UPMC Urology Chair Quoc-Dien Trinh, MD, MBA, Receives AUA Health Advancement & Impact Award
February 10, 2026
Quoc-Dien Trinh, MD, MBA, professor and chair of the UPMC Department of Urology and the Frederic N. Schwentker Endowed Chair in Urological Surgery, is the recipient of the American Urological Association (AUA) 2026 Health Advancement & Impact Award.
Dr. Trinh will receive the award at an awards dinner of the 2026 American Urological Association annual meeting on May 18, 2026, in Washington, D.C.
The AUA Health Advancement & Impact Award is given for seminal contributions in addressing health disparities through research, education, and mentorship, and for outstanding efforts to drive meaningful changes to address disparities within health care.
“This award is an honor that reflects the collective work of mentors, collaborators, and the patients who have shaped my commitment to equity in cancer care,” Dr. Trinh says. “It reinforces my belief that advancing prostate cancer care requires addressing disparities as a core responsibility.”
About Dr. Trinh
Dr. Trinh is a nationally recognized surgeon-scientist with expertise in minimally invasive urologic oncology surgery, health services research, and disparities in cancer care delivery, in particular prostate cancer in underserved patient populations. Dr. Trinh joined UPMC in late 2024. Immediately prior to joining UPMC, Dr. Trinh was the section chief of Urology at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, associate professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, and co-director of the Prostate Cancer Program at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Dr. Trinh’s career in urology has been marked by contributions to addressing disparities in prostate cancer care through research, program development, and community engagement, all of which align closely with the stated aims and reasons the AUA Health Advancement & Impact Award is presented.
Dr. Trinh’s focus on inequities in prostate cancer outcomes first developed during his clinical training experiences, where he saw first-hand how access to care, socioeconomic factors, geography, and race can shape treatment pathways and outcomes. His ongoing research has demonstrated that differences in prostate cancer mortality, particularly among Black men, cannot be attributed to biology alone and are strongly influenced by systemic barriers to timely diagnosis, advanced imaging, and definitive treatment, even in cases of aggressive disease.
Before joining UPMC, Dr. Trinh helped develop a prostate cancer outreach and navigation program in Boston that paired clinical safety nets with partnerships involving community organizations to improve follow-up and continuity of care for underserved patients. He is now working to establish a similar model in Pittsburgh, furthering his long commitment to translating disparities research into practical, system-level interventions that can improve outcomes and save lives.
“In western Pennsylvania, we are doubling down on efforts to address disparities in access to prostate cancer care that persist based on factors such as race or where you live,” Dr. Trinh says. “By building on early wins, our goal is to translate this momentum into system-level solutions that make a meaningful and lasting impact for patients across the region.”
