40 Years of Research Scholars Leads to Major Benefits for Patients

The Research Scholars Award is the Urology Care Foundation's oldest and largest program. It offers support and mentoring to young scientists making key gains in urology research.

The first award in 1975 was at a time when there wasn't much research on male infertility. When Dr. Larry Lipshultz became the first Foundation Research Scholar 40 years ago, he set out to find out why.

"I was trying to find out how to treat male patients," he said. "At the time, more and more (doctors) were treating female infertility and there wasn't much going on for male infertility."

His work became an important source for this type of research. Babies being born were just the start. Patients and their loved ones have been helped by this progress in ways that no one could predict.

Male infertility research has spread to involve new methods to men's health. Progress by early pioneers in male infertility led to strides in testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and erectile dysfunction (ED). These opened the door for treatment in men's health.

"We started with infertility research and it grew into a larger part of men's health. I don't think that would have ever been likely if it wasn't for the Scholarship," he said.

Dr. Lipshultz has helped his male infertility patients conceive nearly 3000 babies over his career!