NAFC honors Florida's Cleveland Clinic physician with Continence Care Champion Award

The National Association For Continence (NAFC) awarded Gamal Ghoniem, MD, with the Rodney Appell Continence Care Champion Award at the Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology (SUFU) Awards Reception on March 4, held during the 2011 SUFU Winter Meeting in Phoenix, AZ. The award, presented by Allison Wilfong, media relations and communications associate of NAFC, is sponsored by Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals.

Originally from Egypt, Dr. Ghoniem graduated and completed his residency in urology at Alexandria University. He came to the U.S. in 1980 for a fellowship in neurourology and female urology at Brown University. He later became Chief of the Section of Urodynamics and Female Urology at Tulane University. Ghoniem currently practices at Florida's Cleveland Clinic.

A widely published researcher, Ghoniem has authored or co-authored 125 papers, videos, audiotapes, reviews or book chapters on female pelvic medicine, pelvic floor dysfunction, voiding dysfunction and reconstruction. He was the senior researcher of a published study whose results demonstrated significant efficacy of combined pelvic floor muscle training and duloxetine in the treatment of women with stress urinary incontinence. Ghoniem has improved and introduced many diagnostic and surgical techniques including but not limited to the ISD classification, vaginal pack test, the sub-urethral sling, the bladder neck wrap, the male sling and the transobturator technique.

"Dr. Ghoniem has continually worked to improve the treatments available to help improve the quality of life for so many. It is of no surprise, to any who know of his work, that he is recognized as a leader and pioneer in the medical field. On behalf of NAFC we are delighted to award him with this honor," stated Niall T. M. Galloway, FRCS, chairman of the NAFC board of directors.