By Michael Maidaa1, MD and Chase Mallory2, MD
1 PGY-4, University of Florida, Department of Urology
2 PGY-1, University of Florida, Department of Urology 
We recently had the opportunity to attend the 2023 American Urology Association (AUA) Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C. We also were fortunate enough to be sponsored by the Southeastern Section (SESAUA) of the AUA, which more recently has maintained a concerted focus on the involvement of young and future urologists in advocacy.
As urology residents, our day-to-day focus typically consists of improving our surgical skills in the operating room, treating patients in the hospital and outpatient setting and learning to manage the spectrum of urological conditions. Similar to most urology residents, our responsibilities and interests tend to be clinically and academically rooted. Hence, we rarely are exposed to the inner workings of the legislative process that directly affects our practice and patients. 
During our trip to the Hill, the advocacy group was an amalgam of urologists at various stages of our training (medical students, residents, fellows and attendings) from throughout the state of Florida. Our University of Florida team was led by faculty Thomas Stringer, MD, Vincent Bird, MD, and John Michael DiBianco, MD. The diversity of resident and attending perspectives on the breadth of the issues facing our field only served to strengthen the proposals with our state representatives. 
Throughout the week we had the pleasure of speaking with Senator. Marco Rubio, Senator. Rick Scott, Representative. Neal Dunn and Representative. Kat Cammack about the legislative priorities of the AUA this year. We focused on continued coverage and access to telemedicine, PSA screening utility for patients at high risk for prostate cancer, supporting the SPARC act to advance access to rural care and Medicare reform. The conversations catalyzed new legislative interest and justified our strengthened stance on long-term issues. While our time on the Hill was limited, the AUA remains resilient in its efforts to stay connected with its representatives as the legislative session unfolds.
