Start Year: 2022
Education and Training
College/University
University of Virginia
Medical School
Virginia Commonwealth University
Residency
Duke University Hospital
Fellow Perspective
Tell us briefly about your background before fellowship?
I was born and raised in Winter Park, Florida. I moved to Virginia to study biomedical engineering at the University of Virginia, and following my undergraduate studies worked as a technology consultant for Deloitte. During this time, I also worked on a medical device startup in the blood sampling space, which was eventually sold to BD. I was drawn to cardiology by its technical nature, along with it's close interaction with medical devices. Throughout medical school at VCU and residency at Duke, I worked on clinical research studying LVADs, Total Artificial Hearts, and ICDs.
What are your career plans in cardiology?
I plan to pursue a career in academic cardiology, with specialty focus in electrophysiology. Outside of clinical medicine, I plant to continue working on medical devices to advance technologies within the space.
Why did you choose Duke for your fellowship training?
Duke serves as a tertiary care center covering North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; with this, cardiology fellows have first hand exposure to a breadth and depth of pathologies not seen at many institutions. Further, Duke provides fellows with dedicated time in our 3rd year to work on academic research and medical technologies, allowing us to shape our future careers in technology, and create leaders in the field of Cardiology. Finally and most importantly, as soon as you arrive at Duke, you become part of the 'Duke Family', which will be the foundation of your support for a career in Cardiology.
What advice might you offer residents looking at fellowship programs?
Figure out your long term goal in Cardiology (e.g. medical leadership, research, medical devices, academics, or clinical care alone), and find the program that will best support those pursuits. For myself, Duke offered the perfect environment to start a career in academics and medical devices!
What do you enjoy doing in the Triangle area outside of work?
In the RTP region, my family and I enjoy hiking in nearby state and national parks, exploring Durham's rich and diverse food scene, travelling on weekends to the mountains of Asheville (2 hours) or the beach (2 hours), exploring breweries, and sampling NC Barbeque. Further we love being in a region with 4 equal and beautiful seasons!