Global Initiative for Adult and Pediatric Urology

Imagine living with a condition that causes constant pain, prevents you from working, and keeps you from even the simplest daily activities—all because specialized medical care isn’t available. This is the reality for thousands of adults and children in underserved regions who suffer from severe urological conditions, often leading to serious complications, kidney failure, or even early death.

This Giving Day, we invite you to support the Global Initiative for Adult and Pediatric Urology—two groundbreaking programs represented by University of Utah surgeons that are transforming urological care in underserved regions around the world.

The Global Initiative for Adult Urology, represented by Dr. Jane Kurtzman in collaboration with the Global Urology Initiative and Multinational Partnership for Advancing Capacity and Training in Surgery (GU-IMPACTS), is dedicated to improving urological services in countries with limited access to specialized care. The current GU-IMPACTS programs in Rwanda and Cambodia are focused on adult reconstructive urology care. Reconstructive urology is a highly complex field that treats patients suffering from severe urological conditions, many of which lead to chronic pain, disability, or even life-threatening complications. These conditions include urethral injuries from traumatic pelvic fractures, strictures caused by infection, urinary fistulas in women following childbirth complications, and bladder and ureteral scarring due to genitourinary tuberculosis and so on. Without treatment, these patients often face social stigmatization, chronic infections, progressive kidney damage, and even early death—especially in regions where access to dialysis is scarce.

To address this urgent need, GU-IMPACTS has partnered with the national urological associations in Rwanda and Cambodia to organize three to four surgical training workshops per year in each country, during which expert volunteer surgeons travel to train local doctors in critically needed procedures. Each workshop provides clinical care for up to 30 patients and life-changing surgeries for up to 15 patients, meaning that over 100 patients receive specialized care every year. Even more impactful, workshops are focused on transferring surgical knowledge and skills to local surgeons, enabling them to perform these surgeries independently and ensuring that skills are passed on and more lives are saved. GU-IMPACTS is currently partnering with the Ministry of Health in Rwanda to help establish the first local fellowship training program in adult reconstructive urology in East and Central Africa.

The Global Initiative for Pediatric Urology, represented by Dr. Anthony Schaeffer in collaboration with The Association for the Bladder Exstrophy Community (ABEC), is dedicated to providing life-changing care for children suffering from complex urological conditions in resource-limited settings. Many of these children are born with severe congenital abnormalities, such as bladder exstrophy (where the bladder forms outside the body), hypospadias (an abnormal urethral opening), and complex lower abdominal malformations that affect normal urinary and reproductive function. Without timely surgical intervention, these conditions can lead to chronic infections, kidney damage, and lifelong medical complications, drastically limiting a child’s ability to thrive.

This initiative directly bridges the gap in pediatric urological care by providing specialized surgical training, mentorship, and educational resources to local medical teams. By partnering with hospitals and national organizations, the program builds sustainable healthcare systems that will continue to support children’s health for generations. With your support, we can expand access to critical surgeries, improve pediatric healthcare infrastructure, and give children the opportunity for a healthier, brighter future.

By supporting the Global Initiative for Adult & Pediatric Urology, you are not just funding surgeries—you are transforming lives, restoring dignity, and empowering local medical teams to provide care for generations to come.

Join us in making a meaningful difference and to bring hope, healing, and sustainable healthcare solutions to those who need them most.

To read more about each of the initiative, please click the link:

GU-IMPACTS: https://medicine.utah.edu/surgery/urology/gu-impacts

ABEC: https://www.bladderexstrophy.com/back-to-uganda/