The 4th Urogenital Apparatus Workshop on Physiology and Pathophysiology of the Male and Female Urogenital Tracts, University of Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala City, Mexico.
The 4th Urogenital Apparatus Workshop took place in Tlaxcala, Mexico September 26-28, 2016 with approximately 70 attendees including Urologists, Engineers, and Professors of Anatomy, Biology, Physiology, and Bioengineering as well as many graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and undergraduate students. The purpose of the workshop was to share preclinical, clinical and technological knowledge with all those interested in the anatomy, physiology and pathology of the genitourinary tract. In addition, trainees were encouraged to embark upon a scientific career studying these topics to improve clinical care of patients with incontinence and sexual dysfunction. This workshop series has been organized by Dr. Yolanda Cruz, from the University of Tlaxcala, and on this occasion in close collaboration with Dr. Alvaro Munoz and Dr. Damaser, from the Houston Methodist Research Institute and the Cleveland Clinic, respectively, as well as a great local team headed by Dr. Rosa Angélica Lucio.
The ICS was represented by Dr. Margot Damaser from the Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland VA Medical Center in Cleveland, OH USA who gave ICS guest lectures on Animal Models of Female Urinary Dysfunction: Current and Future Perspectives and The UroMonitor: an Innovative Approach to Ambulatory Urodynamics. Dr. Damaser’s presentations were well received with many questions and exciting discussions.
In addition to the ICS lectures, there were also presentations and discussions on Neural Control of the Genitourinary Tract by Dr. Pablo Pacheco, Urinary Dysfunction in Pediatrics by Dr. Carlos Perez Martinez, and the Urethra of the Female Rat by Dr. Yolanda Cruz. The last day of the workshop focused on technology and included talks on the da Vinci Surgical System by Dr. Carlos Sanchez Moreno, Biomedical Engineering in Mexico by Dr. Juan Manuel Lopez Oglebsy, and Electrophysiology Microchips for Biological Sensing of the Lower Urinary Tract by Dr. Alvaro Munoz, as well as Dr. Damaser’s presentation on the UroMonitor. The unique format of 40 minute talks followed by 20 minutes of discussion enabled much lively interaction between scientists and clinicians and between trainees and faculty. The poster sessions enabled trainees to present their work to the faculty and the attendees who came from all regions of Mexico for the Workshop.
Faculty dinners each night made for friendly interaction between the lecturers and further promoted interesting intercultural exchanges. The most unique aspect of the workshop were the poster presentations. The students were encouraged to present their research in English in 5 minutes and also answer questions in English as much as possible. Three prize winners were selected on each of the 3 days of the Workshop. Each prize winner received a handwoven tapestry with a beautiful anatomical rendering, the Urogenital Apparatus title, and the word “Winner” woven into it. All attendants are looking forward to the 5th Urogenital Apparatus Workshop on Physiology and Pathophysiology of the Male and Female Urogenital Tracts in 2017.
Article by Margot Damaser, Alvaro Munoz, and Yolanda Cruz on behalf of the ICS Education Committee
Yolanda Cruz and Jose Luis Palacios pictured.