This summer, UNC medical student Ruby Abror joined UNC Urology as a Castillo Scholar and set out to tackle a deceptively simple question with real clinical stakes: how should outcomes after rectourethral fistula (RUF) repair be reported so surgeons and patients can reliably compare approaches?
Building a Common Language for RUF Outcomes
Rectourethral fistula (RUF) is a rare but life-altering complication—most often after prostate cancer surgery or radiation—that demands durable repairs and clear expectations for recovery. Among many described techniques, the transperineal approach with gracilis muscle interposition is widely used because it provides excellent exposure to both urethral and rectal pathology while adding a well-vascularized layer to protect the repair.
Ruby’s systematic review found that, despite encouraging closure rates with gracilis flap repairs, the literature is difficult to compare because studies define “success,” complications, and follow-up intervals differently and often omit key patient and operative details. Her project proposes a standardized reporting checklist to close those gaps—so future studies speak a common language, meta-analyses become feasible, and surgeons can counsel patients with data that are truly comparable. The goal is straightforward: make outcomes more reliable, interpretable, and ultimately more patient-centered. She presented these findings as a poster—“12 Things I Hate About You(r Paper): Standardized Data Reporting for Rectourethral Fistula Repairs”—at the Castillo Scholars Program’s annual Evening of Scholarship, the capstone of the eight-week experience. The presentation marked the program’s culmination and showcased how a focused summer project can yield practical tools for patient care.
More About Dr. Figler
Ruby’s project was guided by UNC Urology’s Brad Figler, MD, Professor of Urology, Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery, whose practice and programs have grown around complex needs and underserved populations. Dr. Figler trained at Case Western (MD), completed residency at Emory, and a two-year fellowship in Genitourinary Trauma & Male Reconstruction at the University of Washington/Harborview. He later founded and directed the Division of Reconstructive Urology at Thomas Jefferson University before joining UNC in 2016. Dr. Figler started UNC’s Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship in 2022 and serves as the fellowship program’s director, pairing high-volume clinical expertise with a strong clinician-educator portfolio.
More About Ruby
Ruby Abror’s early experiences as a patient drew her to medicine. She moved from Pennsylvania to North Carolina intending to complete her undergraduate studies, and chose to stay for medical school. After transferring from Cape Fear Community College, she graduated from UNC with a degree in Biology. She then worked as an EMT with Wake County EMS for four years, beginning during the first pandemic summer in 2020.
Ruby’s specialty interests include Urology and Interventional Radiology. Her interest in Urology was shaped by a close family member’s prostate cancer diagnosis and the enduring relationship he maintains with his urologist—an example that clarified the kind of physician she hopes to be; compassionate and highly competent in patients’ most vulnerable moments. Within the field, she is especially interested in specialized holistic needs of some patients and broader applications of minimally invasive techniques.
Committed to representation and improved outcomes for older adults and for patients in socioeconomically disadvantaged or rural communities, Ruby serves as co-leader of an SNMA group focused on supporting women in medicine, co-vice president of the Interventional Radiology Interest Group, and participates in the Care of the Older Patient Scholarly Concentration.
More About the Castillo Scholars Program
The Mauricio Castillo, MD, Scholars Program is an eight-week, in-person summer experience that expands access to competitive specialties—including Urology—for medical students. Scholars (rising MS2s) receive a $5,000 stipend and engage in mentored research, clinical shadowing, skills development, and community building designed to support a successful residency match and early career growth.