The University of Michigan Department of Urology 3875 Taubman Center, 1500 E. Medical Center Drive, SPC 5330, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5330 Academic Office: (734) 232-4943 FAX: (734) 936-8037 www.medicine.umich.edu/dept/urology http://matulathoughts.org/

What's New December 29, 2017

Chief Resident Reflections

Urology Department Faculty and Staff

4 Items, 27 Minutes

Hello, all! I hope everyone’s holiday seasons are progressing nicely and that we’re all looking forward to 2018! Today, we conclude the year of What’s New with our annual edition from our Chief Residents. Amy, Yooni, Amir and James have some wonderful stories and sentiments that they share below. I know I speak for the whole department in thanking them for their time here and wishing them luck as they conclude their residencies and move on to bigger and better things! So, without further ado, here are our Chief Residents!

-Eric Anderson Yooni Yi There is nothing like a What’s New Chief Resident Edition to help you reflect on the past four and a half years of residency. Below is a photo of our class at the Chief’s Roast right before we started as interns and the most current photo of our class. Not much has changed!

Anesthesia Holiday Party 2017

All jokes aside, the past few years have been filled with many changes and new experiences. I went to Europe for the first time in a whirlwind of 8 days visiting 5 countries. I also travelled to Africa for the first time with Dr. Park, Dr. Dauw and Dr. Atiemo as an educational exchange of surgical reconstruction experience. My travels during residency have also taken me all over the United States visiting friends and checking restaurants off my bucket list!

My travels

Another new, memorable moment of residency was the adoption of my sweet little Benji. He is a rescue dog who is now 4 years old. He has been the best bud to have around the Yi household!

Sweet Benjamin

I have also embraced the University of Michigan as my ‘Big Ten’ team (my real team is THE FLORIDA GATORS who play in THE SWAMP where ONLY GATORS GET OUT ALIVE!). By some off chance, Michigan and Florida met in a regular season game in Dallas (my future home) this past year and I was able to go to the game!

Tailgatoring with college friends

Speaking of Dallas, I am headed to UT Southwestern next year for a fellowship in Genitourinary Reconstruction. During residency, I developed an interest in male urethral reconstruction along with genital reconstruction and hope that I can contribute to this field in the future. I will use this point as a shameless plug to state that I am so proud of my co-chiefs who have accomplished so much during residency. They will all be going to their first choice fellowships to pursue their future career goals and I can only imagine what more they will accomplish in the future. Looking back at the sleepless call nights, long days, and tough experiences of residency, I realize more and more how grateful I am for my family, my friends, our department, and co-residents. I would not be where I am today if this support did not exist.

Amir Lebastchi Life in Germany My parents emigrated from Iran to Germany during the first Persian Gulf War in a pursuit of a better future. I was born in Hamburg, Germany and grew up with my little sister Jasmin in the suburbs of Hamburg. I have nothing but amazing memories of my childhood, which involved a lot of outdoorsy activities, but even more studying. My sister Jasmin is my lifelong best friend, my inspiration, my biggest supporter and is simply the best sister one could ask for. We are so close – that it was no surprise for anyone that she also moved to the US for residency after finishing medical school and is currently a fellow at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Growing up as the only two foreign-looking kids (my sister and I were the only non-blonde students in the entire school), we were always told that we have to do better than everyone else in our class (meaning the blonde Germans) to be accepted by the society. While I initially used to argue with my parents about the fact that I am actually German (because I was born in Germany), I ultimately gave up once I realized that I can’t win a debate with my parents (especially my mom). In fact, my parents signed me up for Farsi School on Saturdays in order to learn how to read and write in Farsi in case something happened and we had to leave Germany. In retrospect, I am very happy that my parents pushed my education and that I am able to write and read Farsi.

(Left: Me in school as the only non-blonde kid in my class; Right: My sister and I just

before moving to the US) After finishing high-school I moved to Hamburg and attended medical school at the University of Hamburg, the same place I was born 19 years earlier. My experience at the University of Hamburg was exceptional. It combines clinical and academic excellence with

an amazing, vibrant city. Full disclosure, I am biased as I am a Hamburger. I loved my time in Hamburg and was initially planning to start my residency at the University of Hamburg until I started my sub-internship at Yale University. At Yale I was exposed to US residency training programs and top tier academic medicine. I remember getting up at 3:30 AM to call Yale Security to catch a ride to the hospital (New Haven can be dangerous), get the vitals and pre-round on all surgical patients. I would stay and operate very late and despite the very long hours (that were new to me knowing the German system) I was impressed and fascinated by the structured training system here in the US. I remember getting a phone call from one of the chief residents a day after my last day on the rotation to meet with one of the senior faculty for an interview, where I was offered a position as a postdoctoral fellow in the Surgery Department at Yale. Two weeks later in Germany, I received a package that included my contract as well a H1B visa which opened the door for me to start a career in the United States.

(My parents, sister and I during our vacation in Rome (left) and Venice (right).)

Move to the United States I accepted the offer and moved to New Haven, CT finding myself with PhD students, General Surgery residents and real bonafide scientists in the laboratory investigating the role of TGF-B in atherosclerosis. I consider this period as the most challenging in my life, but I truly believe that it prepared me for residency. My days consisted of gaining knowledge in basic science and mastering laboratory techniques such as rt-PCR, ELISA, Western Blots, FACS, IHC and IF staining, setting up and experimenting on organ and cell cultures. This was extremely challenging as I was told to learn these techniques from Lingfeng and Wei, two extremely skilled vascular surgeons from China whose English were worse than my Mandarin. To make it clear: I speak zero Mandarin. This was extremely frustrating as my experiments were initially not working and I was constantly forced to produce data for our weekly lab meetings, which were rough if you had no data to present. My mentor and PI was an old-school cardiothoracic surgeon who was uncomfortably honest about people’s performance. At nighttime, I was always on-call and available for organ procurements in the entire New England area. If I was not doing experiments, or being en-route for an organ procurement, I was trying to use every free minute to study for the

USMLEs. These years in the laboratory prior to starting residency were really challenging. I was constantly comparing my life in the US with that of my friends’ back home who all started their residencies, which had work hours restricted to 34 hours per week, while I was fighting to keep my organ and cell cultures alive, writing papers, and enforcing my appreciation for basic science. Residency Fortunately, my hard work paid off and I started my General Surgery Residency at Yale New Haven Hospital and in the summer of 2014, I had the opportunity of a lifetime and transferred to Michigan for my Urology training. Residency has been extremely fun and only sometimes a little tough. The days were very short and the years even shorter. I think I enjoyed my time so much that I didn’t realize time flying by so fast. As evidenced of the attached pictures of me in various meetings, I am fortunate enough to be part of a program that supports academic ambitions and endeavors. It is both a terrifying and amazing feeling to only have few months left of training. However, coming out of training from the world’s premier residency program, I truly believe that I will be as prepared as one can be.

(Resident gathering at the AUA in San Diego (left) and at the NCS in Chicago.)

(Residents getting ready for a Christmas Party (left) and at the Nesbit dinner (right).)

Future My next stop takes me to Washington, DC where I will pursue a 2-year fellowship in Urological Oncology at the National Cancer Institute (Urologic Oncology Branch) under the mentorship of Dr. Peter Pinto and Dr. Marston Linehan. I am extremely grateful for my time here in Michigan, which has shaped me personally and professionally and opened such an incredible opportunity for me. While I am eager to start the next chapter in my life, I feel very fortunate that I am part of this exceptional training program and the Michigan Nesbit family. I feel privileged being trained by the most knowledgeable leaders and educators in Urology. I am forever thankful to the Department of Urology and my co-residents who’ve made this a truly unforgettable experience. My goal is to be the best possible ambassador for this residency program and to make you proud. Thank you everyone and Go Blue!

(The Chief class at James’ Birthday party (left) and the Anesthesia Holiday Party (right).)

Amy Luckenbaugh It seems like just yesterday I was writing my first “What’s New.” Sapan Ambani was a chief, and Casey Dauw and Miriam Hadj Moussa were residents. Now they are faculty, and I am only six months from graduating and leaving the University of Michigan Urology Family. Four years ago, I came to Michigan from equally cold and snowy upstate New York. I grew up north of Albany in a small town of 18,000, Glens Falls, NY. Most people in Glens Falls never leave Glens Falls, but my wonderful parents pushed me to achieve more than that. They are and continue to be my biggest cheerleaders and my best friends. After high school, I left Glens Falls and went to undergrad at Syracuse University and became an avid Orange fan. I then traveled slightly west to Buffalo, NY, where I attended medical school. As you can tell, I came to Michigan well-prepared to handle the winters (although the plowing here is far worse than in New York), and slightly less prepared for what residency would bring.

My parents and I at a Tigers game.

When I matched at Michigan Urology, I could not have been more thrilled. I distinctly remember leaving my interview at Michigan and telling my mom that the residents seemed like a family. There was a collegiality that simply didn’t exist elsewhere. Having the opportunity to train here and to be a part of this family has been an unbelievable gift. Looking back on it, I have no doubt that we have unparalleled surgical and research training. And we also have that intangible dynamic that is hard to describe, which makes this a wonderful place. I am so grateful to have Amir, James and Yooni by my side. I

couldn’t have asked for a better group to spend the last 4.5 years with. We are our own, sometimes dysfunctional, little family.

Kate Tracey, Amir, Yooni, James and I at a Nesbit Tailgate last year.

The last four years have been both incredibly fun and incredibly challenging, and I have grown to love Michigan. I have attended most football games, and although I still bleed orange, I enjoy my visits to the Big House. I have been able to travel to a few Syracuse basketball games each year and was thrilled to be able to attend the Final Four when Syracuse went in 2016. (Thank you Amir for switching calls.) I finally made it to the west side of Michigan with Rita this past summer, and I must admit it is beautiful. I will also miss the spring and summer here, with daylight stretching on until 9pm, allowing me to get in evening runs after work.

Ella, Rita, Lauren and I at the Anesthesia Christmas party this year.

Next year I will be going to Vanderbilt for Urologic Oncology fellowship. The heat may be an adjustment for this upstate New Yorker, but I am ready to take that on and eagerly await the balmy winter temperatures of 40 degrees in Nashville. I will miss many things about Michigan, but what I will miss most is that intangible dynamic that is a reflection of the people in our department. Thank you to all my co-residents who have become like family to me (past and present), and to the faculty for making the last 4.5 years so special.

All the residents (missing: Parth) exchanging Secret Santa gifts last week. Photo taken by

Dr. Weizer. James Tracey My Time in Residency and Beyond In November 2012, after a 17-day trip interviewing for residency across the country I returned home to Milwaukee to see my beautiful fiancée (now wife), Kate. I was tired and weary and still had a lot to do unpacking and repacking for a road trip to see family over the holiday. However (as continues to be the case), Kate pressed me to collate my

thoughts on my recent interviews and we sat down at our kitchen table. She had created a chart labeled with each interview I had been on, several categories already filled out with known criteria about programs and others blank, waiting to be filled in. We had decided earlier what was important to me and to us, not least of which was the desire for a new place different than what we’d experienced thus far. We had talked after nearly every interview and some notes were taken in case I didn’t later recollect. As we progressed through the list, when we got to the University of Michigan, the notes read: “area not much different, feels like home, very inspired, feels like the right place. Dr. Hafez, Bloom and Miller.” Later that year when my interviews were over and my rank list nearing finalization, it was clear my experience at U of M loomed large. It was the only midwestern program ranked in my top 7, and ranked highly. Despite the desire to live in a new, exciting area, it took one day to appreciate the mentality and philosophy of this department. In one day I knew that goals are supported, ambitions fostered, and values cherished. Over the course of five years since that first impression, I’ve come to an even deeper appreciation of our institution. With many incredible experiences and some re-direction when I floundered, I’ve been guided and molded into a far better person, and developed some useful skills as well. The individuals I’ve had the opportunity to learn from have embraced and instilled in me the mentality of our department and, indeed, it is through such people the department flourishes. I move forward with the knowledge that I’ve come from an incredible place with an incredible group of people. With each step in my professional career, I will try to leave some of the mark that Michigan has left on me. My next training location will check that new experience box that I’d originally charted out: London, England at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital. Dr. Ghani trained at this institution and he, as well as many others, is helping me gain this invaluable experience as well. I will be doing a one-year Andrology and Genito-Urinary Reconstruction fellowship under the study of Majed Shabbir and Tet Yap. It probably goes without saying that Kate and I are incredibly excited for this opportunity.

Guys’ Hospital

From there, we will be moving back home to north central Wisconsin in 2019, to a town called Wausau, where I will have the opportunity to fulfill a long-standing goal of mine. For several years I’ve hoped to maximize my training to improve urology care in the area where I grew up. For making that dream a reality, I owe a debt of gratitude to the University of Michigan and all the individuals that comprise our proud department.

Wausau, WI