Arman Fakharian is completing his third year of medical school this month, then will step out of the classroom and clinic to spend a year doing research in urology.
Arman Fakharian aspires to research different aspects of urology so he can help future patients as a reconstructive urologist.
These models are created with the help of a specialized 3D-bioprinter that uses soft, gel-like materials to “print” structures resembling the environment inside the human body. By placing a patient’s cancer cells into these 3D-printed models, the team can test how the tumor responds to chemotherapy drugs before the patient undergoes surgery. The ultimate goal is to better understand how each person's cancer behaves, and help doctors choose the most effective treatments for each individual.
Although his research project is not connected to gender health, Fakharian sees a wonderful opportunity to immerse himself in urology before applying for residency.
“When I came to UC Davis I knew I wanted to do research,” Fakharian said. “I want to learn about all these different aspects of urology so I can help my future patients.”
Personal experience drives career decision
Fakharian, who was born and raised in Iran and later moved to Los Angeles, grew up facing a deeply personal identity issue that was difficult to express at a young age. Fakharian was assigned female at birth, but never felt right in the body he was born in.
“I was constantly irritated and annoyed,” Fakharian said.
After graduating from high school and before entering UCLA for undergraduate studies, Fakharian came to a realization: “I can’t keep going like this.” With parental support, and the university’s health insurance plan, Fakharian underwent fertility preservation, started hormones and spent the next two summers in gender-affirming surgeries.
By the time Fakharian got to the UC Davis School of Medicine in 2022, he had become what he always wanted — a young man. And, now, he is eager to learn reconstructive urology to perform gender-affirming surgeries for trans youth.
“When I had my first stage of the three stages of bottom surgery, I remember feeling like, what my surgeon did for me was give me my life,” Fakharian said. “I want to do that for other people because of the effect it has on you psychologically, emotionally.”
He’s grateful for enrolling at UC Davis because of the school’s steadfast commitment to diversity and inclusion. “I’ll be safe and comfortable here,” he thought during the application process. On top of that, he was itching to volunteer in the student-run Gender Health Center.
Much-needed funding for a non-traditional student researcher
Fakharian is on a fairly unique, self-created research track.
Typically, students inclined to spend a year in research are part of the school’s M.D./Ph.D. or ARC-MD pathways, both of which take more than four years to complete. Fakharian, however, enrolled as a traditional four-year student who belongs to neither track. Yet he was so enthused about getting into research that he decided to pause his regular studies for a year without even knowing how to afford the extra year of living expenses.
That’s when he applied for, and received, the scholarship, commonly known as the DTOC grant.
“I’m very, very thankful,” Fakharian said. “This grant is really making it possible to give me the time and funding to do research, to learn the things I dream of doing.”
Fakharian’s mentors are looking forward to his research year.
“Arman is a motivated, hardworking medical student who has been proactive about his interest in urology and in clinical research,” said Chandrasekar.
“He has already collaborated with me on clinical projects and even presented some of his work at our institutional UC Davis Urology research symposium. He finishes clinical projects and remains easy to work with,” Chandrasekar added.
Arman Fakharian is eager to provide the kind of gender-affirming care he received from his surgeons a few years ago. “I want to do that for other people because of the effect it has on you psychologically, emotionally.”
Who was Daniel T. O’Connor?
Daniel T. O’Connor was a 1974 UC Davis medical school graduate who spent his career at UC San Diego. He was an internationally known physician-scientist for his research into hypertension and renal disease. During his career, O’Connor published more than 400 original articles in major, peer-reviewed journals, covering research that spanned basic biochemistry through clinical trials.
He trained medical students, residents, fellows and junior faculty who moved into successful careers in pharmacology, biotechnology, nephrology and other areas of academic medicine.
His widow Kellie Evans-O’Connor bestows the DTOC grant — which provides a stipend and health insurance — to a UC Davis medical student each year.
The award supports high-quality translational work that emphasizes a multi-disciplinary, collaborative, “bench to bedside” approach to developing new treatments and therapies.
“Arman Fakharian was selected for the Daniel T. O’Connor, M.D., Memorial Research Grant based on his excellent research proposal, his academic achievements and his history of service to the community at UC Davis,” said Saul Schaefer, a professor of internal medicine who oversees the medical school’s student research efforts.
“This record of achievement, as well as his goal to become an academic urologist specializing in reconstructive urology,” Schaefer said, “makes him an outstanding candidate for this award.”
