Advisory Council
Association for the Bladder Exstrophy Community is fortunate to have support and guidance from many of the world’s experts in the treatment and management of bladder exstrophy.
Evalynn Vasquez, MD, MBA
Alireza Alam, MD
Joseph Borer, MD
Heather DiCarlo, MD
Marlo Eldridge, DNP, CPNP
Carolyn Fazzini, RN
Misty Blue Foster RN, LVN, BS, MPH, CHES
John P. Gearhart, MD
Emily Haddad, LCSW
Rakesh Joshi, MCh, DNB, MNAMS
Antoine Khoury, MD
Bradley P. Kropp, MD
John V. Kryger, MD
Anjana Kundu, MD
Ranjiv Mathews, MD, FAAP
Paul A. Merguerian, MD, MS
Michael E. Mitchell, MD
Boateng Nimako, MD
Joao Luiz Pippi Salle, PhD, MD, FRCSC, FAAP
Diane Price, LICSW
Pramod P. Reddy, MD
William G. Reiner, MD
Anthony Schaeffer, MD
Aseem R. Shukla, MD
Paul David Sponseller, MD
Hadley M. Wood, MD, FACS
Advisory Board Chair
Evalynn Vasquez, MD, MBA
Dr. Evalynn Vasquez serves as the Director of Complex Reconstruction and Malformations Program and is an Assistant Professor of Urology working in the Division of Pediatric Urology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Specialty – Dr. Vasquez focuses on the medical and surgical management of complex pediatric urology anomalies, including reconstructive surgery for incontinence and neurogenic bladder, Spina Bifida, bladder exstrophy, colorectal malformations and cloacal malformations.
Education – Dr. Vasquez is originally from South Pasadena, California and earned her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles. She then went to medical school at Saint Louis University where she earned a dual MD-MBA degree. After graduation she started her residency at Saint Louis University, then completed her residency in Urology at Loyola University in Chicago. She went on to complete her Pediatric Urology Fellowship through Harvard University’s program at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Vasquez is board-certified from the American Board of Urology in Urology.
Other – Dr. Vasquez has extensive experience in both clinical and basic science. During her fellowship, she studied proteins that control bladder contractility in mice and worked with the Multi-Institutional Bladder Exstrophy Consortium (MIBEC) to produce several papers and videos. Dr. Vasquez now focuses on research on the psychosocial impact on outcomes of complex reconstructive surgery and aims to assess patients’ surgical readiness prior to major surgery.
Associate Professor, Department of Urology at University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine
Alireza Alam, MD
Dr. Alam earned his medical degree at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran, where he also completed fellowships in pediatric surgery and pediatric urology. He then went on to various observer fellowships in pediatric urology at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
Dr. Alam then completed a three-year fellowship in pediatric urology at Miami Children’s Hospital and the University of California Irvine, Children’s Hospital of Orange County. His final clinical and research fellowship was done at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He is a voluntary Associate Professor in the Department of Urology at University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, actively involved in teaching and training urology residents and pediatric urology fellows.
Dr. Alam travels to India each year with the International Bladder Exstrophy Consortium of US and India, in Ahmedabad. He also voluntary travels each year to Iran and has built a team with his Iranian colleagues treating patients with complex pediatric urology conditions like Bladder Exstrophy and urogenital sinus anomalies, teaching residents , fellows and local doctors.
Director, Bladder Exstrophy Program
Joseph Borer, MD
Dr. Joseph Borer is Director, Bladder Exstrophy Program; Co-Director, Neurourology and Urodynamics, Reconstructive Urologic Surgery Chair at Boston Children’s Hospital and Associate Professor of Surgery (Urology) at Harvard Medical School.
Specialty – Dr. Borer has specialized in a variety of medical services and programs, including transplantation, advanced fetal care, andrology, bladder exstrophy, pediatric urology, robotic surgery, kidney transplant, myelodysplastic syndrome, perinatal urology, urodynamics, vesicoureteral reflux, and voiding improvement.
Education – Dr. Borer received his medical degree from the State University of New York at Syracuse. He interned at the State University of New York at Brooklyn and completed residencies in Surgery and Urology at the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn. He has also been a Fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Borer is board-certified from the American Board of Urology in Urology and Pediatric Urology.
Other – Dr. Borer has focused on research in many areas, including pediatric urology, robotic surgery, minimally invasive surgery, epispadias, bladder exstrophy, cloacal exstrophy, neurourology, and renal transplantation.
Assistant Professor of Pediatric Urology
Heather DiCarlo, MD
Dr. Di Carlo is an Assistant Professor of Pediatric Urology and Co-Director of Pediatric Urology Research at the Charlotte Bloomberg Children’s Center at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute.
Specialty – Dr. Di Carlo treats all pediatric urological disorders in young males and females, while specializing in renal sparing surgery and complex reconstruction of the genitourinary tract in patients with the exstrophy-epispadias complex, disorders of sexual development (DSD) and other congenital anomalies.
Dr. Di Carlo has special clinical and basic science interests in the exstrophy-epispadias complex, spina bifida, and renal transplantation.
Education – Dr. Di Carlo received her medical degree from Stony Brook University School of Medicine and completed her general surgery, urologic surgery residency at Stony Brook University Medical Center. She was a pediatric urology fellow at James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute / The Johns Hopkins Children Center.
A native of New York, Dr. Di Carlo graduated from Emory University with a B.S. in neuroscience and music, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook School of Medicine. Following general surgery and urology residency training at Stony Brook Medical Center, she completed a pediatric urology fellowship at the James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute.
Marlo Eldridge, DNP, CPNP
Marlo Eldridge, DNP, CPNP
Marlo Eldridge is Director of the Voiding Improvement Program, Robert D. Jeffs Pediatric Urology Service, at the James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute of Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Specialty – Marlo developed the only pre-surgical training program in the world for children with bladder exstrophy. She has taught medical students, advanced-practice nursing students, pediatric residents, and pediatric urology fellows in the areas of biofeedback, medical assessment/management, and behavioral management in a pediatric dysfunctional elimination clinic. She has also taught pediatric urology residents and fellows in the preparation of bladder exstrophy and epispadius patients for bladder neck reconstruction or alternative continence procedure. She frequently speaks at international pediatric meetings, reviews and edits articles in urology journals, writes chapters in textbooks, and serves as a program development consultant.
Education – She received her masters degree in Nursing and her doctorate of Nursing Practice from Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.
Other – Marlo speaks at international pediatric meetings, reviews and edits articles in urology journals, writes chapters in textbooks, and serves as a program development consultant.
Registered Nurse, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Carolyn Fazzini, RN
Carolyn Fazzini, a registered nurse at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, has spent time teaching families post-surgical wound and pin care in Ahmedabad, India. To further support parents of children receiving treatment, Carolyn and A-BE-C produced and printed, post-surgery guidelines in both English and Gujarati. Carolyn is committed to a holistic approach to her work. She is an RN and Reiki practitioner, believing wholeheartedly in the prevention of disease through self-care. Fazzini integrates traditional and eastern medicine, bringing a more encompassing approach to caring for her patients.
Communications Manager
Misty Blue Foster RN, LVN, BS, MPH, CHES
Misty Blue Foster is a foster care alumni with both Cloacal Exstrophy and Spina Bifida. She graduated from nursing school in 2009 from NCP College of Nursing. She has three Associates degrees in Behavioral, Social, and Natural Sciences from Skyline College in 2015 as Magna Cum Laude. In 2015 she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Notre Dame de Namur University with a Bachelors of Science in Human Services. From 2017 through 2018 she completed an extensive Public Health internship for A-BE-C while completing a Master’s of Public Health at San Jose State with honors. In 2022 she received her Associate of Science Degree in Nursing from Ohlone College.
Misty has volunteered with A-BE-C intermittently since 2009 by speaking at international and local conferences, and creating numerous presentations, videos and articles. She officially joined the team in 2019 as communications manager and assists in responding to the large volume of inquiries received. She has 14 years of extensive, well-rounded experience in the healthcare industry. Misty worked as a nurse at the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System for 7 years before leaving to pursue her educational goals. She is currently working as a school nurse in Menlo Park, CA and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Professor and the Director of Pediatric Urology
John P. Gearhart, MD
Dr. John P. Gearhart is a Professor and the Director of Pediatric Urology at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.
Specialty – Dr. Gearhart currently focuses on the following issues:
-children born with major congenital birth defects, including the bladder exstrophy-epispadias condition, ambiguous genitalia, and childhood urinary cancers
– the evaluation and treatment of the bladder muscle, nerve supply, and collagen content of the exstrophied bladder
– long-term follow-up studies of patients born with ambiguous genitalia
– new techniques to evaluate the prognosis and long-term outlook for children with childhood kidney tumors
– reconstruction of children who have undergone previous failed bladder exstrophy closures
Dr. Gearhart is also involved in long-term outcome studies with Dr. William Reiner of the Department of Child Psychiatry concerning the bladder exstrophy condition.
Languages – English, Spanish
Education Education – Dr. Gearhart received his medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He completed his internship in Surgery at the Medical College of Georgia, in Augusta.
Other – Dr. Gearhart has been on the faculty of The Johns Hopkins Hospital for 25 years and was recently awarded an honorary fellowship in the Royal College of Surgeons in Great Britain for his contribution to pediatric surgery in the field of bladder exstrophy. He has authored more than 265 scientific papers and authored or edited two books.
Global Care Coordinator
Emily Haddad, LCSW
Specialty – Emily Haddad LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in behavioral health support and wellness for children and families with bladder exstrophy, cloacal anomalies, anal rectal malformations, and disorders of sex development. She is passionate about educating children about their bodies, health history, and daily care to support their future goals. Ms. Haddad is on the medical advisory board for the Association for the Bladder Exstrophy Community. She acts as a medical liaison among specialties, provides individual, family and group therapy as a licensed clinical therapist, and is a patient advocate and educator.
Education – Haddad received her bachelor’s from the University of Vermont in Anthropology and Sociology with a minor in Art. She completed her masters at the University of Michigan, School of Social Work where she was a graduate student instructor in Sociology. Her internships were completed at The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Urology, in Toronto, Ontario and at Toledo Children’s Hospital, NICU. She is currently pursuing a Master of Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University in the School of Public Health.
Professor & Head of the Department of Pediatric Surgery
Rakesh Joshi, MCh, DNB, MNAMS
Dr. Rakesh Joshi is the Professor & Department Head of Pediatric Surgery at B.J. Medical College & Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
Specialty – Dr. Joshi is a general pediatric surgeon with focus on pediatric urology & minimally invasive surgery. He specializes on international collaborative work to provide the best possible surgical outcomes for patients with complex urogenital anomalies with a goal of maximizing quality of life.
Languages – Gujarati, Hindi, English
Education– Dr. Joshi received a MBBS from Pramukhswami Medical College, Karamsad in 1994, a MS (General Surgery) – Smt NHL Municipal Medical College, Ahmedabad in 1998; MCh (Pediatric Surgery) – Smt NHL Municipal Medical College, Ahmedabad in 2002; and DNB (Pediatric Surgery)-National Board of Examinations, Delhi in 2002.
Other– Dr. Joshi has received many recognitions, including Gold Medal in MBBS, University Topper in MCh Pediatric Surgery. He has been a teacher for more than 12 years and is a recognized PG teacher in Gujarat University, India. He is a Bladder Exstrophy Institute of India Co-Coordinator.
Chief of Pediatric Urology
Antoine Khoury, MD
Dr. Antoine Khoury is Chief of Pediatric Urology at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) and the Walter R. Schmidt Endowed Chair in Pediatric Urology at the University of California-Irvine Medical Center. Dr. Khoury has over 200 peer-reviewed publications and in excess of 60 book chapters. He has done over 160 lectures as a visiting professor at both international and national levels.
Specialty– Dr. Khoury focuses on the medical and surgical management of complex pediatric urology anomalies, including reconstructive surgery for incontinence, genital anomalies, renal transplantation, and oncology. He has formed several multidisciplinary teams at CHOC to provide comprehensive care for children with the following genitor-urinary problems:
perinatal urology
Hypospadias and other Genital anomalies
disorders of sexual differentiation
bladder and cloacal exstrophy care
Colorectal and cloacal anomalies
minimally invasive surgery
pediatric lower urinary tract dysfunction and neurourology
Education – Dr. Khoury received his medical degree from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. He completed a residency in Urology at the University of Toronto and a fellowship in Pediatric Urology at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.
Other – Dr. Khoury speaks fluent French and Arabic and he serves on the editorial board of several medical journals. He is past president of the Pediatric Urologists of Canada and the Canadian Urological Association Scholarship Foundation. He also served as a member of the executive committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Urology.
Medical Director of Pediatric Urology
Bradley P. Kropp, MD
Specialty – Dr. Kropp is the Medical Director of Pediatric Urology, OKC Kids Urology, Oklahoma City, OK. His major clinical focus is in the reconstruction of exstrophy and neurogenic bladders.
Education – Dr. Kropp received his M.D. from the University of Toledo. He interned and completed his residency at Indiana University, and he was a fellow at Indiana University’s James Whitcomb Riley Children’s Hospital.
Other – Dr. Kropp went into pediatric urology because he loves working with kids and performing reconstructive surgery that allows them to function normally. He has been practicing pediatric urology for over 22 years. The first 20 years of his practice was in academic medicine and he retired from the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center as a tenured Full Professor of Urology. He is happy to return to Oklahoma in private practice after spending two years developing and starting up a new pediatric urology department for a large children’s hospital in Fort Worth. Dr. Kropp has over 120 peer reviewed articles and 12 book chapters related to all aspects of pediatric urology. Dr. Kropp has been a leader in pediatric urology on a national level, having served as past president of the Society of Fetal Urology, Co-Chair of the scientific program for the Society of Pediatric Urology, and past president of the American Association of Pediatric Urology. Dr. Kropp also received the Golden Cystoscope award in 2008 for outstanding contributions to the profession within ten years of completing residency training. His major clinical interest are in the areas of Bladder Exstrophy.
Professor of Urology and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Urology
John V. Kryger, MD
John V. Kryger, MD, is a Professor of Urology and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Urology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.
Specialty – Dr. Kryger specializes in all aspects of pediatric urology, with a special interest in bladder exstrophy, disorders of sexual development like ambiguous genitalia and complex hypospadias, fetal urology, and neurologic bladder/bowel conditions.
Education – Dr. Kryger earned his medical degree at the University of Wisconsin- Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. He completed his residency in Urology at University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics in Madison and a fellowship in Pediatric Urology at Children’s Hospital of Michigan.
Other – He was previous Director of Pediatric Urology at UW. He was past president of the Society for Fetal Urology.
Pediatric Anesthesiologist
Anjana Kundu, MD
Dr. Anjana Kundu is a pediatric anesthesiologist and a consultant at Dayton Children’s Hospital, Ohio. She’s also the President and Founder of Proactive Pain Solutions.
Specialty – Dr. Kundu’s clinical and academic focus involve a holistic and integrative approach to pediatric anesthesia, perioperative care, pain management and with special attention to wellness, prevention of disease, and quality of life issues. Her recent work emphasizes the importance of empowering patients and families in improving the quality of pediatric pain care.
Education – Dr. Kundu received her medical degree from Government Medical College & Hospital, in Rohtak, India. She completed her anesthesia residency training both in India at Seth G.S. Medical College & King Edward Memorial Hospital, Bombay, and at the Medical College of Wisconsin in the United States. Subsequently, she got her fellowship training in pediatric anesthesiology and pediatric pain medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. She also did her training in acupuncture from Harvard Medical School and subsequently completed training in Integrative Medicine as well as a certification in Medical Education and Leadership from the University of Washington, Seattle.
Other – Dr. Kundu is a founding member and current President of the Society for Pediatric Pain Medicine. She is a passionate clinician, accomplished academician, educator and administrator, who is credited with building, growing and leading two successful pediatric pain and palliative care programs in US (Seattle & Columbus). She has been invited as a visiting professor nationally and internationally. She has participated in the complex urological surgical missions to India and Africa since 2009, and has been an integral part of the team of physicians from the United States engaged in improving the lives of exstrophy patients in underprivileged countries.
Clinical Professor of Surgery(Urology) and Pediatrics
Ranjiv Mathews, MD, FAAP
Dr Ranjiv Mathews is Clinical Professor of Surgery(Urology) and Pediatrics at Southern Illinois School of Medicine, and is the Director of Pediatric Urology and Program Director for the Urology Residency.
Education – Dr Mathews completed his Residency in Pediatrics at UMDNJ School of Medicine in New Jersey and completed his Residency in Urology at the SUNY Upstate Health Science Center in Syracuse, NY before going on a Fellowship in Pediatric Urology at the Brady Urological Institute of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. Dr Mathews then joined the faculty at SUNY Health Science Center in 1998. In 2000 he joined the faculty at the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins and was on the faculty for 11 years. He then joined Childrens Urology Associates, in Las Vegas, NV prior to joining the faculty at SIU in 2015.
Specialty– Dr Mathews has over 75 peer reviewed publications in Pediatric Urology, and was a principle investigator on the NIH funded RIVuR study. He has presented at national and international meetings and has been recognized as an expert on the management of exstrophy-epispadias complex. In his role as Board Member of A-BE-C he is leading the effort to bring state of the art surgical management of exstrophy to patients in Uganda.
Other – Dr Mathews is a diplomate of the American Board of Urology and is Board Certified in Pediatric Urology. He is also a member of the Society of Pediatric Urology, The American Academy of Pediatrics Urology Section and the European Society of Pediatric Urology.
Division Chief of Urology at Seattle Children’s and Professor of Urology at the University of Washington
Paul A. Merguerian, MD, MS
Dr. Paul Merguerian is the Division Chief of Urology at Seattle Children’s and Professor of Urology at the University of Washington.
Specialty – Dr. Merguerian is an accomplished scholar, a committed teacher and mentor, and surgeon. His area of academic focus has been on complex reconstruction especially bladder exstrophy, and safety, efficiency, and cost within the field of pediatric urology.
Education – Dr. Merguerian received his medical degree from Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem and completed his Residency in Urology at the University of Rochester. He then went on to complete a Fellowship in Pediatric Urology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He received his Masters in Science from the Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy and Clinical Practice, and has received Lean Six Sigma training at the Dartmouth School of Engineering.
Other – Dr. Merguerian has held appointments at Stanford, the University of Toronto, and Dartmouth where he was the director of the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth. Currently he is the Division Chief of Urology at Seattle Children’s Hospital and a Professor of Urology at the University of Washington. In addition to his extensive work in process improvement and quality assurance, Dr. Merguerian serves as a key faculty mentor for Pediatric Urology Fellows at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington; as a clinic teacher and preceptor for Urology residents. Pediatric Urology, Bladder Exstrophy, Hypospadias Neurogenic bladder and reconstructive pelvic medicine.
Pediatric Urology Specialist
Michael E. Mitchell, MD
Dr. Michael E. Mitchell is a specialist in pediatric urology at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.
Specialty – Dr. Mitchell focuses on issues related to pediatric urology, including urethral valves, bladder dysfunction, bladder exstrophy, and urologic reconstruction.
Languages – English and German
Education – Dr. Mitchell received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, and surgical, urology, and research training at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the National Institute of Child Health and Development.
Other – When Dr. Mitchell was Chief of Pediatric Urology at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, he developed a Division of Pediatric Urology and a strong interest in urologic reconstruction, particularly the management of children with urethral valves and bladder exstrophy. He has developed surgical techniques to correct the most complex urologic malformations in children and has pioneered surgical techniques for patients diagnosed with bladder exstrophy and the complete primary repair of bladder exstrophy. Dr. Mitchell has furthered understanding of the pathophysiology of the bladder of children with posterior urethral valves and coined the term “valve bladder.” He emphasized the important role of early bladder cycling and the primary valve ablation approach for almost all patients with valves.
Director of Surgery, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH)
Boateng Nimako, MD
Pediatric Surgeon and Pediatric Urologist; Deputy Director of Quality Control (Assurance), KATH; Assistant Senior Lecturer, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Dr Boateng Nimako is practicing at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, Ghana. The hospital is the primary referral center for about two-thirds of the population of Ghana due to its central location in the country. As a qualified Paediatric Surgeon, Dr Nimako recognized the inadequacy of caring for children with urological conditions, igniting a passion to pursue a sub-speciality training in Paediatric Urology. His dream became a reality when he trained at the best Paediatric Hospital in Africa, Red Cross War Memorial Hospital in Cape Town. Dr Nimako’s acquired knowledge provides the best care for children with bladder exstrophy and other urological conditions. Dr Nimako additionally spent time training in Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Kampala, Uganda and was sponsored twice to come to India and train alongside world-renowned pediatric urologists specializing in bladder exstrophy.
Dr Nimako is using his knowledge and skills to train medical students to optimize care in Ghana. Though limited by the need for more supporting staff like stoma sisters and Paediatric radiologists, Dr Nimako is committed to continually building capacity in this specialty. The children and people of Ghana are grateful for this opportunity.
Division Chief of Pediatric Urology
Joao Luiz Pippi Salle, PhD, MD, FRCSC, FAAP
Dr. Joao Luiz Pippi Salle is the Division Chief of Pediatric Urology at Sidra Medical and Research Center, Doha, Qatar
Specialty – Dr. Pippi Salle has created new approaches to address difficult areas of pediatric urology such as refractory urinary incontinence, feminizing genitoplasty, hypospadias repair, and other reconstructive procedures for bladder exstrophy and epispadias.
Education – Dr. Pippi Salle received his M.D. from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. He then spent seven years in training in General Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, and Pediatric Urology in the United States, South Africa, and Canada.
Other/strong> – In 2020 Dr. Pippi Salle received the Lifetime Achievement Award for the World Federation of Pediatric Surgery. In 2011 he was named the Herbie Doctor of the Year in recognition of his humanitarian contributions to the treatment of underprivileged children from around the world. He has chaired several pediatric urological events and workshops and is the former president of the International Society of Hypospadias and Disorders of Sex Development. Dr. Salle has 85 published papers in peer-reviewed journals and is the author of 34 book chapters. He is currently developing a CD-ROM for teaching pediatric urology to fellows and residents.
Clinical Social Worker
Diane Price, LICSW
Diane Price is a clinical social worker in the Department of Urology at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), where she is a is a member of the Bladder Exstrophy Program’s interdisciplinary team. Previously, Diane worked in Patient Relations and the Center for Families at BCH. She is the former chief social worker at the Floating Hospital for Infants and Children and senior social worker in Child Psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center.
Specialty – Ms. Price works with families and their children who are treated for conditions along the epispadias-exstrophy spectrum.
Education – Ms. Price received her MSW from the University of Pennsylvania.
Other – Ms. Price is an advocate for strong patient and family partnerships, careful care coordination, and reducing barriers to optimal health and developmental outcomes. She continues to be inspired by her patients and their families and is grateful for the opportunity to work and learn together with them.
Director of the Division of Pediatric Urology
Pramod P. Reddy, MD
Dr. Pramod P. Reddy is the Director of the Division of Pediatric Urology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and a Professor of Clinical Surgery at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine.
Specialty – In addition to maintaining a busy clinical practice, Dr. Reddy conducts research into the normal development of the urinary bladder and its innervation, the role of tissue-engineered substitutes for bladder replacement, and bladder dysfunction.
Education – Dr. Reddy received his medical degree from Nagarjuna University in Guntur, India. He completed a residency at Albany, New York’s Albany Medical Center, and a fellowship at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.
Other – Dr. Reddy has been recognized with numerous awards for his contributions to pediatric urology. He was named both a Pfizer Urological Scholar and an American Urological Association Scholar. As a member of the Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati, he is actively involved in managing congenital conditions that involve the genitourinary tract of the fetus; his involvement ranges from diagnosis and counseling to in-utero intervention. Dr. Reddy is committed to advancing the science to improve the outcomes of prenatally diagnosed urological conditions, while at the same time ensuring that the ethical considerations keep pace with technological and medical advances.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Urology
William G. Reiner, MD
Dr. William G. Reiner, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Urology, OKC Kids Urology.
Specialty – Dr. Reiner’s research interests span the areas of child development in children and adolescents with classical bladder exstrophy, cloacal exstrophy, hypospadias, absence of female or male genitals, and other major pediatric genital birth defects.
Education – Dr. Reiner received his medical degree from the University of California-Irvine. He completed his residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is board-certified from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; the American Board of Urology; and the National Board of Medical Examiners.
Other – Dr. Reiner has focused on research in the following areas:
gender identity
the impact of genital function and appearance on children’s development as well as on their parents
urinary incontinence and function and its impact on the children’s development as well as on their parents
anxiety about peer and social relations, sexual development, and romantic relationships
the effect of genital and urinary tract surgeries on children’s development and parent effectiveness
Pediatric Urologist
Anthony Schaeffer, MD
Dr. Schaeffer is a pediatric urologist and Health Services Researcher (HSR) at the University of Utah and a member of the Societies for Pediatric Urology Bladder Exstrophy Task Force. His training has included stints at the Johns Hopkins’ Brady Urological Institute and Boston Children’s Hospital under the tutelage of Drs. John Gearhart and Joseph Borer, respectively. He has clinical expertise and extensive prior outcomes and quality of life research experience in bladder exstrophy and associated conditions. Additionally, in conjunction with the Association for the Bladder Exstrophy Community (ABeC), Dr. Schaeffer volunteers to teach bladder exstrophy care (surgery, post-operative care) to pediatric surgeons and urologists in Uganda and other parts of East Africa. Dr. Schaeffer is delighted to be a member of the ABeC medical advisory board and looks forward to advocating for and learning from people with BE.
Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery
Aseem R. Shukla, MD
Dr. Aseem Shukla is Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery in the Department of Urology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and an Associate Professor of Surgery (Urology) at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.
Specialty – Dr. Shukla conducts research into robotic-assisted laparoscopy, bladder exstrophy-epispadias, urinary tract reconstruction, hypospadias, and disorders of sexual differentiation.
Education – Dr. Shukla received his M.D. from the University of South Florida in Tampa. He stayed there to complete a residency in General Surgery and Urology. Dr. Shukla was also a fellow in Pediatric Urology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Other – Dr. Shukla is active in efforts to develop Pediatric Urology as a global discipline. Since 2007, he has co-directed an annual complex pediatric urological surgery teaching course—The Bladder-Exstrophy and Epispadias Workshop—at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, India, that is co-sponsored by International Volunteers in Urology and Hindu American Physicians in Seva. Dr. Shukla is also a volunteer surgeon for the Foundation for the Children of Iran, a not-for-profit organization that helps arrange life-altering medical and surgical treatment for Iranian children.
Chief, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Paul David Sponseller, MD
Dr. Paul Sponseller is a professor of orthopaedic surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His areas of clinical expertise include pediatric spine disorders, cerebral palsy, clubfeet, hip dislocations, hip dysplasia and bladder exstrophy.
Dr. Sponseller serves as chief of the Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Dr. Sponseller is the research committee chair for the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, the deputy editor for pediatrics for The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and a member of the board of directors for the Scoliosis Research Society. He is a staff physician at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and a consulting physician at Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital.
Dr. Sponseller received his B.S. from the University of Michigan. He earned his M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School. He completed his residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics and performed a fellowship in pediatric orthopaedic surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital of Harvard Medical School. Dr. Sponseller joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 1986. More recently, he earned and an M.B.A. at the Johns Hopkins University.
Orthopedic management of bladder exstrophy involves a multidisciplinary team of specialists, including orthopedic surgeons, urologists, physical therapists, and rehabilitation specialists, who work together to develop a comprehensive treatment plan for each patient.
Dr. Sponseller recently traveled with a multidisciplinary team to Uganda to perform several life-changing surgeries for children with bladder exstrophy. He also presented several lectures to educate local clinicians on surgical techniques.
Professor of Urology at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and Vice Chair of Clinician Development at the Glickman Urological Institute of Cleveland Clinic
Hadley M. Wood, MD, FACS
Dr. Wood is Professor of Urology at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and Vice Chair of Clinician Development at the Glickman Urological Institute of Cleveland Clinic. Her area of subspecialty is genitourinary reconstruction with a focus on adults with urological congenital conditions. She has developed a multidisciplinary clinic for adults with spina bifida at Cleveland Clinic, serves as a consultant to the CDC Center for Maternal and Child Health, Rare Diseases Division. She won the Bruce Hubbard Steward Award for Humanity in Medicine (2008), American College of Surgeons, Young Fellows’ Advocacy Essay (2017), and the American Urological Association Presidential Citation (2019) for her advocacy efforts.
As an educator, Dr. Wood has mentored medical students, residents, advanced practice providers and fellows in GU Reconstruction throughout the duration of her career. She won the Cleveland Clinic Enterprise Outstanding PA/NP Educator of the Year award in 2016 and the Urology Residency Teacher of the Year award in 2018. She is a board examiner for the American Board of Urology, is on the fellowship committee for the Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgery Society, and is on the education committee of the Societe Internationale Urologie. In addition, she is founding editor of the AUA-Cleveland Clinic Advanced Practice Provider education curriculum. She serves as section editor for Urology and associate editor for Urology Practice.
She has written numerous book chapters related to her specialty areas, and has edited the first textbook on Urological Congenitalism. As a member of the Physician Advisory Group of the Spina Bifida Association, Dr. Wood served on the adult urology care guidelines committee and chaired the men’s health guidelines committee. In 2018, she co-chaired an International Consultation on Urologic Disease on Lifelong Care of Individuals with Congenital Urologic Diseases.
