# Summer Program in Undergraduate Urology Research (SPUUR)

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2022 · $101,353

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
In 2016, we initiated the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Summer Program in Undergraduate Urology
Research (SPUUR) to attract and retain aspiring scientists into the field. Supported by our George M. O'Brien
Center in benign urology research, and excellent mentors including NIDDK Multidisciplinary Urologic Research
(KURe) Career Development Program (K12) awardees, we trained 28 scholars. Half the scholars co-authored
at least two manuscripts and all remained in research-related positions or joined advanced degree programs.
We recruited exclusively from UW-Madison and now seek to expand scholar recruitment to the entire US. We
will support 10 students per summer. We will use proven active learning modules to introduce scholars to
research and clinical challenges from perspectives of the Schools of Medicine and Public Health, Pharmacy,
Nursing and Veterinary Medicine. We believe the benign urology workforce is strengthened by diverse
perspectives. We will apply best practices in recruiting participants from traditionally underrepresented
communities. Our diversity recruitment efforts are effective and SPUUR scholars trained to date are more diverse
than the UW-Madison undergraduate population from which they were recruited. We are determined to propel
our scholars into advanced clinical and basic urologic research training programs. We will leverage a unique
UW-Madison resource, the nation's only U24 Urology Centers Interaction Core, to initiate professional networks
between scholars and faculty at urology centers throughout the country and facilitate entry into advanced degree
programs. Historically, most NIDDK-KUH-sponsored R25 Programs have had a kidney or hematologic focus.
The lower urinary tract is underrepresented and thus remains under-appreciated by prospective biomedical
research scholars. Our program will fill the void by intensively focusing on the lower urinary tract. Students will
engage in a carefully constructed curriculum to cultivate critical thinking, develop research questions, conduct
research responsibly, network virtually with peers from other summer undergraduate programs, learn about the
graduate school application process, interact with current graduate students and campus organizations
(particularly those representing students of color and other underrepresented communities), and receive one-
on-one advising from mentors experienced in developing biomedical research scholars. Our unique focus on the
lower urinary tract, our rigorous and evidence-based plan to recruit underrepresented students, our superior
faculty partners, our proven experience in summer undergraduate research programs, our learner-centered
training and educational approach, and the unparalleled UW-Madison environment and resources portend the
success of our program.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10557612
- **Project number:** 1R25DK130838-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Kristina L Penniston
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $101,353
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-22 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10557612

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10557612, Summer Program in Undergraduate Urology Research (SPUUR) (1R25DK130838-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10557612. Licensed CC0.

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