The 2023 Ferdinand C. Valentine Award and Lecture: Young Urologists – Leading Change in 2023

Join us for the 2023 Ferdinand C. Valentine Award and Lecture, presented to Cheryl T. Lee, MD. The last five years have brought incredible change to the field of urology. Across the country, young urologists have been innovative in their response to COVID, social unrest, burnout, and a lack of diversity within the workforce. The 2023 Valentine Lecture will examine change being led by trainees and early career urologists across these areas. A focus will be placed on the methods employed to achieve success and how attendees can be positioned to lead change in their own professional lives.

About the Awardee and Speaker

Cheryl T. Lee, MD is a native New Yorker, born in Brooklyn and raised in Eastern Long Island. She obtained a Bachelor of Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1987 and her medical degree from Albany Medical College in 1991. She completed her urology residency at the University of Michigan in 1997 and her fellowship in Urologic Oncology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in 2000. She returned to the University of Michigan where she achieved the rank of tenured professor of urology and was the inaugural holder of the Robert H. and Eva M. Moyad Research Professorship. In 2016 she became the Chair of the Department of Urology at The Ohio State University where she is a tenured Professor and the Dorothy M. Davis Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. She is also the Vice President of the OSU Physicians and Faculty Group Practice and served as the Interim Chief Health Equity Officer of the OSU Wexner Medical Center from 2021-2022.

Dr. Lee is internationally recognized for her work in bladder cancer. Her professional focus is dedicated to improving the care of bladder cancer patients through advocacy, education, and research. She has served the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network as the President of the Scientific Advisory Board, as a current member of its Board of Directors, and as a Past-Chairman of the Bladder Cancer Think Tank. She is a past member of the Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO) Board of Directors and previously served as its liaison to the American Joint Committee on Cancer. She has been named one of the "Best Doctors in America" since 2008.

Dr. Lee is active in the education and certification of urologists. She has directed or been a faculty member of a postgraduate course at the annual meeting of the AUA for nearly two decades and has served on the ABU Oral Board Examination Committee, the AUA Education Council, the ABU Written Examination Committee, the Oncology Knowledge Assessment Test Committee of the SUO and is an active member of the AUA Update Editorial Board. In 2019, she received the Jack N. Taylor, MD Award, recognized for commitment and excellence in education. She has trained more than 120 residents and fellows and directly mentored over 50 students. She is currently a Trustee of the American Board of Urology.

As a clinical researcher, Dr. Lee has been involved in nearly 100 clinical trials, serving as principal investigator in nearly 20 studies. She has published 185 scientific manuscripts, as well as a book devoted to the management of bladder cancer. She was a previous Associate Editor for Bladder Cancer and remains on the editorial board for Urology Practice and Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations. Her current research interest, supported by the National Cancer Institute, is focused on increasing the representation of historically marginalized patients on cancer clinical trials.

Dr. Lee is a graduate of the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program for Women and is also a recipient of the 2022 SUO Distinguished Service Award and a 2023 AUA Distinguished Service Award. She remains an active member of both the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons and the Clinical Society of Genitourinary Surgeons.