All throughout our lives, we meet individuals who make a lasting impact – whether they be friends, family, teachers, or mentors. It is through these people that our lives begin to take shape.
Dr. Yarini Quezada, assistant professor and division director of urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Gynecologic Surgery & Obstetrics, always knew medicine was going to be her career. Quezada was in high school when she first met her mentor, who was largely instrumental in guiding her towards this medical career that she’d always wanted. Her mentor was there for her every step of the way – undergraduate, medical school, board exams, residency, and fellowship.
“[Having] someone teaching me the ropes, guiding me and providing me with feedback and encouraging me from his physician perspective really propelled me and allowed me to excel,” says Quezada. “... having a mentor throughout my entire medical journey has also given me the enthusiasm and the motivation to do the same for someone else.”
Because of her mentor’s tremendous support, Quezada felt a pull towards academic medicine, where she would be able to guide aspiring physicians similar to how her mentor guided her. Her introduction to the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine and its associated multi-specialty academic medical practice, UNLV Health, first began when Quezada had the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Nadia Gomez, associate professor and vice chair in the department of gynecologic surgery & obstetrics and the assistant dean for clinical affairs. Together, they organized lectures and pelvic floor anatomy labs for the school of medicine’s residents.
“She gave me a segue of what it would be like to be faculty within the university,” says Quezada. “She knew that a part of what I was looking for is to remain academically active, so being able to do that in Las Vegas, alongside an amazing team that UNLV had within women's health, was a huge reason why I joined UNLV Health.”
Utilizing her residency and fellowship experience, Quezada strives to better the education of the school’s residents. “Throughout my journey, I've also been blessed with meeting people that pivot and make arrangements for those that learn differently, so I've used that as guidance for myself as a mentor,” says Quezada.
Similar to her teachers, Quezada incorporates her residents’ different learning styles into her teaching. “It definitely has allowed me to see the spectrum of learners from a different lens. I've learned to ask residents their preferred learning styles and have an open door policy so they can approach me with questions or suggestions. I then tailor my teaching to the particular resident’s style,” states Quezada.
Along with this, the residents are able to learn a bit more about Quezada’s specific skill set. Her speciality – urogynecology, which focuses on the diagnosis and care of female pelvic floor disorders – is severely underrepresented in Las Vegas, making Quezada one of the only dual board-certified urogynecologists in the city.
Quezada specializes in treating both surgical ailments such as urinary and fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and fistulas, and non-surgical ailments like urinary tract infections, overactive bladder, and even pelvic organ prolapse if it can treated non-surgically.
When it comes to her patients, Quezada puts the needs and wants of her patients first. “My view on managing all of my patients is that I individualize my care to all of my patients … I start with minimally invasive or conservative measures to start with and then we can navigate through those treatment options for the individualized patients,” she says. “Every patient is different.”
