Austin Erickson, Jennifer Griffith, Trushar Patel
Urology conferences in the United States are geographically concentrated in the Western, Southeastern, and South Central AUA sections, and predominantly scheduled in the fall. These trends highlight opportunities to redistribute events more evenly across regions and months, potentially improving access and participation.
INTRODUCTION: Professional conferences are key platforms for education, networking, and the dissemination of new research. However, little is known about the timing, duration, and geographic distribution of these events across the United States. Understanding these patterns can guide strategies to improve accessibility, enhance participation, and reduce scheduling conflicts.
METHODS: The study was conducted at the University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida. We identified urology conferences held between 2022 and 2025 using publicly available sources, including conference websites, online calendars, and major urologic event organizers (WJ Weiser & Associates, UroToday, Grand Rounds in Urology). For each, we recorded the event dates, frequency, and geographic location.
RESULTS: Across the study period, 85 organizations held 293 conference events. The most frequent host states were Texas (31), California (30), Arizona (21), Colorado (21), and Florida (20). By American Urological Association section, the Western Section hosted the most events (76), followed by the Southeast (70) and South Central (66). The average conference duration increased from 3.08 days in 2022 to 3.25 days in 2025. October (171 total conference days) and September (129) were the busiest months, while July was the least busy (15).
CONCLUSIONS: Urology conferences in the United States are geographically concentrated in the Western, Southeastern, and South Central AUA sections, and predominantly scheduled in the fall. These trends highlight opportunities to redistribute events more evenly across regions and months, potentially improving access and participation.