# Wisconsin Exploratory Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Benign Urology

> **NIH NIH P20** · MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN · 2021 · $312,000

## Abstract

OVERALL PROJECT SUMMARY
Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) represent a heterogeneous set of symptoms with high economic and
social costs and significant effects on patients' quality of life. The prevalence of LUTS in the United States
ranges between 45% and 70% and increases with age. Medical expenditures for certain LUTS have been
reported to be as high as $65 billion per year. The guiding premise of the Wisconsin Exploratory Center for
Interdisciplinary Research in Benign Urology is that LUTS can be better managed though improved
collaboration between primary and specialty care. Specifically, the Wisconsin Exploratory Center investigators
intend to investigate innovative strategies to target effective treatments to appropriate patients. One particularly
bothersome LUTS is urinary incontinence, or the involuntary loss of urine, which is a common chronic condition
affecting nearly half of adult women. While there are effective treatments for the two main types of urinary
incontinence (namely, stress and urgency incontinence), there is evidence that most patients do not receive
any treatment, and for those who do, treatment is often inadequate, and symptoms remain. The first research
project of the Wisconsin Exploratory Center will bring together 5 Center investigators with the necessary
expertise to develop, implement, and evaluate a novel health system care pathway for treating women with
incontinence. With improved identification of symptomatic patients using patient-reported outcome measures,
and subsequent, stepwise initiation of available therapies, we hope to better manage incontinence, improve
patients' symptoms, and reduce inappropriate referrals. The Wisconsin Exploratory Center's Administrative
Core will provide oversight for all activities related to the research project and the Educational Enrichment
Program. The Educational Enrichment Program will support medical student summer research experiences
and a seminar series that brings invited speakers from backgrounds that are non-traditional in benign
genitourinary conditions. The Administrative Core will facilitate coordination with the NIDDK and other NIDDK-
funded Programs and Centers. It will ensure regulatory compliance for human subjects research. The
Wisconsin Exploratory Center will solicit outside perspectives on progress and strategy from a Patient Advisory
Panel and from an Advisory Committee comprising institutional leadership. By bringing together members of
our local community of scientists already investigating benign genitourinary diseases and recruiting
experienced scientists investigating other conditions to apply their expertise and techniques to the study of
benign genitourinary diseases, the Wisconsin Exploratory Center will enhance the intellectual infrastructure of
the benign genitourinary research community and foster scientific research that advances the field.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10260601
- **Project number:** 5P20DK127511-02
- **Recipient organization:** MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Kathryn E Flynn
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $312,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10260601

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10260601, Wisconsin Exploratory Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Benign Urology (5P20DK127511-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10260601. Licensed CC0.

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