Wayne Hellstrom, USA

Wayne JG Hellstrom, MD, FACS

I earned my undergraduate (Physiology) and MDCM degrees at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. I furthered my education by completing my urology residency at the University of California at San Francisco and followed this with an Andrology fellowship/AUA scholarship at the University of California at Davis. I have been a faculty member at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana since 1988, where I serve as a Professor of Urology in the Department of Urology and Chief of the section of Andrology.

My urological practice specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of male sexual dysfunction including Peyronie’s disease, surgical and vascular reconstruction, prosthetic surgery, male hypogonadism, and premature ejaculation. I have published over 300 peer-reviewed articles in professional publications, authored numerous chapters in textbooks, and edited 3 textbooks: “Male Infertility and Sexual Dysfunction,” “The Handbook of Sexual Dysfunction,” and “Androgen Deficiency and Testosterone Replacement:
Current Controversies and Strategies.” I am currently an Associate Editor of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, International Journal of Andrology, Asian Journal of Andrology. I also conduct reviews for numerous journals on the subject of male sexual dysfunction.

I have attended every ISSM and SMSNA meeting since 1990. From an academic and career standpoint, I felt sexual medicine was “home” for me. I liked the people in these societies and love the subjects comprising sexual medicine. It has given me incredible satisfaction to see the knowledge base of sexual medicine expand over the past 2 decades and enter new areas of our world. The surgery, pharmacology, psychology, and molecular aspects of sexual medicine continue to fascinate me.

My intellectual interests in sexual medicine have been matched by an evolving sense of leadership in the ISSM. Starting as committee member, I graduated to committee chair of the Audit Committee, North American representative to the BoD, and secretary-general of our society. I have learned important lessons from elders in making wise decisions, adopted diplomatic skills in communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds and styles, and understood the necessity of making firm well-thought-out decisions, with the advice of others on council.

I am confident sexual medicine will continue to grow.  Under the appropriate stewardship of the ISSM, it can be catapulted to even higher levels. A major issue to contend with involves economic support. Easy money from pharmaceutical companies is not expected. Creative maneuvers to expand our attraction and influence are necessary. Additional competition from similar, yet different, societies could potentially diminish the financial means to accomplish our long-range goals. It is important that the ISSM always take the ethical high road and lead by doing what it does best. The best and brightest people are currently attracted to our meetings, journal, and standards we, as a society, set.

Future directions demand cohesion and just governance in respect to the regional affiliated societies and new arenas of investigation such as female sexual dysfunction. Further attention and intellectual investment is needed in areas of the world where sparse attention has been given to sexual matters. I foresee stronger contributions from India, China, and the African sub-continent in the years to come. A well-thought-out strategy is clearly needed as the ISSM moves in this direction.

My aim is to keep ISSM focused on its goal of excellence and growth in sexual medicine. It is important that the president of the ISSM has a long-range vision, a dedication to the ideals of our society, and be able to adapt to ever-changing times.