The AAMC recently sat down with Dr. Malik to learn more about her work. Learn more about Dr. Malik and Urology below.
Can you give a description of your work?
I am a surgeon and medical doctor of the genitourinary tract. The beauty of Urology is that we take care of both the medical and surgical aspects of patients that have issues in those areas. That can be anything from the kidneys to the genitals. We take care of things ranging from kidney stones or cancer to infertility and urinary incontinence. You can also subspecialize within urology. Within my practice in Sexual Medicine, I see a lot of patients with overactive bladder, complex reconstruction issues, neurogenic bladder, and sexual dysfunction.
What attracted you to Urology?
I thought I wanted to be a cardiologist. When I started rotations, I found I really liked working with my hands and I liked having a patient leave my care and having been able to fix their issue with a surgical procedure. I looked into the surgery subspecialties, and I found that I liked what urologists did. Being a urologist is so fulfilling. I get to take care of people over years and develop a relationship with them, but I also get to operate and see a variety of cases.
How would you describe a typical work week?
A typical work week will have clinic days and operating days. Clinic days include seeing, learning about, and following up with my patients. On operation days we could either be doing minimally invasive procedures — like Botox in the bladder — or a bigger operation, like a reconstructive or pediatric surgery. There is also some administrative time to catch up on things outside of direct patient care.
What parts of your job do you find most challenging? What parts do you find most rewarding?
When you’ve tried everything that you know and it’s not providing success for a patient, that’s the most challenging part. You go into medicine to help patients and when you can’t, it can feel like you’re out of control.
On the other hand, I love getting to know my patients. As urologists, we are talking about a patient’s most intimate moments. It’s nice to be able to calm them, take care of them, and make them feel better. There is really nothing like that.
Can you share a case you found especially rewarding?
In residency, I had a patient who had severe bladder symptoms and virtually no quality of life. She had recurrent bladder infections that caused several comorbid conditions and kept her in constant pain. After trying many things, my mentor decided that we would do a cystectomy and conduit. I remember thinking, “What if it doesn’t work?” After we did the operation, she never had a UTI again, and her life was transformed. I realized in that moment that we have the power to radically improve a patient’s life.
How has mentorship impacted your career?
Mentors are so important. You may think that mentoring needs to be something formal. But for me it was never like that. I sort of fell into my first mentor’s lap. We started working together on a research project, and he saw something in me. Throughout my journey as a resident, he was always in my corner. He always pushed me to do things and be more confident in myself when I wasn’t sure. That was so powerful. I’m also still good friends with my mentors from my fellowship. They’ve always been there for me.
I think it’s important to keep in mind that mentorship doesn’t always come from someone above you. You gain mentorship in all sorts of ways, even from your peers. I get informal mentorship from my colleagues and even people whose content or talks I’ve watched.
How would you describe someone who would excel as a Urologist?
The most important thing is being willing to ask for feedback, take that feedback, and learn from it. It’s also important to remember that Urology is both a surgical and a medical specialty. And it requires empathy. On the other side of any patient interaction is a person who may be very stressed, and anything they’re bringing to the table is not about you. Our patients are in intimate situations and come in with their own past experiences. It won’t always be a positive interaction. Our job is to give them the benefit of the doubt and do the best we can.
Are there any resources that focus on urology that our audience should be aware of?
The American Urological Association has a free membership for medical students. There are also tons of urologic podcasts and social media content that can help you learn more about urology. I have a podcast, and I think the “AUA University,” “BackTable,” “You Are Not Broken,” and “Man Up” are all great podcasts to learn about urology and specialty areas like men’s and women’s health.
What led you to using social media to promote urology and improve patient education?
My first venture into social media was on X. At the time, urologists were sharing what they learned in meetings. I joined because it was educational, a way to network digitally, and I could share my research and what I was learning. I had a goal to improve health literacy, and I realized I could achieve it by making content. I started sharing on YouTube in the hopes of figuring out ways to help patients at home. With every milestone I hit, the passion for my mission grew. Now, I meet people all over the country who tell me they are happier or healthier because of the things I’ve shared on social media. It reminds me that someone is on the other side of my content and that it's valuable.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with premeds?
Every decision as a premed or a medical student feels like its life-altering. But a lot of successful people have made mistakes. If you make the “wrong” decision, you can always change your mind and do something else. I want premeds to know that change can be scary, but it can also be liberating. It’s all going to be OK.
To learn more about Dr. Malik’s work, follow her on Instagram, X, and YouTube, listen to her Podcast on Apple or Spotify, or find more information on her website.