# Urology Centers Program Interactions Core (U24) > **NIH NIH U24** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2022 · $750,000 ## Abstract PROJECT SUMMARY The critical need remains to advance our understanding of benign genitourinary (GU) diseases – their etiology, pathophysiology, and mechanisms of progression. The phenotypic expressions of many common benign GU diseases are yet to be defined. Clinical gaps in knowledge include objective diagnostic tests and criteria for many symptomatic benign GU conditions and the efficacy of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to management. The impact of these conditions on other disease processes and whole body health; productivity, functioning, and quality of life; and public health overall is virtually unknown. The impact of disparities in healthcare and health outcomes on patients with benign GU disease is understudied. The potential power of prevention is unexplored. The proposed Interactions Core for the Community of NIDDK-funded benign GU Centers and Programs known as CAIRIBU (Collaborating for the Advancement of Interdisciplinary Research in Benign Urology) will foster and support integrated basic and translational science that answers critical questions in benign GU disease and builds the breadth and depth of benign urologic investigators. Our mission is to provide intellectual leadership and logistic support for the CAIRIBU Community by identifying and facilitating opportunities for cross-CAIRIBU collaboration and promoting research findings and resources to the broader benign GU research community. Specific Aims are to: 1) provide scientific leadership to the CAIRIBU Community by enabling the full potential of NIDDK staff and CAIRIBU leaders to provide guidance that results in highly meritorious convergent research and highly-trained new investigators in benign GU diseases; 2) provide leadership in team science by identifying and fostering opportunities for transdisciplinary interaction and collaboration within CAIRIBU and among the broader benign GU research community; 3) provide administrative support by building the CAIRIBU infrastructure to maximize communication, collaboration, coordination, and resource sharing; and 4) develop internal and external evaluation mechanisms to maximize the performance, transdisciplinary nature, productivity, and effectiveness of the Interactions Core and CAIRIBU Community. Our Interactions Core is led by a Principal Investigator who is an established benign GU disease investigator and has functioned in a pilot capacity as Director of Interactions for CAIRIBU since July 2018. Our Co-Investigator is an expert in the science of team science and has experience in collaboration-building and measuring collaborative science efforts. The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health provides the ideal environment for supporting the Interactions Core due to its multiple resources. The Department of Urology is the idea “home” for the Interactions Core due to its strong commitment to and track record in benign GU research. Our Core will use innovative approaches to leverage CAIRI... ## Key facts - **NIH application ID:** 10481844 - **Project number:** 5U24DK127726-03 - **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON - **Principal Investigator:** Kristina L Penniston - **Activity code:** U24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.) - **Funding institute:** NIH - **Fiscal year:** 2022 - **Award amount:** $750,000 - **Award type:** 5 - **Project period:** 2020-09-17 → 2025-07-31 ## Primary source NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10481844 ## Citation > US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10481844, Urology Centers Program Interactions Core (U24) (5U24DK127726-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10481844. Licensed CC0. --- *[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*