Cutting-edge Research.
The Pediatric Urology team at UW-Madison is committed to furthering the field of pediatric urology through cutting-edge research. Our department’s work spans the breadth of basic science/laboratory work, translational studies, clinical studies, health services research studies, and qualitative studies.
We are proud to be a part of several national research efforts, including the Society for Fetal Urology’s Hydronephrosis Registry and the Society for Pediatric Urology’s Hypospadias Task Force.
Go here to learn more about our ongoing research studies and how you can get involved.
Please see below for additional information about our current work.
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Hypospadias
Dr. Vinaya Bhatia’s research is focused on improving Quality of Life for children, youth, and young adults treated for hypospadias. Dr. Bhatia and Dr. Farhat’s research in this area also focuses on improving the quality of care and approaches to training young urologists to optimize patient outcomes after hypospadias surgery.
Spina Bifida
Our research in Spina bifida is focused on improving interrater reliability of urodynamic interpretation and improving patient counseling. We are focusing on how we can better use urodynamics to test and understand how providers can prevent kidney and bladder problems and infections.
Congenital Hydronephrosis
Dr. Shannon Cannon’s research is centered on improving nationwide care approaches to the care of children with hydronephrosis diagnosed before or after birth.
Renal Transplantation
Our work focuses on preventing urinary tract infections and kidney damage in renal transplantation.
VSC and Hypospadias
Dr. Farhat’s current work is heavily collaborative with the UW Department of Psychology and includes investigating the intersection of hormonal milieu, early life stress, and epigenetics interaction in order to predict social development and mental health risk. The overarching intent of this collaboration is to understand how hormones and puberty blockers, irrespective of anatomical anomalies, could influence adolescent brain development and endocrine systems. This research will allow us to understand the overall impact of hormones, its relation to anatomy and overall mental health and well-being.
Dr. Farhat also works closely with Dr. Bhatia on research focused on optimizing the quality of life for youth with hypospadias.
Inclusivity
Inclusivity: Encouraging inclusivity and representation in medical training to improve patient outcomes
Dr. Cannon’s research focuses on developing a urologic workforce that represents the populations we serve, and understanding how improvements in inclusion improve patient outcomes for patients of all backgrounds.
Bowel and Bladder Dysfunction
Jennika Finup, NP and Walid Farhat, MD have conducted ground-breaking research on improved processes to assess and address bowel and bladder dysfunction. We are also working on creating a Wisconsin-wide network intended to revolutionize the care of children with Bowel and Bladder dysfunction. Our work in this area has been accepted for presentation at numerous state and nation-wide symposia. If you a provider interested in joining the Wisconsin BBD Network, please contact us here.
For more information, read:
Pediatric Urology
UW Pediatric Urology at SPU
