Make a Difference
The University of Michigan Department of Urology, is the culmination of 12 years of collaboration and growth by a multidisciplinary group of physicians and scientists with a single mission of curing urologic diseases. Because of the depth of our research and clinical care programs, our team provides significant contributions to the field of urologic cancer and disease. Our goal is to translate scientific discoveries into medical realities which are made possible through ongoing philanthropic support.
Research
Funds received have allowed for the Michigan Urology Center scientists to successfully:
- Identify a new biomarker (AMACR) for prostate cancer through DNA analysis and proteomics leading to new methods of more effectively detecting and diagnosing prostate cancer.
- Continue life altering research for children who need bladder reconstruction surgery by developing a technique of using cells from the inner mouth to recreate bladder tissue.
- Support research on Quality of Care for urologic disease and cancer which explores the degree to which the delivery of health services results in desirable health outcomes while minimizing complications in a cost-efficient fashion.
- Begin research on new techniques such as Cavitational Ultrasound Histotripsy, in which we’ve partnered with Biomedical Engineering to create a potentially non-invasive treatment of tumors using high frequency sound waves.
This life saving, transformational research is what your philanthropy supports. It is because of your gift that The Michigan Urology Center is able to investigate new methods of treatment. Each new research project can cost up to $50,000 just to produce the initial data necessary for federal or state grant funding. A gift to any of our clinical research teams provides this essential seed funding. The MUC has a historical record of returning this seed funding 10:1 – for every dollar given , 10 dollar return in federal grants.
Patient Care
The quality of care a patient receives during the entire process from diagnosis to treatment to rehabilitation determines the overall outcome. Our goal is to re-engineer and reconfigure our clinical space to completely transform the patient experience by providing:
- Total redesign of scheduling and visit paradigm to coincide with flow process through the system.
- Prostate Center navigation specialists during initial phone consultation.
- State-of-the-art patient centered informatics.
- Capabilities for DVD education in each clinic room for patient education.
- Specific identification and discussion with every patient about participating in clinical research.
- On demand Psychological Oncology support.
- Rehabilitation clinic specifically staffed to deal with post treatment side effects.
- Exercise facility for patients undergoing therapy.
- Digital informatics support to allow immediate review of pathology and x-ray.
- Informatics support to provide each patient a summary prior to leaving clinic.
Our ideal is to create a one-of-a-kind research community that combines clinical and research physicians and scientists working together on a single mission of curing prostate and other urologic cancers. This includes building and strengthening existing national research partnerships with Harvard University, The Mayo Clinic, Memorial-Sloan Kettering, Johns Hopkins, MD Anderson, UCLA, Pittsburgh Cancer Center, Baylor, and University of California, San Francisco.
To learn more about giving to theU-M Department of Urology, please contact Director of Development at (734) 615-9843 or email urologydevelopment@umich.edu.
