I am extremely fortunate to have great mentors who believe in me and my career. These mentors are among the leaders in our field and having them support my growth and guide me to the next steps in my career has been invaluable. They encouraged me to apply for the Leadership Class and I am honored to be among this talented group and to represent my section at the AUA. It is also a great honor to eventually join those who have graduated from the program, many of whom have made a major impact in urology.

Through the Leadership Program, I am looking to grow as a leader, to learn how to better motivate teams, and how to better execute change. I aim to continue to build and strengthen my network to strive to make a more global impact across the AUA. I am excited to learn more about the inner working of the AUA and advocacy programs to help combat legislation currently being pushed to limit the care of pediatric patients with hypospadias and intersex disorders and in general how physicians are able to practice medicine. In addition, as the practice of medicine, demands on physicians, and patient populations continue to evolve, I would like to learn how the AUA addresses physician wellness and expectations placed on physicians. Also, I am hoping to learn more about how the AUA addresses health care disparities and equity for both patients and physicians. Being an immigrant, Hispanic female, and mother in a predominantly White male–dominated field, I have a unique insight on diversity, equity, and inclusion. While female urologists are increasing in numbers, based on the recent AUA Census, we only represent approximately 10% of practicing urologists, Hispanic urologists represent approximately 4%, and Hispanic females less than 1%. During residency, I had the opportunity to work in a significantly underserved understaffed city hospital with a predominately uninsured Hispanic population. Working with this patient population enlightened me on limitations many face to achieve basic preventive care, exposing them to unnecessary morbidity due to disease progression, access to care, or lack of knowledge. Being fluent in Spanish and American Sign Language, I see the need to improve communication barriers and the impact it makes for our patients to have a physician speak to you in your language. I strive to give back to our community to promote better care for our patients, improve patient education, and address our personal biases to create a more inclusive environment. I am encouraged by diversity among the current and past leadership classes, as well as the AUA’s movement towards better diversity and addressing health care disparities. I am very much looking forward to this year and learning from our leaders.