Professor Maurice Stephan Michel Awarded The Arthur D. Smith Endourology Lectureship; Award Acknowledges His Many Contributions to the Field of Endourology Over the Past 10 Years.

CLEVELAND -- Cook Urological (www.cookurological.com), a division of Cook (www.cookmedical.com), the world's largest private medical device company, today announced that Professor Maurice Stephan Michel, MD, PhD has been awarded the Arthur D. Smith Endourology Lectureship by the Endourological Awards Committee chaired by Prof. Dr. med. Jens Rassweiler. The Endourological Society established the award in 2004 with a grant from Cook to recognize creativity and dynamic innovation in the field of endourology. Professor Michel was awarded the "Arthur" at the 24th World Congress of Endourology (WCE) in Cleveland, Ohio for his innovation, creativity and contributions in the field of endourology. In announcing the 2006 Arthur Award recipient, Prof. Rassweiler said, "The Society is proud to present the Arthur Smith Award to this talented and active young member of our organization."

In the first 10 years of his career, Professor Michel has made many significant contributions to the endourology field. In 1996, he published experimental studies of the Rotoresect device in the Journal of Endourology. The device, for which he assembled the first prototype, uniquely combined mechanical and electrical ablation of prostatic tissue and has since been cleared for clinical use. Professor Michel has also been actively involved in the improvement of ureteroscopes by introducing a breakthrough design of the device this year. In addition, Professor Michel has been a major participant in studies on the impact of virtual reality simulators in the training of endourological procedures.

Professor Michel, who is currently the Chief Attending of the Department of Urology at the University Hospital Mannheim in Germany, has focused primarily on endourology, publishing more than 100 articles on the topic. During his practice, Professor Michel has obtained over 1.4m Euros in grant money, which has enabled him to conduct his groundbreaking research in the endourology field. Professor Michel has presented his extraordinary research and medical developments in over 220 abstracts during his career and contributed to nearly 100 peer-reviewed recorded journal publications. In addition to endourology, Professor Michel also lends his expertise to the study of surgical and conservative management in uro-oncology and reconstructive urology. He is a member of the Endourological Society and is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Endourology.

"Professor Michel has spent the majority of the past ten years researching and developing major breakthroughs in the field of endourology," said Jerry French, senior vice president and global strategic business unit leader for Cook Urological. "We are extremely pleased to recognize him for his outstanding work and significant contributions to our field and we look forward to seeing where he takes his research next."

"I am honored to receive this award from Cook and the Endourological Society," said Professor Michel. "Endourology has been my deep passion throughout my career and I am committed to the future advancement of the field, which ultimately benefits patients. It is extremely rewarding to be recognized for these efforts and I look forward to taking part in continued developments."

The initial "Arthur" award was given as a lifetime achievement award to Dr. Arthur Smith on the occasion of his departure as Endourological Society President in 2004 at the WCE in Mumbai, India. Throughout his career, Dr. Smith remained one of the leading innovators in the field of endourology, pioneering several new operative techniques used in percutaneous nephrolithotomy treatment of kidney stones, percutaneous treatment of Transitional Cell Carcinoma and Endopyelotomy. The award was named for Dr. Smith to recognize his extraordinary contributions to the field throughout his impressive career.

Urologists are eligible for the award within the first 10 years of practice after completion of a urology residency or fellowship.

About Cook Urological

Cook Urological was established in 1978 to provide urologic surgeons with minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic devices. Working in close cooperation with leading urologists, Cook Urological has developed a comprehensive line of endourological products designed to reduce patient trauma by circumventing traditional open surgeries. Cook Urological has become a recognized world leader in the field of specialty urology through innovations in stone management, diagnostic and therapeutic products for the urinary system, and biomaterials for use in the management of soft tissue repair such as urethraplasty and Peyronie's Disease. Product lines include: ureteral/urethral stents, catheters, stone extractors, dilators and access sheaths, dilation balloons, wire guides, urodynamics catheters, biomaterials, electrosurgical instruments and biopsy devices.