Katie T. Anderson, M.D.

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SUMMARY

The research interests of Katie T. Anderson, M.D., include advancing quality of life and perioperative care for people with neurogenic bladder, investigating new strategies to treat and prevent soft tissue damage following pelvic radiation, and understanding the impacts of imposter phenomenon on burnout and career longevity among urologists. She's also defining the optimal language for, and treatment of, patients with acquired buried penis.

Focus areas

• Prevalence of imposter phenomenon among practicing urologists. Dr. Anderson is seeking to understand which urologists are affected by imposter phenomenon and how this relates to high rates of burnout among urologists. Finding methods to mitigate imposter phenomenon and therefore burnout can improve the longevity and quality of life of for urologists.
• Impacts of frailty on patients undergoing bladder augmentation. Dr. Anderson is using a large national dataset to evaluate the relationship between frailty and outcomes of patients undergoing bladder augmentation surgery. If frailty predicts poor surgical outcomes, then healthcare professionals can target frailty before surgery to improve outcomes.
• Variability in surgical coding for patients treated for acquired buried penis. Buried penis is a newer disease process that urologists are recognizing more frequently. It often requires comprehensive surgical treatment with many steps. The variability in codes used for this condition suggests that healthcare professionals don't agree on what should be done. Or it may mean that healthcare professionals are all doing the same thing, but they can't agree on how to describe what is done. Dr. Anderson's project will contribute to policy changes and guidelines for urologists on how to standardize surgical approaches and language.
• Long-term outcomes following colon conduit urinary diversions. Dr. Anderson is reviewing the long-term outcomes of patients from multiple institutions who receive colon conduits. Very little data exist on this procedure, but many patients require this type of diversion for various reasons. This research will allow for better counseling before surgery.
• Prospective registry evaluating quality-of-life outcomes following urinary diversion for people with neurogenic bladder and pelvic radiation. Patient-centered outcome data are critical to help patients make the best decisions for themselves regarding surgery. Few data on long-term, quality-of-life outcomes exist for patients undergoing major surgery for these conditions. Dr. Anderson seeks to generate a large volume of data with five years of follow-up to better understand how surgeries affect patients. This research will help improve patient counseling.
• Multi-institutional prospective pilot study evaluating changes in urinary inflammatory markers in patients receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy for radiation cystitis. Treatment options for radiation cystitis are limited. Many patients progress to surgical removal of the bladder and urinary diversions. Hyperbaric oxygen is a treatment that mitigates symptoms, but this therapy is not curative. Also, its effect is typically not long-lasting. Better understanding of how this treatment improves bladder health may help guide new treatments.

Significance to patient care

Much of Dr. Anderson's work focuses on improving care delivery and quality of life for patients undergoing major surgeries such as urinary diversion. She hopes to better understand radiation cystitis to improve treatment in the future. Radiation cystitis is inflammation of the pelvic area due to radiation.

Professional highlights

• Associate program director, Trauma and Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship, Mayo Clinic, 2023-present.
• Director of Simulation Education, Department of Urology, Mayo Clinic, 2022-present.