Diane K. Newman, DNP ANP-BC FAAN FAUNA BCB-PMD
Urology and Pelvic Floor Nurse Specialist
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Adjunct Professor Emerita of Surgery, Division of Urology
Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA, USA

Over the past five decades, I have built a career rooted in clinical excellence, grounded in evidence-based practice, and driven by a commitment to improving the lives of patients with urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, and pelvic floor disorders. I have worked across care settings and disciplines to elevate the role of advanced practice providers in urology and to champion behavioral and non-surgical treatments that prioritize patient dignity and autonomy.

Early Roots and Influences

I grew up in a large, competitive family in western Pennsylvania, number six of eight children, just south of Pittsburgh. Raised in the Catholic school system, I learned discipline and accountability early. The nuns who taught me instilled a drive for excellence and a deep sense of responsibility, values that continue to guide my work.

After graduating high school in 1972, I moved to Philadelphia to attend the diploma nursing program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, one of the oldest and most rigorous in the country at the time. That program launched my lifelong journey in nursing.

My first position was in a surgical unit at Pennsylvania Hospital, where I was introduced to urology through Dr. Terrence Malloy’s pioneering work in gender-affirming surgery. This was 1975, and I vividly remember my initial confusion when taking a history on a woman with male genitalia who was undergoing gender-affirming surgery. That experience opened my eyes to the complexity, sensitivity, and humanity of urologic care.

In 1977, I moved to Albert Einstein Medical Center to care for kidney transplant patients and quickly recognized a critical gap in care coordination. I proposed establishing a transplant coordinator role to Dr. Aaron Bannett, who supported my vision, and I became Einstein’s first transplant coordinator. In this role, I traveled with surgical teams to procure kidneys from donors, often supporting Spanish-speaking patients in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. I also taught surgical residents key anatomical distinctions, including how to identify and remove lymph nodes and the spleen for tissue typing, while serving as first assist in the operating room.

I vividly recall reading the earliest reports of young gay men presenting with pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, so familiar to us in immunosuppressed transplant patients, before HIV/AIDS had even been named. During this time, I was also raising my infant daughter and completing my BSN at La Salle University, often bringing her with me to anatomy lectures and hospital rounds.

Embracing Urology and Continence Care

In 1984, I made the difficult decision to leave transplant work and pursue my MSN at the University of Pennsylvania. During my nurse practitioner training, Dr. Larry Solish invited me to join his private urology practice, where he had recently launched a women’s continence clinic. It quickly became clear to me that surgery alone was not enough to address the needs of many patients who continued to experience incontinence or developed new symptoms such as urgency and frequency. I saw an opportunity for nursing to make a meaningful impact through less invasive, patient-centered approaches.

I became increasingly fascinated by non-surgical behavioral interventions, such as bladder training, urge suppression, pelvic floor muscle strengthening, biofeedback, and electrical stimulation, and began seeking out specialized training. I found these conservative, non-surgical treatments to be remarkably effective and am deeply grateful to Larry Solish for introducing me to continence care and setting me on this path.

My early training came from NIH researchers such as Drs. Kathryn Burgio, Kathleen McCormick, and Bernie Engel, and later I pursued further study internationally in Europe and Asia. Kathy Burgio, a behavioral psychologist, became both a mentor and a research collaborator. Her pioneering work on behavioral treatments for urinary incontinence significantly influenced my clinical practice and research, and I have incorporated her findings throughout my career.

At the time, behavioral treatments were virtually absent from both nursing and medical curricula. I had to teach myself these techniques and actively sought guidance from thought leaders and nurse researchers conducting foundational work in bladder training, biofeedback, pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation, and continence care across home care and nursing home settings.

In 1986, after becoming certified as an adult nurse practitioner, I co-founded Golden Horizons, a nurse-led independent practice dedicated to continence care in long-term care settings. Over the next 15 years, we expanded into home care and partnered with the Philadelphia Corporation on Aging to serve frail older adults who suffered from incontinence. These experiences significantly shaped my evolving clinical skills and continue to ground my approach to patient care in dignity, accessibility, and evidence-based practice.

Academic Practice and Leadership

In 1998, after attending a lecture by Dr. Alan Wein, then Chief of Urology at the University of Pennsylvania, I approached him with a simple but direct proposal: “You need me in your practice.” He agreed. Two years later, I officially joined Penn Urology and helped establish the Penn Center for Continence and Pelvic Health.

At Penn, alongside my clinical practice, I developed orientation and mentoring programs for advanced practice providers, standardized clinical protocols for the urology team, created patient discharge materials, and designed quality improvement tools. I served on hospital-wide committees to reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections and led nurse-driven catheter removal initiatives that earned system-wide quality and safety awards in 2009.

Recognized as the hospital’s go-to expert in urologic nursing care, particularly urinary catheters and related devices, I continued to advance my expertise, earning a post-master’s certificate in clinical education from the University of Pennsylvania and completing my Doctor of Nursing Practice at Thomas Jefferson University in 2011. In 2016, I was honored with the Penn Medicine Barbara A. Todd Leadership Award for my leadership and clinical contributions.

Research, Policy, and Global Impact

Alongside my clinical practice, I have dedicated decades to advancing research in voiding behavior and bladder dysfunction. My expertise centers on clinical trials and outcomes measurement for men and women with lower urinary tract symptoms, specifically incontinence, overactive bladder, and pelvic floor disorders.

My research has focused on improving bladder health through conservative and behavioral treatments for incontinence, fall prevention through exercise and bladder training, and the management of interstitial cystitis. I have led industry-sponsored studies on intermittent catheterization, urologic devices, overactive bladder therapies, prostate cancer, and continence-related products.

I have contributed to several major NIH research networks, including the Pelvic Floor Disorders Network, the Interstitial Cystitis Clinical Research Network, and the MAPP Research Network, which explored the connection between pelvic pain and brain function. I also served as principal investigator on NIH-funded, multi-center clinical trials focused on preventing urinary incontinence and behavioral interventions for women.

Currently, I serve as a principal investigator for the NIH-funded, multi-site Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Research Consortium. This work has been a central focus of my research and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Policy and National Leadership

Beyond research, I have played a significant role in shaping national clinical practice and health policy. I served on the FDA’s Medical Devices Advisory Panel and co-chaired the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research Clinical Practice Guideline Update on Urinary Incontinence in Adults: Acute and Chronic Management from 1993 to 1996. This landmark federal guideline helped establish evidence-based standards for the evaluation and management of urinary incontinence.

My committee work has spanned national and international efforts. I have served as a panelist and co-chair for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Clinical Practice Guideline panels and held advisory roles with the National Association for Continence and the Interstitial Cystitis Association. My expertise has been sought by the FDA, NIH, ANA, AHRQ, CMS, and state health departments to support guideline development, technical expert panels, and health policy initiatives focused on incontinence, catheter-associated infections, and long-term care.

Global Impact and Cultural Understanding

Internationally, I served as Chair of the International Continence Society Continence Promotion Committee, leading global awareness initiatives such as the ICS Public Forum and Worldwide Continence Day. In the early 1990s, Dr. Ananias Diokno invited me to join a group of urologists on international urology lecture tours starting in Japan. Every two years, we traveled to various Asian countries, where I presented on conservative approaches to incontinence and erectile dysfunction management.

As the only female clinician and the only nurse in the group, I often encountered cultural resistance. These experiences were formative, deepening my understanding of cross-cultural differences in healthcare delivery and the global variation in nursing roles.

In 1994, I was invited by the Hong Kong Health Authority, and later by the Chinese Health Authority, to develop a urologic nurse training curriculum with my Asian nursing colleague, To Hoi-chu. This work laid the foundation for continence nursing across the country, an achievement I am proud to have helped shape and support.

Public Education and Writing

I am a prolific writer and presenter, with over 100 scientific papers, book chapters, and articles focused on incontinence assessment, treatment, and bladder management. My academic contributions include co-authoring the chapter on conservative treatments in Campbell’s-Walsh-Wein Urology and authoring several books for professional and public audiences, including The Urinary Incontinence Sourcebook, Managing and Treating Urinary Incontinence, Overcoming Overactive Bladder, and Fast Facts: Bladder Disorders.

My work has been featured in major media outlets including The Philadelphia Inquirer, O Magazine, Prevention, Ladies’ Home Journal, USA Today, and The New York Times. Through lectures, podcasts, webinars, articles, and patient education resources, I have worked to translate evidence-based continence and pelvic health research into practical information for healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers worldwide.

Recognition and Legacy

Over the course of my career, I have been honored to receive numerous national awards and professional recognitions reflecting my contributions to urologic nursing, continence care, research, education, and leadership. In 1994, I was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, one of the profession’s highest honors.

Most recently, in 2024, I was inducted as a Fellow of the Academy of Urologic Nurses and Associates, recognizing a lifetime of leadership, scholarship, mentorship, and service to the specialty of urologic nursing. I currently serve as an Associate Editor for Neurourology & Urodynamics.

I currently serve as Chief Clinical Officer of Urology Health, an innovative digital health company focused on improving access to evidence-based care for individuals with urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, and bladder and pelvic conditions. Working with founder and urogynecologist Dr. Stuart Hart and a multidisciplinary team of experts, I help guide clinical strategy, clinician education, and the integration of conservative therapies into technology-enabled models of care.

Personal Gratitude

Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to learn from and collaborate with remarkable mentors and colleagues who have shaped my professional journey and personal growth. Above all, I thank my husband, Michael, my greatest and most enduring supporter, and our three daughters, who have accompanied me across countries and continents. With patience, humor, and unwavering love, they have sat through more bladder lectures than they ever imagined and never once complained.

Conclusion

Looking back, I am proud of the patients I have helped, the teams I have led, the research I have advanced, and the clinicians I have had the privilege to mentor. Urology is a field that touches some of the most personal and vulnerable aspects of human health, and it has been my life’s work to ensure those needs are met with empathy, expertise, and innovation.

I remain deeply committed to the four pillars of advanced practice: clinical care, education, leadership, and research, and to shaping the future of urologic nursing through each of them. It is a profound honor to be recognized among the legends of urology.