Partner Award

SIU Distinguished Partner Award 2012
COOK Medical

Since 1963, COOK Group companies have been among the leaders in developing healthcare devices that have improved lives around the world. COOK remains at the forefront of medical research and worldwide sales of products for endovascular therapy, critical care medicine, general surgery, diagnostic and interventional procedures, bioengineered tissue replacement and regeneration, gastroenterology and endoscopy procedures, urology, and obstetrics and gynecology.

COOK is a global company with a global focus − and a global future.

COOK Urological has been a supporter of urological education in low-resource countries through the support of IVUmed (and, indirectly, Wad Medani) with disposables and financial contributions for educational workshops for approximately 15 years.

Additionally, COOK has developed and commercialized products for urological care that are particularly beneficial to the low-resource environments in which many SIU members practice. Specifically, the rechargeable battery-powered mini LED light source for endourology and the CO2-cartridge-powered stone blaster for bladder stones are devices that promote quality urological care with minimal investment in hospital infrastructure required. This is an evolving philosophy, which few companies have embraced: it approaches designing technology for improving care while minimizing infrastructural needs.

SIU Distinguished Partner Award 2011

Toichi Takenaka

Dr. Takenaka began his university studies in veterinary medicine at Gifu University, Japan and in 1964 started as a research pharmacologist with Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. He held a series of positions in the company research laboratories, eventually becoming Managing Director of the Board, Research and Development, and ultimately President and CEO in 2000. He held this position until 2005 when Yamanouchi merged with Fujisawa to form Astellas, and until 2006 held the same position with the merged company. He then became Co-Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Astellas, and since 2011 acts as Science Advisor to the Company.

Dr. Takenaka has been a staunch longtime supporter of the SIU, at least since the Sydney Congress in 1994, when Yamanouchi was a major sponsor and the SIU-Yamanouchi (now SIU-Astellas) Award was established to honour the accomplishments of eminent surgeons and scientists working in urology.

The SIU is grateful for the continued support of Dr. Takenaka and Astellas, and is honoured to be associated with one of the most prestigious award in the field of urology.

SIU Distinguished Partner Award 2011

Sybill Storz

Dr. Sybill Storz assumed the position of CEO of the Karl Storz Group in 1996, upon the death of her father, Dr. med. h.c. Karl Storz, who founded the company in 1945. She had previously worked alongside her father in both the market-oriented and technical areas of the business. With the continuous growth of the company, she concentrated her efforts mainly on Sales and Marketing while still following
product development.

She has always kept very close to the specific needs of physicians and has provided invaluable support to establish training centres around the world. The Karl Storz Company has had very significant input towards the establishment of minimally invasive surgery as a standard approach in medicine.

For her contributions to endoscopy in many fields of medicine, Dr. Storz has been awarded many prizes and medals, is an honorary member of a large number of medical specialty societies, and has been granted honorary doctorates from universities in Germany, Scotland, Russia and Romania.

The SIU project of establishing a training institute in Wad Medani, Sudan was greatly assisted by Dr. Storz’s decision to heavily subsidize the provision of the required endoscopic equipment. For the 2011 SIU Berlin Congress, Dr. Storz has arranged for underwriting the live surgery session, as well as offering a major corporate presence in the exhibition hall.