Nicholas Khoo ’27, Clara Goebel ’27, and Sarah Kohl ’26 are medical students at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine.
In the following blog post, they answer questions about what led them to study medicine and share their key takeaways as participants in the 2024 New England Section of the American Urological Association’s Annual Meeting FUTURE Program.
“I came back to school more committed to pursuing urology as a specialty with the confidence that the department will support me every step of the way.” — Nicholas Khoo ’27
“What made [the experience] special was having a mentor to shadow and ask questions to throughout the conference.” — Clara Goebel ’27
“The most meaningful parts of the conference and mentorship program were the connections I established at UVMMC and beyond.” — Sarah Kohl ’26
In September 2024, three Larner medical students were selected from ten participants for the “FUTURE (Future Urology Talent from Under-Represented Entities) in Urology” mentorship program at the NEAUA Annual Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island. This pilot program aimed to engage rising second- and third-year M.D. and D.O. medical students from diverse backgrounds in the field of urology to develop a diverse pipeline of future urologists. The students had opportunities to network with peer students, residents, and practicing urologists; be exposed to urologic research and clinical practice presentations; develop a meaningful mentorship relationship; and ideally cultivate an interest in urology. In the Q&A section below, each student reflects on their journey to study medicine and their experiences attending the NEAUA’s Annual Meeting for the first time.
What inspired your journey into medicine?
Nicholas: I graduated from the University of Washington (UW) in 2020. During my gap years, I worked simultaneously as a CNA at a nursing home and surgical room specialist at the UW Medical Center while applying to medical school each year. Through these jobs, I exposed myself to many different departments in health care and developed my teamwork, communication, and leadership skills, which will only better prepare me as an attending. I chose Larner because they gave me my acceptance letter a week after my birthday.
Clara: I grew up in Plano, Texas, near Dallas, and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. Finding medicine was a serendipitous occurrence and not anywhere near what I had anticipated I would study: a high school scheduling error resulted in my enrollment in a class called Medical Science, and I never looked back! Before medical school, I spent a good few years working as a medical assistant in urology (also serendipitously) and a few years abroad as a Fulbright English teaching assistant in Brazil and then in France. I chose Larner because it was non-traditional, friendly, and actively supportive, and it offered global health programming.
Sarah: I grew up in Norwich, Vermont, and then completed my undergraduate degree at Johns Hopkins University in 2020 where I studied molecular and cellular biology and public health. I then worked for Visterra, a biotechnology company in Waltham, Massachusetts, discovering novel biologics to treat autoimmune diseases. I have always been interested in a career in medicine and really enjoyed both the laboratory and clinical experiences I had before deciding to apply to medical school. I wanted to return to Vermont and start my medical education at Larner because of the culture of collaboration and the emphasis on maintaining a healthy work-life balance while in school.
What was your inspiration to focus on the specialty of urology and attend the FUTURE program?
Nicholas: I didn’t think about applying to the program out of doubt of not getting in. I only applied because the urology faculty strongly urged me to. It was reassuring that the faculty vocalized their commitment to get as many UVM students as possible in to the program despite the program only allowing one student from each state in the New England region.
Clara: When UVMMC Urologist and Larner Assistant Professor Urszula Kowalik, M.D., shared the details of the FUTURE program with the Urology SIG (student interest group), I was super excited! We had additional support from the urology department at UVMMC so all Larner students who wanted to attend the conference would have the opportunity. I had been looking for opportunities to learn more about current urology research and get connected with mentors working in subfields I hadn’t yet been exposed to, so this program was the perfect opportunity.
Sarah: I started medical school with no idea that I would be interested in urology. I knew so little about the specialty that I didn’t even realize that female patients saw urologists as well. But when I learned that only 10 percent of urologists are female but 30 percent of patients are, I looked more into the specialty and learned about the fascinating and innovative surgeries that are being done in the field. I am now particularly interested in reconstructive urology and sexual medicine. I wanted to attend the New England Section of the American Urological Association annual meeting to learn about the current research in the field and to make connections with peers, residents, and practicing urologists.
What were your key takeaways from the experience?
Nicholas: The conference was an amazing experience. I had no idea what conferences were like, and having an early exposure to one inspires me to work harder for when the next one comes around. I met many urology attendings/residents/students in the New England region. It was an eye-opening experience where I got to see urology as more than just the UVM urology department. It puts into perspective that my medical school education is just one step out of many and there’s so much more to learn afterwards.
There was a very strong showing of the UVM urology department at the conference. I had many opportunities to interact with the UVM faculty and get to know them. I want to extend my gratitude to the urology department for their endless support and giving all of us the opportunity to attend this program. Leading up to and during the conference, they were very transparent with how they plan to get as many of us as possible to attend, and they were always present to assist us with anything we needed. I came back to school more committed to pursuing urology as a specialty with the confidence that the department will support me every step of the way.
Clara: The New England Section of the American Urological Association’s (NEAUA) Annual Meeting was my first urology conference, and it was an incredible experience. It would have been educational and gratifying regardless, but what made it special was having a mentor to shadow and ask questions to throughout the conference. I was matched with Arthur Tarantino, M.D., one of the members of the board of directors of the NEAUA, and he welcomed me with open arms. He explained how conferences work and how urologists can make a difference in health care and financial policy. We got to learn from other urologists who participated in the program and learn about groundbreaking research while getting to know other urology-interested folks in New England. I was also able to get to know most of the urology faculty at UVMMC, some of whom I had not yet had the chance to meet! As students, we returned to Larner gushing about how lucky we were and how unique of an opportunity it was. I’ve been pretty set on urology for quite some time, but this experience only further strengthened that. It’s special to have such significant support from faculty.
Sarah: Through the FUTURE in Urology program, I was able to receive mentorship from a urologist from the NEAUA who attended meeting sessions with me, introduced me to other urologists, and discussed his career path and journey in urology with me. I met students in the program from other institutions at different points in their medical education, and we talked about our various interests and experiences within the field of urology and beyond. I was able to learn so much about the specialty I plan on applying to and hear about cutting-edge research from all over New England. However, the most meaningful parts of the conference and mentorship program were the connections I established at UVMMC and beyond.
What’s next in your journey?
Nicholas: Close up foundations, pass Step 1, move into clerkships.
Clara: In addition to Step 1 studying, my research proposal (under the guidance of Mark Plante, M.D.) was recently accepted by the IRB, so I’ll be busy for the coming months working on (hopefully) promising research on PSMA PET technology for prostate cancer. I’d also love to get involved in other AUA DEI initiatives or help further develop the FUTURE Program since it was such an amazing experience. In the meantime, I’m hoping to finally learn how to snowboard, so we’ll see how that goes!
Sarah: I will be starting my fourth year at Larner in March and look forward to doing an internship with the UVMMC urology department in the spring! I am continuing to conduct research within the field of urology and hope to present at a future AUA meeting as well.
