FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, December 11, 2025
Contact: Gina DiGravio, 617-358-7838, ginad@bu.edu
BU Researcher Honored for Her Advocacy on Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy
(Boston)—Lori Lerner, MD, associate professor of urology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, is the recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Contribution Award from the American Urological Association (AUA).
Lerner, who also is chief of urology and deputy chief of surgical service at the VA Boston Healthcare System, received this honor for advancing novel surgical technologies and education related to benign prostatic hyperplasia, also known as BPH. Each year, the AUA honors the contributions of physician researchers and educators to the field of medicine, the specialty of urology, and the AUA.
BPH is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland that is common with aging and can cause urinary problems. Lerner has spent more than two decades working on responsible surgical approaches for men with BPH, advocating for responsible and accountable workup and treatments for male voiding dysfunction, and not treating BPH as only a surgical disease.
“BPH is a “lifestyle” disease and surgery can make things worse when patient factors are not completely understood. Our patients don’t come to us for survival or longevity; they ask us to make every single day more comfortable. The risk of making them worse is a heavy burden which is never lost on me, or my trainees,” explains Lerner.
Lerner's clinical interests include male and female voiding dysfunction, benign prostate surgery including laser therapy, neurourology and reconstruction. She is an active member of multiple professional urology organizations, journal editorial boards and served as the most recent chair of the AUA’s BPH guidelines. She is very interested in issues pertaining to women in surgery, surgical energy—the use of lasers, cautery, bipolar, etc. in surgical therapies and resident education.
Lerner graduated from the University of Arizona College of Medicine in 1994 and performed her internship in general surgery at University of Arizona and urology at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. She was a fellow in endourology and laser surgery at Bay of Plenty Urology, Tauranga, New Zealand.
Founded in 1902, the AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community. Their mission is to promote the highest standards of urological clinical care through education, research and the formulation of health care policy.