Complex patients are treated in multispecialty programs that allow collaboration with colleagues in nephrology, transplant, oncology, endocrinology and neurodevelopmental medicine. The specialized Bladder Health Clinic, developed under physician faculty guidance and that of Teresa Soucie, PA-C, and four urology nurse specialists, evaluates and cares for children with disorders of elimination (dysfunctional elimination). Such common disorders include enuresis, constipation, recurrent lower urinary tract infections and other medically related urological conditions.
To critically evaluate the results of new approaches to the medical and surgical treatment of pediatric urologic conditions, all faculty members have jointly created clinical research protocols to follow these patients and are building a large-scale relational, multiplatform database to track children with a variety of urologic conditions. The division’s research efforts are supported by clinical research nurse Amy Anderson, BSN, who assists in protocol development and patient recruitment for a number of clinical research trials. These include the evaluation of complementary medical therapies (i.e., cranberries) to treat urinary tract infections in children, novel treatment for vesicoureteral reflux and medical therapies for voiding dysfunction.
Junior faculty members Dr. Margarett Shnorhavorian and Dr. Thomas Lendvay are involved in clinical outcomes research pertaining to pediatric tumors and robotic simulation models, respectively. The latter has led to a close involvement with the newly formed Institute for Surgical and Interventional Simulation Center at the University of Washington, which works on the integration of simulation technologies and learning. The focus of our basic research laboratory, led by James Bassuk, PhD, is growth regulation of the bladder. Previous efforts in the laboratory have led to current initiatives for regenerative medicine approaches allowing direct translation of applications to our patient population.
The division’s teaching commitment includes an ACGME-approved, nationally respected two-year fellowship in pediatric urology and an active role in the University of Washington as well as the Madigan Army Medical Center urology residency programs. The division’s Dr. Byron Joyner continues as director of the University of Washington Urology Residency Program. Additionally, Dr. Joyner has been named Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education at the University of Washington, a position he assumed on April 1, 2010. Division plans include expansion of the clinical and research faculty in order to meet the growing needs of the local, regional and national communities as well as to increase our presence in Children’s-sponsored satellite clinics.