The history of the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine, and Urogenital Reconstruction

Aims: To review the history of the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and Urogenital Reconstruction (SUFU). Methods: We reviewed Society meeting minutes, contacted all living former Society presidents, searched the William P. Didusch Center for Urology History records, and asked Society members to share their important Society experiences in order to gather important historical information about the Society. Results: The Society initially formed as the Urodynamics Society in 1969 in the backdrop of a growing passion for scientific research in the country after World War II ended. Since then, Society meetings have provided a pivotal forum for the advancement of science in lower urinary tract dysfunction. Meetings occurred annually until 2004, when the meeting schedule increased to biannual. The journal, Neurourology and Urodynamics, became the official journal of the Society in 2005. SUFU has authored important guidelines on urodynamics (2012), non-neurogenic overactive bladder (2012), and stress urinary incontinence (2017) and has shared important collaborations with other societies, including the American Urological Association (AUA), the International Continence Society (ICS), and the International Society of Pelvic Neuromodulation (ISPiN). SUFU has also been instrumental in trainee education and helped to establish formal fellowship training in the field in addition to holding a yearly educational meeting for urology residents. The Society has been led by 21 presidents throughout its history. Conclusion: Throughout the Society's near half-century long existence, the Society has fostered research, published guidelines, and educated trainees in order to improve the care of individuals suffering from lower urinary tract dysfunction.