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WHAT I LEARNED FROM DR DENSTEDT: To John Denstedt

By: Jorge Gutierrez-Aceves, MD, AUA Assistant Secretary for the Americas | Posted on: 06 Apr 2023

I had the privilege to meet John more than 30 years ago, to be precise in 1991, when he was invited to do an endourology course in Mexico City. At that time he had just finished his endourology fellowship and was starting to shine and grow into the big star that he later became. Since then I have been very lucky sharing with him numerous courses, meetings, and other educational activities in so many different places, and I have witnessed his strong commitment to teach and educate. I have to say that in every one of these opportunities all over these years, I have been able to learn something new from him.

His leadership as Secretary of the AUA has been remarkable in many aspects. During his term, he had to face the devastating pandemic that brought significant consequences in the educational arena with the cancelation of 2 in-person AUA annual meetings. He took the challenge of innovation and led the first worldwide international meeting online with enormous scientific and academic success. He also developed an amazing educational virtual program with different outstanding educational activities covering the hottest topics in all the different urological specialties.

AAGUS Naples 2008.

Despite the challenge, and even the risk involved on traveling, he did not hesitate to continue with the AUA international agenda promoting urological education around the world, including places and countries that were still considered high risk at that time. His very busy international agenda allowed the AUA to keep the collaboration agreements with all the different countries and the international membership almost intact.

AAGUS Naples 2008. Dr Jorge Gutierrez-Aceves, Martha Gutierrez, Dr John Denstedt, and Caroline Denstedt.

During his term as editor of the AUANews, he has been able to convert this news magazine of the AUA in an outstanding educational tool, doubling the yearly number of issues from 12 to 24 and tripling the content, generating the most visited and read document of all AUA publications and converting the AUANews in a digital ecosystem translated to several languages that now serve the global urological community. Having been responsible for the edition of the AUANews in Spanish for an 8-year term, I can attest to the enormous transformation and grow of this educational platform.

Day 1 Amsterdam 2004. Left to right: Dr John Denstedt, Dr James Lingeman, Dr Glenn Preminger, Dr Joe Segura, Dr Jorge Gutierrez-Aceves.

John Denstedt has set his legacy as one of the most prolific leaders of the world’s leading urological organization through outstanding work promoting innovation and education of urology worldwide, accomplishing by far the mission of the organization and leaving fruitful years to come for the AUA.

Congratulations, John, and my best wishes to you in the new stage of your career.

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