Receiving one of the 2023-2024 AUA summer medical student fellowships is a huge honor and a transformative opportunity for me, both in terms of my education and my future career in medicine. I hope to use my fellowship to further my understanding of the field of urology through my clinical research. Furthermore, my fellowship will allow me to learn from leaders in the urology and deepen my interest in the field.

Our research, titled “Quality Assessment of Outpatient Radical Prostatectomy,” focuses on better understanding patient outcomes and satisfaction with same-day discharge (SDD) when undergoing robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP). RALP has traditionally been a surgical procedure associated with an overnight hospital stay.¹ However, given soaring costs of medical care in the United States, and the risks associated with hospital admission (eg, COVID), some physicians have begun performing RALP as an outpatient procedure to lower health care expenditures, lower health care–associated infections, and improve patient satisfaction.^1,2 Several studies in the past decade in both North America and Europe suggest that SDD is a feasible option for patients undergoing RALP.^3,4 Further research on patient outcomes and financial benefits of SDD after RALP will help determine if this could become a new standard-of-care approach for prostatectomies.

In addition to getting the opportunity to execute this important work, becoming one of the AUA summer medical student fellows will have a great impact on my medical education and future career as a physician. This project will help me better understand the clinical research process and logistics required to move research forward. Especially in urology, much of the new knowledge gained through research is done by physician-scientists. As such, it is crucial that trainees get exposed to and excited about participating in research activities. Having a solid foundation for urologic research will deepen my interest in the field. The fellowship will allow me to dedicate time to pursuing high-quality urologic research while balancing my medical education training. We hope to take our research to present at a future AUA conference and potentially publish in peer-reviewed publications to help further shape the research sphere in urology.

Finally, as an AUA summer medical student fellow, new opportunities will arise for me to network with peers, and urology physicians and scientists, and seek out potential mentors and leaders in the field of urology. As I am the first person in my family to pursue a career in medicine, these connections will be invaluable. The guidance, support, and access to resources that I may receive from mentors will help me navigate the complex and evolving landscape of health care. Through the fellowship, I also intend to shadow alongside many of the urologists at Beaumont to gain a more comprehensive view of RALP. My time spent in the clinic and operating room observing physicians performing RALP procedures will allow me to better understand the potential impact of my research project.

In conclusion, I am thrilled to have gotten the opportunity to serve as a 2023-2024 AUA summer medical student fellow. Through the support of the Urology Care Foundation™ and under the guidance of Dr Kenneth Peters, I am excited to be working on a project to help improve the quality of care we deliver to patients. I am confident that the experiences I will gain through this project will help to further develop my skills as a researcher and aid as a launchpad for my future career as a urology physician-scientist.