UROWEST II 2026: comprehensive urology update for general practice

A full-day, in-person, evidence-based urology education meeting designed to enhance GP confidence in the assessment, investigation, management and referral of common urological conditions. The program provides practical guidance aligned with current Australian guidelines and local referral pathways, with a focus on youth and older adult populations.

Join Western Health and NWMPHN at the UROWEST II 2026 a specialist-led educational meeting developed to support general practitioners in delivering high-quality, evidence-based urological care in the community. The program covers common and high-impact clinical presentations including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), erectile dysfunction, haematuria, urinary incontinence, kidney stones, urethral stricture disease, prostate cancer, kidney lesions and testicular cancer.

Sessions emphasise practical clinical decision-making, including appropriate investigation strategies, PSA interpretation, MRI and PSMA PET in prostate cancer, oncology referral criteria, active surveillance and shared-care models. Participants will gain clarity on when to manage in primary care and when to refer, as well as how to coordinate post-operative and survivorship care.

Case-based discussion will integrate priority populations, including youth (testicular cancer recognition and communication) and older adults (frailty, polypharmacy, continence, cancer survivorship and community-based management). Local referral pathways and HealthPathways Melbourne will be embedded to ensure participants can apply learning immediately in practice.

The meeting is structured to translate specialist knowledge into practical skills that improve early cancer detection, optimise chronic urological disease management, and strengthen collaboration between primary and specialist care.

Speakers:

Dr Conrad Bishop sees adult patients with a variety of urological conditions. He has a subspecialty interest in uro-oncology and is experienced at all forms of urological robotic surgery. He has a public appointment at Western Health and operates on private patients at Epworth Freemasons. His main surgical and research interests include diagnosis and optimal management of bladder and prostate cancer, BPH, and laser surgery including GreenLight and HoLEP.

Dr Jason Ooi graduated from The University of Melbourne in 1995 with honours. He completed advanced general surgery training at Austin Health and was awarded his Urology Fellowship in 2004. He worked at Royal Perth Hospital and Royal Surrey County Hospital (UK) to advance his interests in laparoscopic and robotic surgery. He has extensive experience in treatment of voiding difficulties, urinary tract stones, haematuria investigation, and offers laparoscopic and robotic-assisted cancer surgery.

Associate Professor Homayoun (Homi) Zargar is a fellowship-trained urological surgeon specialising in uro-oncology and advanced robotic surgery. He holds appointments at Western Health, Epworth, and Western Private Hospital. Homi completed his medical degree at the University of Otago and urology fellowship training in New Zealand and Australia, with further subspecialty training in robotic and laparoscopic oncological surgery. 

He is actively involved in clinical trials through the Western clinical trials unit, and in GP education through GP360, the education arm of the Urology Institute. He leads research into novel therapies for conditions including BPH and prostate cancer. A committed educator, Homi holds an Associate Professor appointment and contributes to the training of urology registrars and medical students. His clinical expertise spans the full breadth of urological oncology, robotic and single-port robotic surgery, kidney stones, BPH management (including Rezūm, iTind, and Optilume), and penile prosthesis surgery.

Dr Shannon McGrath is a Consultant Urologist at Western Health with a focus on haematuria investigation and urological oncology.

Professor Niall Corcoran is Head of the Department of Urology at Western Health and a urological surgeon and research scientist with a focus on the molecular drivers of lethal prostate cancer and novel treatments. He completed his medical studies at University College Dublin in 1998 and was awarded a PhD from the University of Melbourne in 2006. 

In 2018 he was appointed VCCC research and education lead for genito-urinary cancer, working to develop expert networks, deliver strategic educational programming, and implement multi-partner clinical trials across the alliance. He is Chief Investigator for the PRECEPT project, a multi-institutional, trans-disciplinary research initiative aimed at significantly improving outcomes for men with localised prostate cancer. He also holds a public appointment at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Dr Janice Cheng sees adult patients with a variety of urological conditions. She has a subspecialty interest in functional urology and stone disease, and is experienced in managing lower urinary tract problems, incontinence, bladder prolapse, and complex stone surgery including laser and lithotripsy. She has public appointments at Western Health and Northern Health, and operates on private patients at Western Private and Epworth. 

Janice grew up in Taiwan, then moved to Melbourne where she completed her medical degree and urological surgery training. She undertook a fellowship in functional urology and female urology at Oxford University Hospitals in the United Kingdom.

Associate Professor Johan Gani is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and a member of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand. He holds an honorary academic position as Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne and has been awarded a Certificate of Outstanding Service for his long-term contribution to the College of Surgeons. He is the director of the Melbourne Bladder Clinic. His subspecialty interests include female urinary incontinence, pelvic floor surgery, sacral neuromodulation, overactive bladder, and BPH management.

Dr Elaine Lee is a Melbourne-based urologist who manages general urological conditions including kidney stones, lower urinary tract symptoms, and benign prostatic enlargement. After completing her urology training in the United Kingdom, she undertook a subspecialty fellowship in andrology and male reproductive medicine. Her areas of interest include male infertility, erectile dysfunction, testosterone deficiency, scrotal pathology, and testicular cancer diagnosis and management.

Dr James Huang is a consultant urologist and robotic surgeon based in Melbourne. He is passionate about minimally invasive surgery and using modern treatment techniques to optimise patient outcomes. He is committed to providing individualised medical care, with an emphasis on patient education and engagement, and prompt communication with referring doctors to ensure coordinated care. His areas of interest include kidney stones, urological cancer, and minimally invasive and robotic surgery.

Dr Henry Yao is a urological surgeon with special interests in uro-oncology, minimally invasive surgery (robotic and laparoscopic), and male and female reconstructive and functional urology. His practice focuses on treatment of urological cancers including prostate, kidney, and bladder, as well as urethral stricture disease, incontinence, and kidney stone surgery. He is committed to compassionate, holistic care with an emphasis on patient education and coordinated communication with referring GPs.

Dr Daniel Steiner graduated with first class honours from Monash University in 2003 and completed surgical and urology training across Melbourne before undertaking a fellowship in robotic and laparoscopic surgery at Epworth. His special interests include advanced laparoscopic and robotic surgery for urological cancers, minimally invasive kidney stone treatment including PCNL, and prostate cancer screening with MRI and PSMA PET imaging.

Dr Brendan Dias is a Melbourne-trained urologist and robotic surgeon dedicated to advancing urological care across Western Melbourne. He is a consultant urologist and uro-oncology surgeon at Western Health and a visiting medical officer at Epworth Healthcare.

Dr Dias has a strong academic interest in evidence-based prostate and bladder cancer management, minimally invasive surgery, and innovation in benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment. He is actively involved in pioneering holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in the Western Melbourne region, expanding access to advanced endoscopic surgical options for men with complex BPH. He is the convenor for the UroWest II.

In registering for this event, you acknowledge that attendance and evaluation data will be shared with Western Health for attendance and evaluation purposes.

All attendee to the event will be eligible for the concessional parking rate of $7.20

Learning outcomes:

• Identify and risk-stratify red flag urological symptoms that require urgent investigation or specialist referral.
• Interpret and apply evidence-based use of PSA testing, imaging (including MRI and PSMA PET), urinalysis and metabolic investigations in primary care.
• Initiate and optimise first-line management for LUTS, erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence and kidney stones, particularly in older adults with multimorbidity.
• Implement appropriate referral pathways and shared-care models for patients with prostate, kidney and testicular cancer, including post-treatment community management.