Start Year: 2021

Basics

Hometown
Los Angeles, California

Where did you attend college/university?
Stanford University

Where did you attend medical school?
Columbia University

What other degrees do you hold?
M.S. Narrative Medicine, Columbia University

What are your career goals?
I am passionate about health disparities, specifically how discrimination and poverty impact health outcomes. I also love cardiology and my most meaningful experiences have been working in the slums of India. Therefore, I see myself combining all my interests and working at the intersection of global health, cardiology and health disparities.

Reflections on the Duke Program

What were you looking for in a residency program?
I was struck by not just Duke’s incredible program, but also the incredibly kind, smart, and wholesome family of residents and faculty. In addition, I was excited by the vast amount of work being done at the intersection of global health, health disparities and cardiology.

What are the strengths of the Duke Program?
The strengths of the Duke Program truly lies in its #Dukefam. The people here are not only incredibly intelligent, but they are incredibly grounded in caring for others.

What are your observations about the relationships between faculty and house staff?
The faculty have been incredibly supportive and encouraging from day one of residency. There is always someone you can reach out to for any sort of concern. The #Dukefam is not only made of the house staff, but also includes faculty.

 Tell us about your co-residents. What has helped you connect, support each other, and form friendships?
I was surprised by how easy and quickly we connected. When my car broke down within the first week of residency, many of my co-residents offered to help, which was incredibly heartwarming. I am truly very excited to spend the next few years developing lifelong relationships with my co-residents.

What has surprised you most about Duke?
I believe what has surprised me the most is how much of a team, family, everyone is within Duke. From nurses, to PAs, students, senior residents, fellows, and attendings, everyone works together without barriers to make sure patients are not only cared and treated for their illnesses, but also respected as individuals.

About Duke University and Durham

 What is the best thing about living in Durham and the Triangle?
Coming from New York and Los Angeles, I did not realize the numerous vegetarian food options throughout Durham and the Triangle. And the absolute best part of Durham is that there is never any traffic on the roads, which is amazing!

How does the Triangle appeal to people of diverse backgrounds?
Because the Triangle is a hub of many institutions and offices, it attracts a diverse young community. There are restaurants that serve a wide variety of cultural foods, which represents how diverse the area is.

Where did you choose to live and why?
My husband and I couples matched to Duke and because we only have one car among the two of us, we chose to live in an apartment that is around 5 minutes from the hospital!

What advice would you give to someone looking to move to Durham?
I would tell them to look into housing as soon as they can because the market can be very competitive here. I would tell them that having a car is a necessity, but also makes getting groceries a lot easier (compared to having to carry them on public transportation)!

What are your interests outside of medicine?
I love reading fiction, painting, writing fiction, and spending time with friends and family!