Amy Krambeck, MD, on innovation and building strong programs in endourology

At the 2025 American Urological Association Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, Amy E. Krambeck, MD, presented a talk titled, “Innovation in endourology & building successful clinical programs.” In an interview with Urology Times®, Krambeck recapped several key points from the session.

She began by highlighting the wealth of options for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), emphasizing the need for clinicians to be strategic in their implementation of new technology.

“You really have to resist the urge to have that gadget mentality,” she said. “Really pick and choose what you want. Try it systematically and monitor your outcomes. A lot of times, the initial data looks great whenever it's released from a company, but the actual clinical data is different. You want to see how this device or procedure is performing in your hands and periodically check on the outcomes of your patients. Don't be afraid to say it doesn't work for me the way they're publishing that it works and back away from it.”

Krambeck is the chief of endourology and stone disease in the department of urology as well as the Edmund Andrews professor of urology at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, Illinois.

Krambeck then discussed ways to build a successful clinical practice, touching on the ‘3 shields’ of research, education, and clinical excellence.

With regard to research, she highlighted the need to assess quality outcomes and respond accordingly. With education, she emphasized the importance of teaching residents, fellows, and community physicians on practice methods and expectations, noting how she never says no to a talk. And finally, with clinical excellence, she discussed the value of consistency in procedural methods.

On this last point, she also highlighted the importance of communication, saying, “You have to communicate frequently throughout the day so that everyone is on the same team and can deliver the best possible care to the patient.”