Introduction: Dr. Jack Lapides’ research in urology is widely recognized. His mentee, Dr. Ananias Diokno, was paramount to this work. We present Dr. Diokno’s contributions to highlight his role in pioneering treatments in neuro-urology and review a portion of his innumerable accomplishments. Methods: We reviewed literature published by Drs. Lapides and Diokno to define their collaborative efforts. Web searches were performed with Google Scholar and PubMed and internal searches of our institution’s libraries. Results: Dr. Lapides’ fruitful career largely occurred at the University of Michigan (UM). During his residency under the direction of Dr. Nesbit, his academic prowess was honed. In the 1960s, he became known for sentinel works on bladder physiology and voiding dysfunction. An important young person looking up to him was Dr. Diokno, a recent graduate of the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines. In the late 1960s, Dr. Lapides went on to mentor him, later recruiting him to the UM urology residency and then Babcock Fellowship. One influential contribution that Dr. Diokno assisted with was the controversial study of non-sterile, clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) that challenged Dr. Guttman’s sterile approach. The team successfully taught CIC to patients with voiding dysfunction to prevent increased intravesical pressures. This lead to better control of their urinary difficulties and minimized UTIs, with no additional risks. Co-residents Drs. Diokno and Silber were astonished by the results. Initially, their enthusiasm was not met with a warm reception, yet the team persisted and saw their work revolutionize medicine worldwide. With his academic vigor, Dr. Diokno continued to move the needle during fellowship by discovering new categories of detrusor sphincter dyssynergia (DSD) and went on to establish use of CIC in clinical practice. Conclusions: Beyond the 1970s, Dr. Diokno maintained a remarkable career. He pioneered the initial efforts of geriatric incontinence by leading the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) efforts on community dwelling elderly as a separate category than institutionalized elderly. He also led the Beaumont Health System to becoming a recognized center for voiding dysfunction, first as the chair of urology and later as the chief medical officer (CMO). Many American and Asian urologists have benefitted from Dr. Diokno’s contributions and for this he deserves continued recognition. SOURCE OF Funding: N/a
