UF Urology’s All-Female Intern Class Makes History

Meet the first all-female intern class in UF Health Urology’s history: Drs. Jordan Smith, Trisha Nguyen and Miranda Eubank.

Together, they make up the Postgraduate Year 1 resident class in the UF College of Medicine’s nationally ranked urology program.

Dr. Jordan Smith

Originally from Fairhope, Alabama, Smith attended the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. She became interested in urology as a third-year medical student after rotating on the service.

“Urology as a specialty uniquely combines being on the cutting edge of surgical technology, longitudinal relationships with patients and the opportunity to enhance quality of life for patients,” she said.

Smith said she’d never imagined being in an all-female intern class, but said everyone in the program has been extremely welcoming.

The all-female class is significant — among institutions with urology residencies in a 2020 study, women made up just 27% of residents. Only 8% to 12% of urologists in the U.S. are women. This is a considerable gap, as many female urological patients prefer to see female urologists.

Dr. Trisha Nguyen

Nguyen is from Miami, and attended the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

“Throughout medical school, I kept searching for that one field I was passionate about, so when I stumbled across urology by chance, it felt like kismet. I love the innovation and technology that drives this field, the tools that urologists use in surgery, the good humor and compassion I’ve seen in every urologist and the wide variety of subspecialties within this field,” she said.

Representation matters. Before she decided to pursue urology, Nguyen looked up to her aunt and female cousin who were doctors. Nguyen encourages women pursuing medicine to find people who they can relate to and connect with.

Dr. Miranda Eubank

Eubank is from Columbia, Missouri, and attended the University of Missouri Columbia School of Medicine.

“I love the ability to treat a spectrum of patients of all ages while performing a variety of fun procedures, both in the clinic and the operating room. Urologists truly improve the quality of their patients’ lives,” she said.

All three women had mentors who supported them in their journey to UF. Eubank’s mother went back to college to study nursing after raising five children. One of Smith’s most influential mentors was Lorie Fleck, M.D., the first female graduate in urology at the Medical College of Georgia.

Seeing these women away from the clinic and operating room, you’d think they had been friends since elementary school. They laugh together, hug tightly and tell stories. Despite their jam-packed schedules, they have weekly dinners. Over the next four years, they’ll take on the rigorous residency program — together.

“Teamwork is one of my favorite aspects of working and learning in health care, and I know the health care teams at UF are some of the best,” Smith said. “I fully anticipate that the relationships I form during my five-year-long residency will be lasting and life-impacting.”