and Fellows Committee. Dr. Badalato completed a combined fellowship in Voiding Dysfunction and Stone Disease at Columbia, and has remained on faculty as an assistant professor of urology. She has a special interest in medical education and serves as the medical student clerkship director and associate program director. Dr. Badalato has been a member of the AUA Committee for Medical Student Education since 2013.
Larissa Bresler, MD
North Central Section
Dr. Bresler received her medical degree from the Oregon Health and Sciences University, where she was inducted into the AOA. She completed her urology residency at Loyola University Medical Center where she is currently holding an associate professor rank spending the majority of her time at the VA. Her area of expertise is refractory genitourinary pain disorders with additional formal education in medical acupuncture achieving board certification and the title of DABMA. She is funded to study effects of acupuncture on IC/Pelvic pain and urinary microbiome. Nationally, she is active in the North Central Section of the AUA and the Urology Core Curriculum as well as serving on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture.
Nicholas Cost, MD
South Central Section
Dr. Cost completed undergraduate training at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN and then went on to Emory University in Atlanta, GA for medical school and subsequently completed urology residency at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, TX. He stayed in Dallas and completed fellowship training in urologic oncology at UT-Southwestern. Next, he moved to Cincinnati, OH for pediatric urology fellowship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Dr. Cost currently serves as an assistant professor in the Division of Urology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, concentrating his clinical and research efforts in the areas of urologic oncology and pediatric urology. He focuses on testicular cancer and kidney cancer, specifically in the pediatric, adolescent and young adult population.
Benjamin Chung, MD
Western Section
Dr. Chung is Associate Professor of Urology and Director of Robotic Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a graduate of Amherst College and Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and completed his urology residency at Lahey Clinic Medical Center and fellowship training in robotic and minimally invasive urologic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. While at Stanford, Dr. Chung obtained a Masters degree in epidemology and focused his research activities on "big data" outcomes of urologic oncology surgeries, in which he has extensively published. Clinically, his practice is limited primarily to robotic prostate and kidney surgeries. He has served on the AUA Western Section committees and has acted as liaison in a variety of international partnerships, primarily with the Korean Urologic Association.
Michael Ferrandino, MD
Southeastern Section
Dr. Ferrandino is Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery for the Division of Urology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC. He is Associate Professor of Urologic Surgery. His area of expertise is minimally invasive surgical approaches to benign and malignant urologic disease. He received his medical degree from NYU School of Medicine. He completed his urology residency at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and went on to an Endourologic Fellowship at Duke University Medical Center. He joined the faculty after fellowship and has continued to grow the field of minimally invasive surgery throughout his tenure. He serves as the Associate Residency Program Director and the Vice Chief of Education for the Division of Urology.
Kirsten Greene, MD
Western Section
Kirsten Greene is Associate Professor of Urology at the University of California, San Francisco where she is also the Associate Chair for Education and Residency Director. She is the Vice Chair and Chief of Urology at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She received her undergraduate training from the University of Virginia and her MD from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She then completed her general surgery and urology training at the University of California, San Francisco. She received a master's in clinical research from UCSF. Her clinical and research interests include urologic oncology, robotic surgery, medical education and outcomes.
Matthew Gretzer, MD, FACS
Western Section
Dr. Gretzer is Associate Professor of Surgery and Director of GU Reconstruction at the University of Arizona, Division of Urology. Following urology residency and advanced urology training at Johns Hopkins Brady Urological Institute, he joined the University of Arizona faculty where he has established the Division of Urology as a high volume center of excellence in complex urethral reconstruction and prosthetics. In addition to teaching, he maintains an active role as Physician Health Advisor for the Health Advisor Research Group providing quality and peer case reviews for CMS. Dr. Gretzer has served as the Arizona representative to the board of directors for the Western Section AUA, and helped restore the Arizona Urological Society serving as representative, board member and president.
Matthew Kaag, MD
Mid-Atlantic Section
Dr. Matthew Kaag is an Associate Professor of Surgery in the Division of Urology at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Dr. Kaag completed his undergraduate work in Biology with Honors at Penn State University followed by his medical degree and residency at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center. Thereafter, Dr. Kaag served as a fellow in urologic oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center before returning to Penn State as faculty in 2010. He maintains an active role in resident and medical student education, and conducts clinical research in urologic oncology with over 50 publications and several funded studies. At present, he is the Co-Leader of the Genitourinary Disease Management Team in the Penn State Cancer Institute and serves on the Penn State University Faculty Senate. Dr. Kaag maintains an active role in the leadership of the Mid-Atlantic Section of the AUA having served on the annual meeting program committee as well as presently being on the section board of directors serving as Historian.
Melissa Kaufman, MD, PhD, FACS
Southeastern Section
Dr. Kaufman is Associate Professor of Urologic Surgery at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Her reconstructive urology academic initiatives include female and male incontinence, prolapse, cancer survivorship, urologic congenitalism, prosthetics, trauma and urethral stricture. She is global principal investigator for a Phase III clinical trial to pioneer cell therapy for incontinence. On behalf of the AUA membership she participates on the Practice Guidelines Committee, Core Curriculum Committee, National Medical Student Committee, and as Tennessee representative to the Southeastern Section. She is an assistant editor for The Journal of Urology® and a past-president of the Society of Women in Urology. She was honored with the 2017 Zimskind Award from SUFU for outstanding contributions within 10 years of completion of training.
Richard Lee, MD
New York Section
Dr. Lee is Associate Professor of Urology, Healthcare Policy & Research, and Obstetrics & Gynecology and Program Director at Weill Cornell Medical College. He completed his undergraduate degree at Duke University and his MD/MBA in Healthcare Management at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Wharton School. He completed his urology residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Cornell and his fellowship at both Cornell and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He has a clinical subspecialty interest in benign prostatic hyperplasia and female urology. He has a research interest in global health, with a focus on HIV risk reduction efforts in Africa, which is supported by peer-reviewed grant funding from both the NIH and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Kelvin Moses, MD, PhD, FACS
Southeastern Section
Dr. Moses is Assistant Professor of Urologic Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Chief of Urology at Nashville General Hospital. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College, and received his MD and PhD training at Baylor College of Medicine. He completed his urology training at Emory University, followed by a fellowship in urologic oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where he served as Chief Administrative Fellow. His clinical practice focuses on advanced prostate cancer, including several clinical trials, as well as surgical management of advanced renal and testicular cancer. Dr. Moses's research is focused on addressing health disparities in urologic cancers, determining the role of health literacy in patient interactions with the health care system, and optimal care for patients with metastatic and/or castrate-resistant prostate cancer.
Priya Padmanabhan, MD, MPH
South Central Section
Dr. Padmanabhan is an associate professor of urology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She earned her undergraduate degree from Bryn Mawr College in 1994. She completed a Masters of Public Health at The University of Michigan School of Public Health. She obtained her medical degree and completed urology residency at New York University Medical Center. She subsequently completed an accredited ABOG/ABU fellowship in female urology and pelvic reconstruction surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Padmanabhan has published numerous peer reviewed articles and book chapters and given multiple presentations at various national and international meetings in the area of voiding dysfunction and reconstruction. She is a member of the AUA, International Continence Society (ICS) and Society of Urodynamics and Female Urology (SUFU). She is actively involved within the South Central Section of the AUA (SCS) and was nominated to serve as the SCS representative on the Young SUFU Committee. She serves on numerous quality and OR hospital committees at the University of Kansas Health System. Dr. Padmanabhan's clinical and scholarly interests include genitourinary reconstruction, lower urinary tract dysfunction, neurogenic bladder, and robotic surgery, with particular focus on quality of life issues. Her philanthropic interests include serving on the Board of Directors for Newhouse Shelter, and participation within KC for Refugees and the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City.
Audrey C. Rhee, MD, FAAP FACS
North Central Section
Dr. Rhee completed her urologic residency at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta and subsequently completed her Pediatric Urology Fellowship at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis. She joined as faculty to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in 2012. Dr. Rhee's clinical interests include the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric congenital urologic anomalies, in particular posterior urethral valves and neurogenic bladder. She is also passionate about legislative advocacy and has been active in the American Academy of Pediatrics Legislative Conference. She hopes to engage other physicians in influencing improved access to healthcare.
Julie Riley, MD, FACS
South Central Section
Dr. Riley is currently an assistant professor and the Director of Endourology and Director of Urologic Research at the University of New Mexico. She also serves as the medical director of the urology clinic and quality officer for the division of urology. She is a member of the AUA Young Urologist Committee and the New Mexico representative to the Rocky Mountain Urologic Society. She completed a two-year fellowship in endourology and robotic/laparoscopic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and a six-year urology residency at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Riley's areas of interest include medical and surgical management of urolithiasis, ureteral reconstruction, renal and ureteral cancer, robotic surgery and renal transplantation.
Michelle Jo Semins, MD
Northeastern Section
Dr. Semins is Assistant Professor and Urologic Surgeon in the Department of Urology and Director of the Kidney Stone Clinic at Mercy Hospital. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She then completed her internship in surgery and residency urology training at Johns Hopkins Hospital with additional specialty training in the field of endourology. Dr. Semins is a former board member of the Northeastern Section of the AUA, and is a member of the Society of Endourology, the Pittsburgh Urological Society, Research on Calculus Kinetics Society and the Society of Women in Urology. She has a clinical research focus in kidney stones and is a past awardee of a Young Investigator Research Grant by the Northeastern Section of the AUA. She was also named the Young Urologist of the Year by the AUA in 2016. Dr. Semins is a reviewer for The Journal of Urology® and many other peer-review journals. She is a published author of over 40 articles, over 50 abstracts, and nine book chapters.
Veronica Triaca, MD, MA, FPMRS
New England Section
Dr. Triaca is Director of Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at Concord Hospital in Concord, NH and Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School. She is a graduate of Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia. She completed her urology residency at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, MA and her fellowship training in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of California at Los Angeles. She is actively involved in the New England AUA section and was co-chair of the Annual Meeting Scientific Program in 2014. She is a member of the NEAUA Ethics Committee and was a moderator and panelist at multiple NEAUA meetings. Dr. Triaca is GME Director and Coordinator of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Urology Residency at Concord Hospital and is a part of the core faculty at Dartmouth Hitchcock Department of Surgery, Division of Urology.
Anup Vora, MD
Mid-Atlantic Section
Dr. Vora is a senior physician at Chesapeake Urology Associates, the largest single specialty urology practice in the Mid-Atlantic. He serves as their director of the Prostate Cancer Ablative and Focal Therapy Program and his clinical interests include both general urology and urologic oncology. He graduated from the University of Alabama School of Medicine with Alpha Omega Alpha distinction and is completing an MBA with specialization in Healthcare from the University of Massachusetts - Isenberg School of Management. He completed his urology residency at the Georgetown University-Washington Hospital Center program in Washington, DC and completed a clinical fellowship in urologic oncology at Cleveland Clinic Florida (Weston, FL).
Jennifer Yates, MD
New England Section
Dr. Jen Yates is Assistant Professor, Vice Chairman of Academic and Educational Affairs, and Residency Program Director in the Department of Urology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and UMass Memorial Healthcare. She joined the Department in 2013 and helped launch the Urology residency program. Dr. Yates attended medical school at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and completed her Urology residency at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She spent two years in New Jersey for fellowship training at Hackensack University Medical Center. Growing up, Dr. Yates moved frequently as the child of a military family, but she considers New England home and was excited to return to live and practice in Massachusetts. She currently serves as the Western Massachusetts representative to the New England section of the American Urological Association and has also had the opportunity to work within the AUA as a member and Chair of the Young Urologist Committee.