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Alumni News
Dr. David Rivas receiving the 2022 Martin L. Dresner, MD Jefferson Urology Alumni Achievement Award from Dr. Leonard Gomella. Also participating are Dr. Pat Shenot, Joyce Rivas and Dr. Ken Brownstein.
Dr. David Rivas is the recipient of the 2022 Martin L. Dresner, MD, Jefferson Urology Alumni Achievement Award. The selection committee’s decision was based on Dr. Rivas’s contributions to ensure the success of our department’s educational mission, as well as contributions to the Pharmaceutical Industry in general and urology specific product development.
Dr. David Rivas is an alumnus of Sidney Kimmel Medical College (Jefferson Medical College) Class of 1984, completed his residency in Urology (1987-91) and fellowship in NeuroUrology and Incontinence (1992-94) at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He was Assistant Professor of Urology at Jefferson from 19942000 and Director of the Division of NeuroUrology from 1996-2000. While a faculty member at Jefferson, he was involved with coordination and oversight of the residency program with Dr. Mulholland. Currently, Dr. Rivas leads pharmaceutical research and development efforts in the Infectious Diseases and Vaccines Therapeutic Area at Janssen, the Pharmaceutical Company of Johnson & Johnson. Jefferson Urology Alumni Awards have been previously presented to Drs. Ken Brownstein, Steve Strup, Marty Dresner and Michael Erhard. In 2022, the award became the Martin
L. Dresner, MD Jefferson Urology Alumni
Achievement Award thanks to a gift in honor of Dr. Martin Dresner, 1965 graduate of Sidney Kimmel Medical College (Jefferson Medical College). The formal award presentation took place during our year-end David M. Davis Visiting Professor Program on June 16-17, 2022.
Jefferson Urology Alumni Association
Let us know if you—our urology alumni, student, residents, fellows and faculty—should have any personal or professional news announcements to share. If you do, contact Dr. Paul Chung, Director Jefferson Urology Alumni Association (paul.chung@jefferson.edu). We are committed to keeping connected to our urology alumni across the United States and internationally. Update your contact and other information by using the following link https://tinyurl.com/jeffersonurology or by using the QR code on your cellphone. Alumni may also directly contact our office by phone (215-955-6961) or email barbara.devine@jefferson.edu to update your contact information. Specific questions on the Jefferson Urology Alumni Association can be directed to Dr. Paul Chung (paul.chung@jefferson.edu) or Dr. Leonard Gomella, Chair of the Department of Urology (leonard.gomella@jefferson.edu).
Dr. Kymora Scotland Named 2022 Young Urologist of the Year
Kymora Scotland, MD, PhD, was named the 2022 Young Urologist of the Year by the American Urological Association Western Section. Dr. Scotland earned her medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University and her doctorate at the Tri-Institutional Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering MD-PhD Program. She completed her urology residency at Thomas Jefferson University in 2017, where she developed an interest in endourology while performing research with Dr. Demetrius Bagley. Next, Kymora completed an endourology fellowship at the University of British Columbia in Canada, during which she obtained a Urology Care Foundation Research Scholar Award.
Dr. Scotland is now an Assistant Professor at UCLA, where she serves as Associate Director of the Endourology Fellowship and Chief of Endourology Research. Her clinical practice has focused on the treatment of kidney stones, benign prostatic hyperplasia and upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Her basic research at UCLA investigates stone pathogenesis and the physiology of peristalsis. She has a particular clinical research interest in developing techniques aimed at improving quality of life for nephrolithiasis patients and has focused recent work on patient engagement with medical management regimens. She is the President of the Collaborative for Research in Endourology (CoRE), an international group of endourologists focused on developing innovative solutions to the care of kidney stone patients and the Vice President of the Society for Infection and Inflammation in Urology.
Dr. Scotland has engaged in wide-ranging mentorship of students and trainees from grade school through to fellow urologists. As the Director of Resident Outreach for the R. Frank Jones Urological Society, she developed the Urology Resident Mentorship Program, a nationwide program that provides mentorship to residents underrepresented in medicine. She also serves as the head of pipeline activities for the Department of Urology at UCLA where she has partnered with a number of local organizations to develop ongoing mentorship and engagement programs for school children with an interest in STEM. Dr. Scotland has organized systematic career and research mentorship for undergraduate and medical students underrepresented in medicine, resulting in several publications coauthored by these students. In her quest to introduce endourology skills internationally, she has performed global urology training in the Caribbean and West Africa specifically focused on teaching urologists to perform these cases independently and has continued to do so remotely throughout the pandemic using augmented reality technology. She has recently expanded her efforts to reach more urologists as part of the international Executive Committee of the Endourology Academy, an online platform that provides a structured format for the learning of skills in endourology.
News from Frank L. D'Elia MD, FACS
Frank completed urology training at Jefferson in 1984 and practiced in suburban Philadelphia for many years. He recently wrote to say that he is officially retired and moved to Sheldon, South Carolina. Frank does travel to the area frequently to visit with his daughter in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and to visit with his good friends in the area. He has a special fondness for his old neighborhood in Chadds Ford. As Frank notes, “I have always felt a special closeness with Jefferson and the residents in training. I am proud to see that Jefferson Urology has become one of the powerhouses in the field of Urology.”
ALLEN CHIURA, MD, EDITORIAL BOARD APPOINTMENT
Congratulations to Dr. Allen Chiura on his appointment to the editorial board of the recently launched journal, African Urology. Dr. Chiura completed urology training a Jefferson in 1997. Allen and his wife, Dr. Nozipo Maraire, a neurosurgeon, are involved in the training of residents in urology and neurosurgery at the University of Zimbabwe’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences and Parirenyatwa Government Hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe.
DRS. COUNSILMAN & UHR JOIN JEFFERSON HEALTH
We are pleased to announce that Drs. May Jean “MJ” Counsilman and Alex Uhr have joined our Jefferson Health Community Urology practice at Jefferson Northeast. According to Dr. Milt Coll, senior partner of the group, “We are so pleased to have two Jefferson Urology trainees join our well-established practice in Northeast Philadelphia. The quality of the Jefferson urology residency is well known regionally and nationally.” MJ graduated as Chief Resident for our program in 2021. She went on to a oneyear fellowship in Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. While in Boston, she completed a course in clinical effectiveness through the Harvard School of Public Health. In the summer of 2022, she returned to Philadelphia and joined our Jefferson Health Community Urology practice at Jefferson Northeast along with Dr. Alex Uhr. Alex graduated from our Urology residency program in 2022. When he decided to stay in the area, we were pleased to have him join Jefferson Health Urology. We look forward to their future participation in our educational programs.
Drs. Scott Hubosky, Costas Lallas and Yew-Lam Chong at our Center City outpatient office.
Dr. Michael Fabrizio is Professor of Urology, Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, and Director, of their Endourology Fellowship. He is also Past President Urology of Virginia, PLLC, and a LUGPA Board Member. Mike recently sent the following letter to share in our 2022 Year in Review.
Michael Fabrizio, MD FACS, Alumni Update Dr. Chong Visits Jefferson
Dr. Yew-Lam Chong, MBBS, MRCS, MMed, FAMS, traveled from Singapore to attend Jefferson’s 22nd Annual Population Health Colloquium November 7-9, 2022, at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel and stopped by to visit the Department.
The program was sponsored by Jefferson’s College of Population Health, and it is recognized as the Leading Forum on Population Health Innovations. Yew-Lam completed an Endourology Fellowship at Jefferson and took the time to visit the Department. He serves as Senior Consultant of the Department of Urology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Concurrently, he is the Chairman of the Division of Surgery and holds Adjunct Associate Professorship at the NTU-Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and Adjunct Assistant Professorship at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. He also serves as an International Editorial Board Member of the Canadian Journal of Urology International.
