Wayne Hellstrom
Name of practice
Tulane University Medical Center
Location of practice
New Orleans, LA, USA
Educational background
McGill University (BSc. Physiology)
McGill University Medical School (MDCM)
University of California at San Francisco (Urology Residency)
University of California at Davis (Andrology Fellowship)
Professional background
Tulane University School of Medicine (1988-Present)
How long have you been a member of the ISSM?
Since 1988 (25 years and counting)
Why did you join the ISSM?
During my residency, I was strongly influenced by my chair, Emil Taragho, and his very junior faculty member, Tom Lue. Many individuals who are currently active in the ISSM visited our training program and undoubtedly had an influence on my early interests in sexual medicine. It was natural to join this society once I joined the faculty at Tulane in New Orleans.
How does the ISSM benefit you?
The ISSM and its crown jewel, the Journal of Sexual Medicine, represent the cutting edge of knowledge and research in sexual medicine. Besides acquiring ideas for research and new concepts to help my patients, I have met extremely interesting individuals from around the world. It is these lasting friendships and growth in the knowledge base of our field of medicine that keeps me coming back for more.
What led you to begin practicing in the field of sexual medicine?
Everything we do in the clinical practice of sexual medicine helps somebody. I love reconstructive surgery, the novel pharmacology, and reproductive endocrinology of practice. Past research in our field has shown phenomenal advances in translational medicine. Every step is rewarding for our patient outcomes and provides a strong sense of personal satisfaction.
What are the special challenges in working in your region of the world?
Actually, the sky is the limit. If one is interested in a specific area, he or she can continue in that direction only. However, there are still many areas of sexual medicine that remain untapped and numerous people go underserved. It is important to have balance in one’s professional life. Hence, the ISSM, holding global meetings in all corners of the world and covering so many aspects of sexual medicine, allows one to become educated and exposed to all areas that could become of interest.
Success story
There is not one singular success story in my career, but a continuum of benefits that I have provided to my patients on a daily basis. I think to some degree all of us get into medicine to improve our patients' lives and impact them in a positive way. I’m thankful that I’ve been allowed to do that. I am also fortunate to have become acquainted with many luminaries in our organization who have had a positive influence in our field. I am also proud to have served as a member or chair of a number of committees. This altogether gives me great personal satisfaction and is perhaps what all of us want at the end of the day.
