Spotlight on Urology
Spotlight on Urology takes a look at recent activities undertaken to advance urology around the world. This week, we provide an wrap-up of the recent FUS-PPCS event as well as an update on extensive media coverage of Urological issues, including postoperative screening following pelvic mesh implants, enlarged prostates, urethral stricture disease and bladder cancer. We also share news from the Training program with the announcement of International Exchange program recipients, recent Fellowship Exam results and selection of 2027 trainees.
FUS-PPCS 2026
Last weekend USANZ hosted its 5th Functional Urology Symposium in conjunction with the 20th Annual Meeting of the Pan Pacific Continence Society in Sydney from June 12-14.
The strong attendance from local and international delegates was a reflection of the effort undertaken by the convenors, Vincent Tse, Eva Fong and Eric Chung, and USANZ Conference Manager Anna Tartakovskaia.
The workshop on Minimally Invasive Treatments for BPH held Friday on afternoon and chaired by Giovanni Losco was clearly of great value to the multiple international delegates from the Asia-Pacific region who attended, and represented an opportunity to showcase the adaptable nature of practice in this field by USANZ members.
Thank you to the organising committee, chairs, speakers, sponsors and delegates for an excellent meeting!
Media on Pelvic Mesh Implants
On 15 June 2026, USANZ published a media release about a new postoperative screening tool that aims to improve treatment outcomes for women who have had pelvic mesh implants. The tool, developed by Urologists and patients, asks questions about a patient’s sex life and relationship in order to identify issues early, in an effort to overcome adverse side effects seen in some uses of surgical mesh.
This tool was the subject of presentations at the FUS-PPCS meeting last weekend.
Following this release, The Senior published an article focused on a patient experience of a pelvic mesh implant. Sally Walker was treated in 2009 using pelvic mesh but the mesh degraded, leading to serious operations and chronic pain.
The article included an interview with USANZ Female Urology SAG Leader, Eva Fong, about the refinement of the post-operative questionnaire to pick up issues with pelvic mesh products. Eva notes: "If a woman has an adverse outcome that leads to a relationship breakdown, or job loss, then she can express that through the questionnaire and by capturing that information, we can allow the patient to better advocate for her own health."
Read The Senior article (free log-in required).
USANZ will provide updates on ongoing media coverage in future issues of UroNews.
Thank you, Eva, for your important contributions to this public health discussion on behalf of the Society.
Media on Benign Prostate Enlargement
USANZ's June Media Release also discussed minimally invasive surgeries for enlarged prostates. The Release included commentary from USANZ Male Lower Urinary Tract SAG member Eric Chung.
Following this media release, Eric was interviewed on 18 June by Stephen Cenatiempo on 2CC Breakfast in Canberra. Download the interview.
Eric was also interviewed on 19 June by Tim Webster for 2SM Breakfast in Sydney. Tim began by sharing that "around 50% of blokes over 50 can suffer from a non-cancerous enlarged prostate". His interview with Eric focused on the importance of seeking medical advice for any urinary issues, overcoming traditional stigmas or taboos around these discussions. Eric also highlighted the availability of minimally invasive surgery techniques that have a low risk of side effects but can meaningfully decrease symptoms of enlarged prostates, resulting in improved quality of life and reduced risk of urinary obstruction.
Listen to the 2SM interview (commences 1:36:05).Thank you, Eric, for your time in sharing the latest medical news with the Australian public.
Media on Urethral Stricture Disease
In November 2025, USANZ published a Media Release on urethral stricture disease, titled "Little known medical condition causing havoc for men in the bathroom". It featured expert commentary from Giovanni Losco, the USANZ Male Lower Urinary Tract SAG Deputy Leader, who encouraged men to talk openly to their GP about issues such as difficulty urinating, a slow stream, or needing more effort to 'go'.
The topic continues to hold media interest.
On 8 June, an article was published in The House of Wellness Magazine, then on NZ Post. The article, titled "The bathroom mistake men under 50 are making", emphasised the need for young men not to ignore any issues with urination. Symptoms may be easy to miss or dismiss but should be discussed with a health practitioner. The article also noted that around 1 in 100 men in New Zealand will develop the condition, and that treatment options are effective and often minimally invasive.
This follows our previous announcement in November of radio interviews with Giovanni.
USANZ thanks Giovanni for his public advocacy work on this topic.
Media on Bladder Cancer
There has also been media coverage of bladder cancer this week, following the USANZ Media Release on 6 May 2026 for Bladder Cancer Awareness Month.
USANZ has previously provided updates on bladder cancer media coverage on 8 May, 15 May and 29 May.
This week, the Warragul Gazette has published an article on this topic as part of their Men's Health Week coverage. The article focused on a patient case-study of Phil Neven, who noticed rust colour in his urine which led to a bladder cancer diagnosis and removal of his bladder, prostate and lymph nodes.
The article includes discussion from USANZ Genitourinary Oncology SAG Leader Weranja Ranasinghe, who calls for people not to ignore symptoms of bladder cancer. Weranja notes that survival rates have not changed significantly over the past 30 years, despite advances in treatment.
As the article concludes: "The message is simple: seem right, get it checked."
USANZ thanks Weranja for his continued work promoting this message.
Trainee Exchange Program 2026
Each year, USANZ partners with the European Association of Urology (EAU), Canadian Urological Association (CUA), and Urological Association of Asia (UAA) to offer SET5 Trainees the opportunity to attend an international training meeting.
We are delighted to announce the successful recipients of this year's Trainee Exchange Program.
- Bradley Reynolds and Andrew Silagy will attend the Canadian Senior Urology Residents Retreat and CUA Annual Meeting on 27-29 June in Saskatoon
- Tom Clarkson and Mo Li will attend the Asian Urology Residents Course and UAA Congress on 2-6 September in Manila
- Jiasian Teh and Bishoy Hanna will attend the European Urology Residents Education Program on 4-9 September in Prague
These opportunities are made possible through the generous support of the Australasian Urological Foundation (AUF), who will contribute toward travel costs.
Congratulations to you all. We are sure you will be wonderful representatives of the Society and we look forward to hearing about your travels.
Fellowship Exam Results
USANZ is delighted to announce that 11 trainees successfully passed the recent Fellowship Examinations, marking an important achievement in their professional journeys. We extend our warmest congratulations to Drs Elliot Anderson, Oliver Best, Thomas Clarkson, Daniel Costello, John El-Khoury, Joshua Kealey, Andrew Morton, Christian Robinson, Susan Scott, Arsalan Tariq, and Pravin Viswambaram. This accomplishment reflects not only their dedication and perseverance but also the significant preparation required to reach this milestone.
USANZ commends each of you on this outstanding success and look forward to your continued contributions to the field.
Photo: L-R Thomas Clarkson, Andrew Morton, Arsalan Tariq, Joshua Kealey, Elliot Anderson, Daniel Costello, John El-Khoury, Christian Robinson. Absent: Pravin Viswambaram, Oliver Best, Susan Scott
2027 Intake for SET Program in Urology
The selection process for the 2027 intake of the SET Program in Urology has now concluded. A total of 68 applications were received, including 54 from candidates applying in Australia and 14 in New Zealand. Following initial review, 34 applicants were shortlisted and interviewed on 13 June 2026 in Melbourne and Sydney.
The Board of Urology extends its sincere thanks to the Selection Sub-Committee for their dedication and careful oversight of the process: Jacob Gleeson (Chair, QLD), Kara McDermott (WA), Rohan Hall (VIC), Clair Whelan (NSW), Simon Van Rij (NZ), Aditya Sharma (SA), and Rick Catterwell (ex-officio).
The Board also gratefully acknowledges the many USANZ members who contributed their time and expertise as interviewers:
- NSW: Mohan Arianayagam, Kieran Beattie, Venu Chalasani, Dane Cole-Clark, Rasha Gendy, Jonathan Kam, Scott Leslie, Nick Mehan, Anudini Ranasinghe, Prem Rathore, Minh Tran, Jinna Yao, Wenjie Zhong
- QLD: Adrian Clubb, Tim Smith
- SA: Rick Catterwell, Jonathan Cho
- WA: Sarah O’Neill
- NZ: Michael Holmes
- VIC: Sarah Azer, Joseph Ischia, Jos Jayarajan, Lydia Johns Putra, Liam Kavanagh, Munad Khan, Kiran Manya, Brad Newell, Sarah Norton, Claire Pascoe, Marlon Perera, Athina Pirpiris, Patrick Preece, Prassanah Satasivam, Shomik Sengupta, Kapil Sethi.
Thanks are also extended to trainees Andrew Silagy, Sachin Perera, Ramesh Shanmugasundaram, and David Armany for their valuable support as candidate marshals.
Offers for the 2027 intake will be announced on 20 July 2026.
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