Alan J. Wein, MD Endowed Professorship II
Created in 2006 by a dedicated group of Penn Medicine friends and supporters, the chair is the first endowed professorship in the Division of Urology and honors the exceptional career of Alan J. Wein, MD, PhD (Hon).
An alumnus of the Perelman School of Medicine, Dr. Wein has spent his career at Penn. During his 37 years as Chief, the Division of Urology emerged as one of the nation’s leading centers for excellence in urology and urologic surgery.
Dr. Wein has been recognized for his contributions to the field both nationally and internationally. He was awarded the Edward L. Keyes Medal, considered one of the greatest individual citations in urology, in 2012. He has received lifetime achievement awards from many professional organizations in his specialty and was presented with the Perelman School’s Distinguished Graduate Award, the School’s highest alumni honor.
The Professorship was established with leadership support by Linda and Joel Appel, C.R. Bard, Inc. and John H. Weiland, the Estate of George L. Barnes, Jr., Debra and I. Michael Coslov, Penny Grossman Fox and the late Robert A. Fox, the late H.F. Lenfest, Jeanette Lerman and Joseph Neubauer, Michael B. Mann, Leslie Miller and Richard B. Worley, the late Diane and Arthur G. Raynes, and Iliana and the late Benjamin Strauss.
Current Chairholder
Ariana L. Smith, MD
Dr. Ariana L. Smith is the Alan J. Wein Professor of Urology II at the University of Pennsylvania, Director of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Surgery, and Chief of Urology at Pennsylvania Hospital. Dr. Smith was born and raised in upstate New York and is a graduate of Cornell University where she played volleyball for the Big Red. She did her residency training in Urology at University of Pennsylvania and fellowship training in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at UCLA.
Dr. Smith is a Principal Investigator for the NIDDK Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (PLUS) Research Consortium and co-leads the PLUS National Bladder Health Study (RISE FOR HEALTH). Her work in the PLUS consortium has been on building, through team science, a sound foundation for the design and implementation of bladder health promotion and LUTS prevention research. She is a co-investigator for the NICHD Pelvic Floor Disorders Network and served as Co-PI from 2011-2018 recruiting several of her patients for surgical trials such as ROSETTA and ESTEEM. She is also funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health in collaboration with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to investigate machine learning of video-urodynamics data to predict outcomes in individuals with neurogenic bladder.
Her independent areas of clinical research focus on the impact of psychosocial stress on overactive bladder symptoms in women, impact of neuromodulation on functional MRI of the brain in women with overactive bladder, and impact of CNS lesion location and volume on neurogenic bladder dysfunction in women with multiple sclerosis.
Dr. Smith is currently Treasurer of the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and Urogenital Reconstruction (SUFU) after serving many years on the Board of Directors. She is also an active member of the AUA serving as Co-Chair for the 2024 Overactive Bladder Guideline, writing content for the AUA Core Curriculum (Urologic Fistulas, Optimizing Care for Women in Urology and serving as course faculty (Pharmacology of Overactive Bladder) at the AUA annual meeting. She has also served as an oral board examiner for the American Board of Urology and a question writer for the FPMRS and Urology written boards.
Dr. Smith’s publications include a combination of team science, randomized surgical trials, and independent investigator-initiated research and can be found here.
Dr. Smith runs a busy surgical practice focused on pelvic organ prolapse, urogenital fistulas, repair of mesh complications, lower urinary tract symptoms and urinary incontinence. She offers both mesh and mesh free alternatives to prolapse and incontinence surgery, offering both vaginal and robotic approaches.