Society for the Study of Male Reproduction

OUR PURPOSE
The Society for the Study of Male Reproduction’s (SSMR) purpose is to encourage the study, to elevate the practice, and to improve the quality of care of the subfertile male.

OUR GOALS
The goals of the SSMR are to identify existing and emerging issues in the field and to provide accurate and credible information to the profession through the development of:

Our organization, the SSMR, continues to experience growth and is invigorated by our subspecialties’ accomplishments and future potential. Through this newsletter, it is my pleasure to update you regarding the progress of our ongoing efforts as well as acknowledge the hard work of many individuals who have dedicated their time to assist us in moving forward. We hope to see you all at the upcoming 2012 annual AUA meeting in Atlanta and would like to share with you some of the scheduled highlights surrounding our focus of interest, male reproductive medicine.

At the upcoming annual AUA, several plenary sessions will address pertinent topics including the recent vasectomy guidelines by Dr. Ira Sharlip and what promises to be a lively discourse regarding the best treatment option for the commonly encountered, yet often challenging, condition of chronic orchalgia. On Tuesday, May 22, from 12:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. at the Omni Hotel at the CNN Center – International Ballroom F, Dr. Dan Williams, IV, has put together an insightful program titled “Friends and Foes – Threats to Male Reproductive Health” covering such relevant topics as lifestyle modification, trauma and medications that impact male infertility, treatment of anabolic steroid abuse, more effective collaboration with the reproductive endocrinologist and an update on male oncofertility with a lecture dedicated to starting a male fertility preservation program. Prior to the program we will conduct a symposium titled “Sperm Banking 2012: An Update on Legal and Medical Issues.” The annual SSMR dinner will take place on Tuesday, May 22, from 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. at Ruth’s Chris Steak House when it will be the society’s honor to bestow upon our esteemed colleague Dr. Larry Ross the Distinguished Reproductive Urology Award. At the banquet we will also acknowledge the 2012 SSMR traveling fellows and announce the Arnold Belker Traveling Fellowship Awardee. We hope many of you will join us for what is a unique opportunity to find encouragement in our life’s professional mission through strengthening our camaraderie.

The updating of the SSMR website is proceeding, and the expectation is to share the final product with you at the AUA. I would like to acknowledge the assistance of Drs. Dan Williams and Ed Kim regarding this ongoing project. As stated previously, the goals of the expanded website include improved access to professional resources as well as a patient portal for education and the facilitation of referrals to our membership. In addition, ongoing discussions between SSMR and SMSNA regarding a joint andrology sexual health fellowship match are concluding and are expected to be implemented for the 2012 fellowship match. I would like to thank Drs. Craig Niederberger, Robert Brannigan, Edmund Sabanegh, John Mulhall and Gerald Brock for championing this effort and expediting its implementation. The quality and number of applicants to andrology fellowships is a source of great pride for all of us and is an auspicious omen for the future of our subspecialty. Our commitment is that the next generation of fellows will have the opportunity to be better educated regarding the diversity of available fellowship programs and ensure that the process is executed in the most fair and professional manner. Only those fellows who undergo the joint match will be awarded an additional certificate by the SSMR and SMSNA societies.

Over the last few years the SSMR and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention have developed a close working relationship in the field of male reproduction through the work of Dr. Larry Ross, past president of the AUA, as well as two past presidents of SSMR, Drs. Ajay Nangia and Stan Honig. In addition, this year the AUA has created a Men's Health Check List, and the SSMR was charged with defining an important health screening for men 18 – 39. The overall collaboration will be highlighted at the AUA national meeting in Atlanta with a plenary session by Dr. John Douglas, chief medical officer of National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention from the CDC, who will be talking about a public health approach for advancing sexual health in the US. Further collaboration between the SSMR and the American Fertility Association and Men's Health Network continues to lead in the advancement of public awareness of male reproductive issues.

This year our society has focused on expanding our role in promoting male oncofertility preservation as reflected by a prominent presence in our new website. To this end sessions are planned at our SSMR symposium as well as through an active working group. The male oncofertility working group, comprised of Drs. John Mulhall, Robert Brannigan, Dan Williams, Moshe Wald, Stan Honig and Larry Ross, is tasked with identifying the immediate as well as long term needs of this emerging field. The implementation will encompass, but not be limited to, preparation of a best policy paper, coordination with ASRM, ASCO and other relevant societies or organizations that identify industry opportunities to assist in the support of the above objectives.

Helping coordinate these ongoing efforts has been a personal privilege and sharing with my colleagues the hope of accomplishing these tasks an honor. I hope that, as we continue to update you on our progress, we will all view with pride our membership in SSMR and our professional commitment to better care for our patients.

Natan C. Bar-Chama, MD
President, the Society for the Study of Male Reproduction