As a longtime member of the American Urological Association (AUA), Randall Meacham, MD, chief of urology and executive vice chair of the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, appreciated the networking and research opportunities the organization provides to urologists, research scientists, residents, medical students, and advanced practice providers around the world.
As president of the AUA, Meacham grew to appreciate the organization even more as he oversaw its education and advocacy efforts, attended section meetings throughout the U.S. and elsewhere in the world, and presided over the group’s annual meeting.
“It was a great privilege to represent the American Urological Association,” says Meacham, who served as AUA president from May 2023 to May 2024. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to understand better the operations of the AUA and to understand what they are doing in terms of clinical practice and education, as well as research and philanthropy. It gave me an opportunity to give back to the American Urological Association, which I've been a member of for more than three decades.”
AUA CEO Michael T. Sheppard, CPA, CAE, says Meacham made significant contributions to the organization over his tenure as president.
“On behalf of the AUA and board of directors, we appreciate his strong, inspired leadership and look forward to continuing our relationship and our work to advance the field of urology,” Sheppard says.
Advocacy and outreach
Meacham also appreciated learning more about the AUA’s advocacy efforts, including an annual meeting in Washington, D.C., to learn about timely issues and call on members of Congress.
“There were 315 of us at the most recent meeting, and it's a very interesting process,” he says. “It's a very effective method for getting the message out about issues involving medical care, specifically urology, and the things that we're concerned about, at a national policy level.”
As president of AUA, Meacham says he also found it rewarding to help lead efforts to conduct outreach to medical students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in medicine so they can learn more about urology.
“I also worked with the AUA’s programs to increase diversity across the various areas in urology, which was an area I was particularly proud of. I think we made great progress,” he says. “I also helped to develop a set of core values that the AUA now uses to guide our activities: vision, integrity, respect, and collaboration. We worked as a board to develop those core values for the organization, and we work very hard to make sure they are represented in all the actions that the board of directors and the AUA officers enact.”
Meacham has held many leadership roles throughout his career, including chair of the residency review committee for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, president of the Society for the Study of Male Reproduction, and president of the Rocky Mountain Urological Society.
Post-pandemic fellowship
Meacham oversaw the AUA at a unique moment in medical history, helping to plan and presiding over the organization’s third in-person annual meeting after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the AUA to conduct the annual meeting using a virtual format.
“It was striking to me how rewarding and compelling it was for the members to be able to get together in person and discuss the challenges they face, new opportunities for care, and educational opportunities,” he says. “What the pandemic taught me is that there is no substitute for bringing together people who have common interests and common goals, to get face time and interact personally. I don't think virtual efforts will ever replace the ability to get together and spend time with your colleagues.”
Rewarding experience
Meacham remains a member of the AUA, and he now has a more thorough view of the organization thanks to his time at the helm. While he is happy to return to devoting his time to his work at the CU Department of Surgery, he is grateful for the experiences he had as AUA president.
“It was a very rewarding experience,” he says. “It was very enriching, and it was an unparalleled educational opportunity to learn what organized urology can do to support clinical urologists, researchers, educators, and trainees in the field."
