ISSM Board of Directors: Nominees Announced

Over the past 40 years, the International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM) has had many incredible presidents that have continuously grown this society.  During my 20-year tenure as an ISSM member, I have had the privilege to meet, observe and learn from many stellar leaders in ISSM. By serving on the ISSM financial committee, scientific committee, educational committee, local organizing committee, nominating committee, international consultation for sexual medicine, associate editor and deputy editor-in-chief for Sexual Medicine Review, I have gained robust knowledge to be able to accomplish ISSM’s mission of promoting human sexual health. My active involvement with ISSM decision making began in 2016 when we prepared for the World Meeting on Sexual Medicine (WMSM) in Beijing. I then served on the ISSM board as the North America Representative when I was the President of Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA). I was grateful to receive the ISSM special service award and very fortunate to work with brilliant leaders such as, Drs. Wayne Hellstrom, Luca Incrocci and Luiz Otavio Torres to promote ISSM activities and increase ISSM membership from Asia. Their dedications to ISSM influenced me profoundly to look at our society’s role from a broader angle. Indeed, as the current president of the SMSNA foundation and the Chair of International Liaison Committee of SMSNA, I facilitated ISSM/SMSNA joint efforts in promoting sexual medicine in Africa with two successful conferences, one in person in 2019 and another in the format of virtual symposium in 2021.

I applaud our current ISSM executive committee under the leadership of Dr. Annamaria Giraldi in dealing with COVID-19 pandemic crisis. They deftly made WMSM in Japan from an in-person meeting to a successful virtual conference under a very difficult situation. I also observed the current endeavors of the ISSM Board to promote international collaboration and improve diversity within our society. I believe that this is an ideal time for me to gain further involvement in ISSM leadership to solidify the society’s strides on this path with my global connection and working experience.

I would be honored to serve you, my fellow ISSM members, as your president-elect. Regardless of our roles as researchers, educators, practitioners or our geographic origins or ethnic background, WE ARE ISSM. My working philosophy will be actively listening, evaluating and implementing ideas and critiques from all members. In the meantime, I will propose these following initiatives:

1. Establish ISSM Future Leadership Program to stimulate the interests of talented young members from all regional societies to serve the society in future leadership roles and familiarize them to the decision-making process of ISSM. We need to encourage talented young individuals from underrepresented regions to apply for this leadership program.
2. Organize ISSM Innovation Nexus to connect our member researchers and inventors with our industry partners in sexual medicine to move their early stage concepts into feasible products.
3. Form a student committee to attract college, graduate and medical school students to stimulate their interests in sexual medicine at an earlier stage. We need to increase minority students and mentor them to pursue sexual medicine.

I thank you for taking the time to read my statement and I greatly appreciate your supports. By working together, we will be proud of ourselves for achieving our goal in the years to come - “Every human being has the right to a healthy and satisfying sexual life” – ISSM Vision

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Dear Fellow Members of the ISSM,

I present this statement to affirm my intention in seeking the position of Treasurer of the ISSM for the upcoming election cycle in 2022.  I am grateful to be considered for this leadership position and am humbled by the tremendous privilege to serve our society in this capacity in support of its mission.

It is evident that my service role as Treasurer would extend from my current activities as Treasurer for the society.  It has been an honor and pleasure to have served the society in this capacity already, and I am prepared to continue stewardship of the financial health of our organization.  Indeed, as I currently serve in this capacity, I am familiar with the responsibilities of the position and am able to bring an experienced perspective to this role.

In seeking another term, I am able to reflect not just on how I understand the responsibilities of the position of Treasurer but also on whether I have been able to serve the society productively in this capacity.   At the time of my prior application, I presented my qualifications: my long-term involvement in the field of sexual medicine and commitment to sexual health; my long-term membership in the ISSM since 1996 which has brought me interactions with its members and participation in its diverse programs; my knowledge of the leadership structure and function of the ISSM; my various leadership roles in professional societies that have afforded me knowledge and training in financing, administrating, mentoring and consensus building; my experience in society financial matters having served in Treasurer positions of both the North American regional society in sexual medicine (SMSNA) and the ISSM; and my diverse professional relationships with colleagues in sexual medicine internationally.  I also presented my perspective as a leader for the ISSM both in upholding its fiscal and institutional policies and in supporting its ingoing mission work, across all realms of scientific advancement, education, clinical practice and advocacy. 

After reflection, I do believe I have been able to serve the society well and sense I can continue to offer valuable leadership and service.  I also appreciate this opportunity as an administrative officer of the society to carry leadership roles in various areas, such as assisting in our society’s collaborations with global health organizations in sexual medicine.  Overall, I am ready to advance the society’s global sexual medicine and health objectives. 

In review, I hold the society to be a special community of professionals rich with diverse talents, backgrounds and contributions related to the field of sexual medicine.  I am most honored and proud to be part of this community and look forward to promoting its greatest success.           

Earnestly,

Bud Burnett

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Biography - Arthur L. “Bud” Burnett II, MD, MBA, FACS

Dr. Burnett is the Patrick C. Walsh Distinguished Professor of Urology and Professor, Oncology Center, at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  He is an accomplished urologic surgeon and scientist, recognized for diverse leadership and service roles in urologic healthcare, ranging across missions of research, education, clinical practice and advocacy.  Dr. Burnett specializes in sexual medicine, major pelvic reconstruction, voiding dysfunction, prostate cancer, and lower genitourinary tract malignancies.  He is considered the world-authority in the science and medicine of male sexual dysfunction, and among his many academic contributions he made original scientific discoveries that paved the way for the development of oral medications to treat erectile dysfunction and was the lead urologic surgeon in the first-ever penis and anterior pelvis transplant surgery.  He has written more than 350 original peer-review articles, 50 book chapters and 2 books, along with numerous additional editorials and publications related to his biomedical research and clinical activities.  He also founded and directs a non-profit humanitarian organization called UroMissionsWorks Incorporated. 

He received his A.B. degree in Biology from Princeton University and M.D. and M.B.A. degrees from Johns Hopkins University.  He performed his post-graduate training in general surgery, urology and genitourinary reconstructive surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and was awarded an American Foundation for Urologic Disease new investigator scholarship.  He is an alumni member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.  Among various awards, Dr. Burnett received the Urology Care Foundation Distinguished Mentor Award in 2016, the Distinguished Contribution Award from the American Urological Association in 2018, the Ferdinand C. Valentine Medal from The New York Academy of Medicine in 2020, and the Hugh Hampton Young Award from the American Urological Association in 2022

Dear friends, colleagues and ISSM members,

It is an honour to be shortlisted for ISSM member-at-large. I believe I have the right credentials and commitment to serve as your next ISSM member-at-large representative. In recent years, we witness the devastation of the COVID pandemic on humankind across all aspects of life. At the same time, the world has become more integrated than ever despite social isolation measures while technological advances in digital education and telehealth have transformed the way the healthcare system is delivered these days. This is evidenced by the 22nd World Meeting on Sexual Medicine (WMSM) held for the first time in a hybrid (virtual) format and in my capacity as the Scientific Convenor for the last WMSM, I have introduced many new innovative topics and ensured a more geographical and gender diverse speakers including experts outside of the field of sexual medicine. I have been awarded the inaugural ISSM’s Special Service Award in 2021 for my contribution and promotion of ISSM worldwide. As the current Chair of the Membership Committee, I have worked closely with my committee to collaborate with our regional sexual medicine societies and expand our ISSM membership numbers. 

If elected as an ISSM member-at-large, I see my tasks to support the ISSM Board of Directors by safeguarding the interests of members of all regional sexual medicine societies including those from less developed countries, streamlining the collaborations between various ISSM committees to optimise productivity to ISSM members, and encouraging greater international networking among various sexual medicine organizations and outreach to non-sexual medicine-related scientific professional bodies.

I am grateful for the friendship and collegiality within ISSM, and I hope I have your support to serve as the next ISSM member-at-large. It has been a very rewarding experience for me to be part of the ISSM family and I will strive to meet the expectations and challenges to make ISSM the foremost global organisation for all matters of sexual medicine and health.

Again, thank you for your time and consideration of my nomination. 

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I have found very early in my career that I was very passionate about every aspect of sexual medicine, including patient care, educational activities, and research. My ultimate goal as a professional in the field is to improve sexual health and awareness around the globe. In this regard, I take the opportunity of running for member-at-large as a means of fulfilling my most legitimate professional aspirations.

I am highly motivated and have always been considered to be communicative, which I consider essential attributes for the work in society. Having served in different medical associations has also provided me with expertise in conducting and overseeing initiatives aimed at improving the interface with members and the public.

My candidature is representing Latin America and SLAMS in ISSM. It is also my intent to represent young sexual medicine enthusiasts and scientists who are continuously contributing to our field.  Ultimately, I expect that my participation on the board of directors will contribute to a more unified society.  

It is also my understanding that having young members serving on the board of directors has certain advantages. It would indicate renovation within the organization, which could set the foundations for the future of our society.  Also, it could potentially inspire others to become more diligent and take action to further the reach of ISSM globally.

Therefore, I come before our community of members to ask for your trust and your vote. I need your support to become an enthusiastic advocate of our society.

Biography - Eduardo P. Miranda, MD, PhD, FECSM

Eduardo P. Miranda, MD, PhD, FECSM is a board-certified urologist specialized in male sexual and reproductive health, with expertise in penile surgery and microsurgical procedures.

He graduated magna cum laude from the Federal University of Ceara (2008) after receiving an International Brazil-Germany Graduation Scholarship to participate in an exchange program in the Charité Universität Berlin. Following his graduation, Dr. Miranda completed his residency training in General Surgery and Urology at the prestigious university hospital from the University of Sao Paulo (2015). He also completed a clinical fellowship in Sexual & Reproductive Medicine, a joint program offered by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and Weill Cornell Medical College under the mentorship of Dr. John Mulhall (2017).

Since his first years of medical school, Dr. Miranda has always been passionate about sexual medicine research when he was involved in a project about male sexual dysfunction in kidney-transplanted patients. He was able to finish his PhD program in Urology at the University of Sao Paulo before departing for his training in the United States (2016). At the moment, he is participating in several research projects, including clinical and experimental studies, and has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and textbook chapters. His research activities are currently focused on nerve and erectile recovery following prostatectomy, development of biomaterials for penile reconstructive surgery, and outcomes of testosterone therapy. He was honored in 2018 with the best research project presented at the 18th SMSNA Annual Fall Scientific Meeting and is currently the recipient of ISSM Zorgnotti Grant (2019).

He is currently working in the city of Fortaleza, northeastern Brazil, devoting himself to both academics and patient care. Dr. Miranda is an advocate for the high standards of sexual medicine in Latin America, where he serves  a member of the Board of Directors in SLAMS. He is also chair of the ISSM Finance and Audit Committee. He works also as national coordinator of the Andrology Department within the Brazilian Urological Association (SBU) and the Second Treasurer of the Brazilian Association for Sexual Medicine and Health (ABEMSS).

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Dear ISSM Members,

I would like to submit my candidacy for the position of member-at-large of the ISSM. I believe I have the right personal, clinical, scientific and educational qualities to serve ISSM and advocate its mission to be a respected and trusted source of information, education and professional development on human sexual health.

Being an active member of the society for a long period, I have a good view on the ins and outs of the society. I actively participated in many of the ISSM meetings. I served the ISSM on the activities of the online university, being a member of the educational committee, and while serving as president of the ESSM, being part of the ISSM board and member of the nominating committee. At the current period I’m involved in setting up an ISSM’s podcast serries and dissemination of the online university.

Throughout the past years, I have established myself as a nationally and internationally respected sexual medicine expert. Given my combined clinical work, involvement in educational projects, contribution to research and publications, and my active engagement in both medical and sexology oriented societies, I am well-positioned to bridge the different subdisciplines in sexual medicine to advocate a multidisciplinary network that is oriented toward offering our members a reliable source of a high level of knowledge and clinical skills in sexual medicine. I believe that I made some important steps towards these goals and made several significant contributions to the field, which I will continue to work on in the future.

On a personal level, I consider myself as a dedicated, enthusiast, positive, loyal, and hardworking person who aim to serve the society to the best of my abilities. I am confident that I have the capacities and motivation to live up to the tasks of the member in the ISSM board, including:

1. establishing and developing educational and promotional activities and providing help where needed in terms of organization and dissemination;
2. actively participating in developing and implementing strategies to further promote ISSM as in order to attract members from various disciplines and endorse promotional activities for the meetings;
3. actively supporting the objectives and mission of the society;
4. increase collaboration with affiliated societies.

I hope this letter will convince you of my motivation and enthusiasm to broaden the impact of ISSM in the field, and to further support and disseminate the society’s vision and mission.

Biography - Y. (Cobi) Reisman MD, PhD, FECSM, ECPS
Urologist, Sexologist (NVVS and ISST)
Medical Director Flare-Health, The Netherlands
Consultant Reuth Rehabilitation Hospital, Israel

Y. Reisman graduates Cum Laude at the Faculty of Medicine of State University Groningen, The Netherlands. In 1998 he defenses his PhD research thesis on electronic diagnostic tools and objective medical decisions with European Clinical database. Since 2002 he is registered as a urologist and was allied to the Amstelland hospital in Amstelveen and from 2006 till 2016 chairman of the Dutch Men’s Health Clinics network. Since 2019 director of Flare-Health and Consultant in Reuth Rehabilitation Hospital Tel-Aviv.

In 2011 he become a registered sexologist by the Dutch Society of sexology (NVVS) for which he received an honorary membership in 2022. He is honorary and visiting Professor for urology of the Russian Federal Institute of Urology, Moscow and of the Shanghai Institute of Andrology of the Medical School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He is active member of the European Association of Urology (EAU), Past-President of the
European Society for Sexual Medicine (ESSM), Ex-President of the Multidisciplinary Joint Committee on Sexual Medicine (MJCSM), for which he receives Silver Decoration of Honor from the European Union Medical Specialists (UEMS), Academician member of the European Academy of Andrology and co-director of ESSM School of Sexual Medicine. He is senior lecturer of Clinical Sexology at the RINO-Amsterdam, Netherlands.

He was responsible for setting up the sexual medicine educational program of the ESSM and establishing of the European accredited certification examination in Sexual medicine under the umbrella of the UEMS.

His special interest and publications are among others on male and female sexual dysfunction, cancer and sexuality, sexuality in chronic conditions, PSSD, POIS and life style and sexual function. Y. Reisman is among others co-editor of the ESSM Manual of Sexual Medicine, The EFS-ESSM Syllabus of Clinical Sexology, Cancer, Intimacy and Sexuality, and The Textbook of Rare Sexual Medicine Conditions.

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