Annual Publication 2025 FINAL 05292025 accessible - Flipbook - Page 33
A
ll 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.
YARINI QUEZADA, MD
PHOTO: JULIAN FOX
Yarini Quezada, MD, FACOG, 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. Dr. Quezada
was in high school when she 昀椀rst 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 Dr. 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, Dr.
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, 昀椀rst
began when Dr. Quezada had the opportunity to
collaborate with Nadia Gomez, MD, MBA, 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 昀氀oor 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 Dr. 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,
Dr. 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 Dr. Quezada.
Similar to her teachers, Dr. Quezada incorporates
her residents’ different learning styles into her
teaching. “It de昀椀nitely 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 Dr. Quezada.
Along with this, the residents are able to learn a
bit more about Dr. Quezada’s speci昀椀c skill set. Her
speciality – urogynecology, which focuses on the
diagnosis and care of female pelvic 昀氀oor disorders
– is severely underrepresented in Las Vegas,
making Dr. Quezada one of the only dual boardcerti昀椀ed urogynecologists in the city.
Dr. Quezada specializes in treating both surgical
ailments, such as urinary and fecal incontinence,
pelvic organ prolapse, and 昀椀stulas, and nonsurgical ailments like urinary tract infections,
overactive bladder, and even pelvic organ prolapse
if it can be treated non-surgically.
When it comes to her patients, Dr. Quezada puts
the needs and wants of her patients 昀椀rst. “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
and then we can navigate through those treatment
options for the individualized patients,” she says.
“Every patient is different.”
SUMMER 2025 MAGAZINE
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