Ernst is Next Chair of AUA Resident, Fellow Committee

The AUA Residents and Fellows Committee represents the voice of the association’s trainee members. The committee aims to advance the concerns and needs of medical students, residents and fellows to the AUA, its regional sections, and its affiliate organizations and partners abroad.

Ernst has served as the Northeastern Section representative to this committee since 2018. He has been a key part of planning the annual Residents Forum at the AUA annual meeting and conducting international outreach to better serve urology residents across the globe.  

The membership of the Residents and Fellows Committee includes representatives from across the United States, as well as Mexico and parts of Canada. Members on the committee include liaisons from the American Medical Association, the American College of Surgeons and the Residency Review Committee for Urology of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. 

“I have had great support from the Department of Urology here in Buffalo in pursuing my interests in medical education and resident well-being,” says Ernst.

He says K. Kent Chevli, MD, clinical professor and chair of urology — as well as the residency program director, Teresa L. Danforth, MD, clinical associate professor of urology — have been strong leaders and mentors. “They have allowed me to take advantage of opportunities to become involved with the AUA both at the section and national level,” says Ernst.

Ernst is a chief resident in the Department of Urology. He serves on the University at Buffalo Resident’s Committee and Resident Well-Being Subcommittee. In 2018 he was inducted into the Buffalo chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, and in 2019 he was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha.

After he completes his residency training, he will begin a fellowship in pediatric urology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

“Dr. Ernst is a resident leader with the unique ability to frame challenges in a positive and productive way that inspires action and change. He leads by example, shares his time and talents generously and has a passion for medical education,” says Susan M. Orrange, PhD, assistant dean for education and resident services in the Office of Graduate Medical Education.

“We are lucky to have him participating in the Jacobs Educator Excellence Program, a faculty development program for medical educators, where he is in the first cohort to include chief residents.” 

The AUA has more than 20,000 members worldwide; it is a leader in developing evidence-based quality education for urologists and urologic health care professionals.

Its annual meeting is the largest gathering of urologists in the world, providing access to groundbreaking research, new guidelines and the latest advances in urologic medicine. Ernst was to formally assume the three-year role of chair-elect at the 2020 annual meeting. It was to take place May 15-18, but it was canceled due to COVID-19. 

“I look forward to chairing this committee and continuing to advocate for urology residents in a rapidly changing medical field,” says Ernst.