This year’s 27th Annual Scientific Program of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA) at the AUA in New Orleans on Friday, May 13, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., will again feature outstanding state-of-the-art lectures and engaging sessions on a variety of sexual medicine topics given by leading experts. New this year is a session on diversity and sexual orientation, featuring expert speakers discussing transgender surgery and cancer survivorship in homosexual men. Also included are talks on new innovations in the diagnosis and management of common conditions such as erectile dysfunction (ED), Peyronie’s disease, priapism and orgasmic dysfunction.

Three state-of-the-art lectures include Dr. Stacy Loeb discussing the use of social media in sexual medicine, Dr. Kelvin Davies lecturing on cavernous nerve regeneration following radical prostatectomy and Dr. Hossein Sadeghi-Nejad giving the Ira Sharlip Lecture on “Telemedicine in Sexual Medicine: Challenges and Opportunities.”

Over the past 5 years, there has been significant interest in the use of restorative therapies, such as shockwave therapy, to treat ED. In 2018 the AUA ED Guidelines and the SMSNA Restorative Therapy Position Statement both declared that restorative therapies should be considered investigational until appropriate research studies have been conducted. In 2021 the SMSNA updated its position statement, and these new recommendations are highlighted in this year’s program. In addition, a symposium on shockwave therapy discusses controversial topics, such as whether offering and charging for shockwave therapy to treat ED is ethical and which shockwave devices offer the best results in treating ED.

Surgical treatments for ED have always been of great interest to attendees. This year, SMSNA hosts a session on controversial surgeries in sexual medicine, including an in-depth discussion on subcutaneous penile implants, penile fillers/girth enhancers and vaginal rejuvenation procedures. Lectures also include tips and tricks on how to surgically manage complicated conditions associated with penile implants and cutting-edge lectures on preventing surgical infection and improving patient satisfaction after surgery.

As orgasmic disorders may be challenging to treat, this year the SMSNA is hosting a session with renowned speakers in this field to provide up-to-date information on delayed orgasm/anorgasmia, climacturia and premature ejaculation. An additional lecture discusses the diagnosis and treatment of male neurogenic sexual dysfunction.

This year’s program will certainly be of great interest to an array of health care professionals, including physicians, mental health providers, advanced practice providers, allied health professionals and scientific researchers. The SMSNA is proud to promote programs that are engaging, scholarly, diverse and full of camaraderie. I look forward to personally welcoming each of you at our program this May in New Orleans.