On Sunday, May 21, NAFC Membership and Fund Development Manager, Melissa Ross, presented this accolade to Dr. Kathleen Kobashi, MD. Dr. Kobashi now joins an elite group, consisting of only five other members of the Society of Women In Urology (SWIU), who have been so honored with a NAFC CCC award. This makes the 33rd of such awards granted in total nationwide.

This award is granted to an individual who specializes in urinary incontinence, excelling in areas that enhance the lives of patients served and enrich the clinical practices of others. The nomination process begins as the SWIU Board of Directors nominates members within their society to be considered for the NAFC CCC award. A designated selection committee of the NAFC Board of Directors consequently chooses one recipient.  

Dr. Kobashi maintains a vibrant, entrepreneurial spirit throughout her endeavors. As NAFC Executive Director, Nancy Muller, explains, she is a trailblazer, “whose dedication, expertise, and effort hold her up as a role model for others to follow specially in the care and treatment of patients with incontinence.” She promotes successful, yet unconventional, medical procedures and implements each impeccably.  

SWIU President, Brenda S. Kinard, MD, expresses her appreciation for Dr. Kobashi, stating, “[Dr. Kobashi] is thorough in all of her pursuits. She is an asset to SWIU, and I am confident that this award will be accompanied by many others granted to her.” Through practice, research, writing, and presentations, Dr. Kobashi continuously challenges current technologies, such as surgical procedures and pharmacologically as they relate to incontinence. All the while, Dr. Kobashi exhibits a pragmatic approach with her work, clearly and effectively communicating to her patients and peers in the industry. She is published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, expanding on her views regarding innovative treatments for men and women.

Currently, Dr. Kobashi is a co-director at the Virginia Mason Medical Center Continence Center in Seattle, Washington and a clinical assistant professor at the University of Washington. She earned her medical degree from Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, completed internship in general surgery at the University of California Irvine Medical Center, and did her fellowship in urinary incontinence and female urology at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.

Though this particular award focuses on a prominent member of SWIU, other medical organizations are involved in NAFC’s CCC award program as well. These groups include: American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS), Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology (SUFU), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), Society of Urogynecologic Nurses and Associates (SUNA), Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), American Geriatrics Society (AGS), American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH), and the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN).

About the Society of Women in Urology (SWIU)

The Society of Women in Urology (SWIU) formed in 1980 at an American Urological Association meeting in San Francisco, when five female urologists casually gathered to discuss their encounters and obstacles. Twelve years later, in 1992, the group, known then as “Women in Urology”, was still meeting in the same manner and decided to corroborate by setting forth an executive board and legislation. Today SWIU is comprised of over 300 dynamic women, including pre-board-certified urologists, board-certified urologists, urology residents, fellows, along with post-residency and non-urology MDs and PhDs.                               

About the National Association For Continence (NAFC)

The National Association For Continence is a 501(c)3 corporation whose mission is threefold:  1) to educate the public about the causes, diagnosis categories, treatment options, and management alternatives for incontinence, voiding dysfunction, nocturnal enuresis, and related pelvic floor disorders; 2) to network with other organizations and agencies to elevate the visibility and priority given to these areas; and 3) to advocate on behalf of consumers who suffer from such symptoms as a result of disease or other illness, obstetrical, surgical or other trauma, or deterioration due to the aging process itself. NAFC is broadly funded by consumers, healthcare professionals and industry. It is the world’s largest and most prolific consumer advocacy organization devoted exclusively to this field.