JOHN W. DUCKETT, JR., MD PEDIATRIC UROLOGY RESEARCH EXCELLENCE AWARD
H. Gil Rushton, MD
Chief Emeritus, Division of Pediatric Urology
Children’s National Hospital
Professor of Urology and Pediatrics
The George Washington University School of Medicine
“Before entering private practice in General Urology after my residency I had the opportunity to spend 5 months at the Hospital for Sick Children at Great Ormond Street in London with Mr. Phillip Ransley. During that time, John Duckett was there for a visiting locum and he took me under his wing. It was the inspiration of these 2 giants in Pediatric Urology that actually convinced me to leave private practice after 2 years and enter into a fellowship in Pediatric Urology with John Woodard at Emory University.
I was subsequently hired by Barry Belman at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC. When I arrived, I told him I was not interested in research or writing papers. Well, he would hear none of that. Instead, he strongly encouraged me to pursue research activities which led to a series of experimental studies of DMSA scans in acute pyelonephritis using the refluxing piglet model that I had learned about at Great Ormond Street from Phillip Ransley. These studies were done in collaboration with Dr. Massoud Majd, the preeminent pediatric urology nuclear medicine specialist in the world at that time. These studies produced exciting findings and were followed by a series of subsequent clinical studies of acute pyelonephritis, bacterial virulence factors, vesicoureteral reflux and renal scarring in children with febrile UTIs.
The inspiration of working with Barry Belman and Massoud Majd led to a subsequent expansion of our clinical investigative studies on topics including validation of initial non-operative management of high-grade vesicoureteral reflux, initial observational management of moderate and severe hydronephrosis with decision-making based on serial changes on Mag-3 lasix nuclear scans, and non-operative management of ectopic ureteroceles. In collaboration with Dr. Kash Mostofi of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, the premier urologic pathologist of his time, we also conducted clinico-histologic studies demonstrating the safety and histological basis for testis-sparing surgery for prepubertal testis teratomas and other benign tumors, and later demonstrated in multi-institutional studies that teratomas were actually the most common testis tumor in prepubertal boys, not yolk sac tumors as had been previously taught.
I can honestly and humbly say that none of this would have occurred without the inspiration and encouragement of these leaders in pediatric urology, nuclear medicine, and pathology, and I am greatly indebted to the critical thinking and challenging of traditional dogma that I learned from my career long collaboration with these leaders. I also want to express my gratitude to the AUA and the Urology Care Foundation for recognizing our work with this esteemed John W. Duckett, Jr., MD Pediatric Urology Research Excellence Award, which I will always treasure on behalf of those who inspired me to go beyond what I ever thought possible.”
RICHARD D. WILLIAMS, MD PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH EXCELLENCE AWARD
Robert Reiter, MD, MBA
Bing Professor in Prostate Cancer
Director, Prostate Cancer Program
Chief, Division of Urologic Oncology
Assistant Dean, Bioentrepreneurship
Department of Urology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles
“It is truly a great honor to have been nominated for and been awarded the Richard D. Williams Prostate Cancer Research Excellence Award. Dr. Williams was an inspirational leader who believed in the critical importance of research to advance our understanding and management of this common and oftentimes lethal disease. In particular, Dr. Williams was a strong advocate for urologic surgeon researchers, recognizing their unique vantage point and the insights they bring to the research enterprise. On a personal note, although I never formally trained or worked with Dr. Williams, he took me under his wings and was a fervent supporter of my work from the time we met nearly 30 years ago. I truly treasured his friendship and his belief in me throughout my career and for this reason am particularly honored to receive this recognition. Thank you.”
DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH SCHOLAR ALUMNUS AWARD
Ganesh Palappatu, MD
The George F. and Sandy G. Valassis Professor and Chair
Department of Urology, The University of Michigan Medical School
“I am deeply honored to receive the 2026 Urology Care Foundation Distinguished Scholar Alumnus Award. This recognition holds special meaning for me, as it reflects the dedication and collaboration of so many mentors, colleagues, and patients who have inspired my work throughout the years. I am grateful to the Foundation for its steadfast commitment to advancing urological research and care, and I look forward to continuing to contribute to this vibrant community. Thank you for this incredible privilege.”
DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH MENTOR AWARD
Joseph Liao, MD
Professor and Executive Vice Chair, Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine
“I am deeply grateful to the American Urological Association and Urology Care Foundation for this recognition. A mentor once told me that paying it forward is the best way to honor your mentors. In that spirit, I dedicate this award to the mentors who guided my path and to the many mentees I have had the privilege to work with across diverse training backgrounds and disciplines. My greatest joy as an academic urologist is to foster a collaborative, inclusive training environment that fuels intellectual curiosity and advances our field to improve patient care.”
OUTSTANDING GRADUATE SCHOLAR AWARD
Renzo Di Natale, MD, MSc
Urologic Oncology Fellow
Genitourinary Oncology Department
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center
“Thank you to the Urology Care Foundation and the AUA Office of Research for selecting me for the 2026 Outstanding Graduate Scholar Award. I am honored to receive this recognition for our work evaluating circulating tumor DNA in urine and plasma to improve the diagnosis and prognostication of upper tract urothelial carcinoma.
This award will directly support my continued commitment to advancing biomarker discovery and, critically, accelerating biomarker delivery to patients—so that clinically meaningful molecular tools are not only developed, but implemented in ways that improve outcomes. I am grateful to my mentors, collaborators, and the patients who make this research possible, and I look forward to building on this work to refine liquid biopsy strategies and expand precision oncology in urothelial carcinoma.”
Nima Nassiri, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Urology
Director, Bladder Transplant Program
UCLA Kidney Transplantation
University of California, Los Angeles
“I am honored to have been selected as an Outstanding Graduate Scholar. The RSA provided critical early funding support that helped launch my research initiatives and, importantly, fostered confidence in the work I aimed to pursue.”
