Women In Prosthetic Urology August Spotlight: Helen Bernie, MD

Dr. Helen L. Bernie , the Director of Sexual and Reproductive Medicine at Indiana University, knows the importance of women making their mark on prosthetic urology at the national and international level. She did just that at the 2022 American Urological Association annual meeting in New Orleans this year when she publicly debated Dr. Gerald Brock on whether the inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) should be presented as first-line treatment for erectile dysfunction.

Dr. Bernie’s journey to the debate stage began when she was a resident at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York when she was nominated by her residency program director to debate at the Northeastern Section AUA meeting. She debated on what approach to take when a male presents with retractile testicles. She argued that the wait and watch method was the best approach and ended up winning her debate!

Fast forward, seven years later, and a few of her old mentors, as well as some old college students from her attending class at Rochester, remembered her win at the regional meeting and reached out for her to participate in another debate at this year’s AUA.?For her stance, Dr Bernie argued that forcing men to use a stepwise algorithm of ineffective therapies that can be painful, expensive, and have high dropout rates, can waste time and damage relationships. She discussed how penile prosthesis surgery is a safe and durable treatment option for male ED with low infection and low complication rates with experienced surgeons, leading to high patient and partner satisfaction. Throughout her presentation, Dr. Bernie made great use of facts as well as humor to argue her point of view. While Dr. Brock, a Canadian urologist, was ultimately rewarded with the win for his argument that other, non-surgical methods of treatment should be offered prior to the option of an IPP, Dr. Bernie’s rebuttal of “Folks, this is America – Let’s make sex great again!” was a huge hit with the audience!?

Dr. Bernie’s early introduction to the debate world during residency helped pave the way for her future on stage. “It’s so important for women in prosthetic urology to raise their hand for speaking opportunities. We give great care to men and deserve to be represented at all levels.”?