What inspired you to work in sexual medicine?

I do a lot of medical school advising and what I tell students, based on my personal experience, is that the most important reason to choose a field is the colleagues with whom you get to work. I considered a number of different specialties when I was in medical school and a number of different sub-specialties once I was in urology residency. I found that it was the sexual medicine clinicians that really felt like “my people,” the group I would want to see and work with for the many decades of a career in medicine. These colleagues take what they do seriously and perform at a high level but also know how to approach what we do with humor and collegiality, more so than in many other branches of medicine.

What inspired you to work in sexual medicine?

I've enjoyed talking about sexual health for as long as I can remember—it’s always been a topic that fascinates me. Most of my friends growing up were men, so conversations about men's health felt both natural and important. Getting to discuss something I'm passionate about with people I enjoy is incredibly fulfilling, and I often wonder why more people don’t do what I do!

What inspired you to work in sexual medicine?

My rotation in Andrology and Infertility with Dr. Lipshultz deeply inspired me to pursue this specialty. I remember as a resident seeing these patients in clinic and realizing what a profound impact we can make in their lives.

What inspired you to work in sexual medicine?

A former PA colleague introduced me to a brilliant man named Mohit Khera and the rest is history!

What inspired you to work in sexual medicine?

As a med student on urology rotation, I spent a lot of time counseling a patient on ED causes and treatments. He was reticent initially, but by showing him that I cared enough to genuinely help him, his whole demeanor changed. It felt like making patients comfortable was my superpower! And then I went to a talk by Dr Irwin Goldstein which blew my mind as I had never learned anything in training about female sexual dysfunction. I immediately knew that this was my calling!

What inspired you to work in sexual medicine?

I enjoy the breadth of conditions that we treat and the ways that we can positively impact quality of life for our patients.

What inspired you to work in sexual medicine?

My reason for working in this field is deeply personal as I have myself experienced sexual trauma, and I understand how much shame and suffering can come from staying silent about sexual health problems. Since medical school, I have had friends and family with sexual health issues that I have had the privilege of bearing witness to and trying to help. Whereas many people might avoid the conversation and change the topic, I found these issues very moving and wanted to explore them more to be able to help better. When I met Dr. Goldstein during my research year of residency at AUA where he was doing a presentation about the “female prostate,” the light bulb finally came on in my mind that, as a urologist, I could actually help women with their sexual health problems, and the rest is history.

What inspired you to work in sexual medicine?

An early career recognition that opportunities existed for making discovery and advancing care in the field of sexual medicine.

What inspired you to work in sexual medicine?

At its core, practicing sexual medicine allows me to combine high level reconstructive surgical techniques with the ability to take care of some of our most vulnerable urology patients. My initial inspiration came from Dr. Levine! I worked as his administrative assistant starting at age 18 and realized this career combines my loves of working with my hands, solving problems, doing precision surgery, and taking care of people.

What inspired you to work in sexual medicine?

I was exposed early to leaders in Sexual Medicine. During my sub-internships at UCLA and the University of Miami, I worked with Dr. Jesse Mills and Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy. I was drawn to these leaders, felt invigorated in clinic discussing issues that impact quality of life, and found prosthetic surgery fascinating. My interest was solidified during my residency training at the University of Michigan - I was fortunate to have a 3-month sexual medicine rotation. Drs. Dana Ohl, Jim Dupree, Bahaa Malaeb, and Miriam Hadj-Moussa encouraged me to pursue an SMSNA fellowship. And I am so glad I did so I can keep doing what I love – in clinic and the operating room.

What inspired you to work in sexual medicine?

My light-hearted answer is that the SMSNA academic conferences are so much fun, I had to pick a subspecialty that would allow me to attend forever! If I reflect back seriously, I have to say that I benefited from a large andrology section at the Mayo Clinic that was extremely devoted to resident education. Dr. Toby Kohler taught multiple efficient and elegant techniques for penile prosthetics, Dr. Landon Trost and Dr. Matthew Ziegelmann inspired my interest in complex Peyronie’s disease, and Dr. Sevann Helo taught both sex med and infertility. Each one of them is a skilled surgeon, and very engaging instructor - it was only natural for me to want to follow in their footsteps.

What inspired you to work in sexual medicine?

I did my urology residency at Boston University Medical Center at the time when Dr. Irwin Goldstein was the Director of Sexual Medicine at BU and Robert Oates was the Director of Male Infertility. Dr. Goldstein’s boundless energy and enthusiasm as well as his positive attitude, changing patients’ perspectives about conditions that they often were embarrassed to discuss with their physicians, had a profound effect on me. Spending time with prostate cancer survivors was also revealing because I was seeing firsthand that although they were cured of their malignancies, the patients were often extremely bothered and depressed by the side effects of their cancer treatments, specifically erectile dysfunction. The opportunity to develop expertise in the field and address these concerns has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my medical career.