Vikas Nookala is a fourth-year Obstetrics and Gynecology resident at Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, California. He earned his MD from the American University of the Caribbean in 2021 and holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Cell Biology with a minor in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Nookala has a longstanding commitment to both basic science and clinical research, beginning in high school at Stanford University's Cheng Lab in Otolaryngology, and later in the Panda Lab at the Salk Institute during his undergraduate studies. As a resident, he has focused his scholarly efforts on surgical innovation and outcomes in gynecologic surgery. He continues to develop research ideas at the intersection of surgical outcomes, new procedures and devices, and access to care. He is currently pursuing the goal of urogynecology fellowship, and aims to also perform surgeries in lower resourced global health settings after completing fellowship. Dr. Nookala is particularly interested in the potential for advanced laparoscopic tools to improve surgical outcomes and accessibility in lower-resource or remote global settings. He is committed to advancing the fields of urogynecology and minimally invasive surgery.