My path to medicine has been nontraditional, but the experiences that I have cultivated prior to and during my medical training have been instrumental in defining what I am most passionate about: caring for patients, clinical urology, health policy, and research.

I have examined health care through multiple lenses, including working at the U.S. Senate, a national news media outlet, an advocacy-based health care nonprofit organization, and a health policy research analytics and consulting firm. This background motivated me to become a physician striving to help bridge the gap that often exists between health policy solutions and clinical care.

As I progress through residency and am immersed in the everyday inner workings of urological care, the need for urologists to have a voice in advocating for pragmatic policymaking that reflects the realities of urological practice has become strikingly apparent.

In turn, I have sought ways to merge my prior legislative and health policy work with my increasing medical knowledge. My involvement with the AUA’s policy and advocacy efforts, namely the AUA’s Policy and Advocacy Resident Work Group, State Advocacy Committee, and AUA Political Action Committee Champions program, has been extremely rewarding and has shown me the immense impact that advocacy can have on effecting meaningful change.

I am extraordinarily humbled and honored to be selected for the H. Logan Holtgrewe Legislative Fellowship Program and I am incredibly excited to continue this policy and advocacy work as the Holtgrewe Fellow. I am also tremendously grateful to Dr Eugene Rhee, the previous Holtgrewe Fellows, the AUA Legislative and Political Affairs staff, my mentors at my residency institution, and many others for their support and guidance.

During the fellowship year, I will have the unique opportunity to work with legislators and staffers on Capitol Hill, participate in major AUA advocacy initiatives, including the AUA Annual Summit, work with other physicians to champion the interests of patients and practices at the Alliance of Specialty Medicine Fly-In Conference in Washington, D.C., join AUA committee meetings, and attend the Brandeis University Executive Leadership Program in Health Policy and Management. With this myriad of unparalleled access and exposure, I hope to increase my understanding of the legislative aspects of health policy so that I can further hone my skills and complement my advocacy work as a physician.

As the Holtgrewe Fellow, I aspire to use my roles in the AUA’s policy and advocacy programs as well as in AUA sectional, specialty society, and national groups to share my insights and excitement about advancing the AUA’s legislative agenda, increasing the quality of patient care, and mitigating health inequities. In this position, I look forward to engaging AUA members and strengthening support for the AUA’s advocacy and legislative undertakings as our specialty’s primary voice on the diverse policy issues affecting urologists.

I believe that the lessons that I will gain as the Holtgrewe Fellow will allow me to expand my toolbox and provide comprehensive, thoughtful, and compassionate care as I aim to make contributions in urology and health policy. Ultimately, I am confident that this experience will aid me in my overarching goal of helping to implement practical solutions to optimize the access, quality, and delivery of urological care.