Bloomington, Ind., January 14, 2009 – Dr. Benjamin Lee, professor of urology at the Tulane University School of Medicine and Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans, has been selected as the 2008 winner of the Arthur D. Smith Endourology Lectureship known as the “Arthur.” Award. Dr. Lee received the award at the 26th World Congress of Endourology (WCE) in Shanghai for his expertise in state-of-the-art techniques for minimally invasive urological surgery, particularly laparoscopy, as well as for his commitment and service to advancing the discipline of endourology. Presented by the Endourological Society's awards committee, the prize is funded by a grant from Cook Medical in honor of Dr. Arthur D. Smith's lifetime of achievements and contributions to the practice of endourology.

Dr. Lee's career has focused on advancing treatments for renal cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, kidney disease and kidney stones. He has published seminal research into decreasing the morbidity of surgery; identifying methods of decreasing recurrence of cancer; explanations why the immune system may be activated differently following laparoscopy compared to open surgery, and further studies into preserving kidney function during laparoscopic kidney surgery. He completed his urology residency at the James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute at the Johns Hopkins Medical Center and then became an assistant professor at Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. During his tenure at LIJ, Dr. Lee was privileged to train with the Arthur Award's namesake, Dr. Arthur D. Smith. Dr. Lee was later named director of the medical center's laparoscopy section.

Earlier this year, Dr. Lee joined the Tulane School of Medicine's faculty as professor of urology and director of robotics, laparoscopy and endourology. He is the author or co-author of more than 200 scientific manuscripts, book chapters, videos and abstracts. Dr. Lee's research has been recognized by awards from the American Urological Association and the Endourological Society.

“The Arthur award is a significant achievement and I am honored to receive this recognition from the Endourological Society,” said Professor Lee. “Working at the side of Dr. Arthur Smith has been an extremely rewarding and educational experience that helped to drive the path of my career. I look forward to continuing my work focusing on novel laparoscopic techniques and other minimally invasive approaches to current endourological procedures in an effort to improve patient care.”

Jerry French, senior vice president and leader of Cook Medical's urology strategic business unit, said, “Professor Lee has contributed a number of outstanding achievements to the field of endourology, including major breakthroughs in urologic laparoscopy and robotic surgery. Cook is delighted that the Endourological Society has chosen to recognize him for his extraordinary work and outstanding contributions to the field, and knows his valuable contributions will improve patient care in the years ahead.”

Supported an annual grant from Cook Medical, the Arthur was first awarded on the occasion of Dr. Smith's departure as president of the Endourological Society at the 2004 WCE in Mumbai, India. He has remained as one of the leading innovators in the field of minimally invasive urological surgery, pioneering several new operative techniques used in percutaneous nephrolithotomy, treatment of kidney stones, percutaneous treatment of transitional cell carcinoma and endopyelotomy.

Urologists are eligible for the award within the first 10 years of practice after completion of a urology residency or fellowship.

About Cook Medical:
Cook Medical was one of the first companies to help popularize interventional medicine, pioneering many of the devices now commonly used worldwide to perform minimally invasive medical procedures. Today, the company integrates minimally invasive medical device design, biopharma, gene and cell therapy, and biotech to enhance patient safety and improve clinical outcomes in the fields of aortic intervention; interventional cardiology; critical care medicine; gastroenterology; radiology, peripheral vascular, bone access and oncology; surgery and soft tissue repair; urology; and assisted reproductive technology, gynecology and high-risk obstetrics. Founded in 1963 and operated as a family-held private corporation, Cook is a past winner of the prestigious Medical Device Manufacturer of the Year Award from Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry magazine. For more information, visit www.cookmedical.com.