Focus on training opportunities highlighted in EAU-USANZ meeting

Thu, 11 Jun 2015 • Joel Vega

More collaborative projects and comprehensive exchange training programmes are among the key goals the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (USANZ) and the EAU would pursue in the coming years in a bid to boost urological expertise.

The mutual aim to expand and build on current projects were discussed during a meeting with the USANZ board held last April 13 in Adelaide, Australia. Present in the meeting were USANZ President David Winkle, President-Elect Mark Frydenberg, USANZ CEO Michael Nugara, and EAU Secretary-General Christopher Chapple.

“Both organisations are not only committed to further expand existing relations but aim to build on what has been achieved in recent years by providing training to urologists from Australia, New Zealand and to their European counterparts,” the USANZ and the EAU said after the meeting.

Winkle and Chapple both cited the positive feedback from trainees who participated in the annual residents training event such as the European Urology Residents Education Programme (EUREP), and the counterpart programme organised by USANZ. The EAU Guidelines are also widely appreciated by urologists in Australia and New Zealand, according to Winkle, adding that USANZ intends to formally accept and accredit the EAU Guidelines.

For his part, Chapple highlighted the EAU’s aim to further support educational and training goals during USANZ events and meetings, for instance, by organising an EAU session where best practices in Europe are examined and discussed.

Chapple also mentioned the EAU has boosted its online activities with the new EAU website and the UROsource learning library, as well as the online-based education. In the future, online-based training on minimally invasive techniques will be expanded to include robot-assisted technology.

Both organisations highlighted the significance of more educational exchanges, which can contribute to strengthening the international urological community. The USANZ and the EAU also underscored the achievements made in recent years to further advance the quality of urological care in their respective regions.

EAU Lecture

The USANZ held from April 11 to 14 in Adelaide its 68th Annual Scientific Meeting. The EAU was represented with Prof. Chapple giving the EAU Lecture during the session “The Future of Urology 2025: Where Will We Be? ” Topics discussed included paediatric urology, andrology, uro-oncology and functional urology, among others. Chapple discussed treatment strategies in stress urinary incontinence in his lecture “The management of pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence in 2025,” where he gave an overview of both medical and reconstructive treatment options.