Carol Bennett receives lifetime achievement award

Dr. Carol Bennett, associate professor of urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association of Black Women Physicians.  

Bennett, who was the nation’s first Black woman in the field of urology, was honored by the association for her significant contributions to the field. In addition to her research in treating diseases of the urinary tract and defects in the male reproductive system, her work has made a lasting impact on men with neurogenic injuries resulting from spinal cord trauma.

After completing her medical school education in 1978 at Georgetown University School of Medicine, she became the first woman to join the urology training program at the University of Michigan. Just 15.4% of residents across all medical specialties were women at the time. In urology, the representation of women trainees was only 0.9%.

Thanks largely to Bennett, who has prioritized sponsorship of trainees historically underrepresented in medical school, the Geffen School of Medicine today reflects a transformation in the field: 12 female urologists represent about 25% of the department.

In 2019, Bennett was appointed the Henry E. Singleton Professor of Urology at UCLA in recognition of her contributions to neurology, clinical education and longtime service to veterans. And in 2022, the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center was renamed the Carol J. Bennett Urology Clinic in the physician’s honor.

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