Start Year: 2024
Basics
Hometown
Madison, WI
Where did you attend university/college?
UCLA
Where did you attend medical school?
Duke University
Where did you attend residency?
Washington University in St. Louis
Fellow Perspective
Tell us briefly about your background before cardiology fellowship.
After studying Human Biology and Society at UCLA, I worked for a neurosurgeon for a year and taught yoga prior to coming to med school. My path to cardiology was a bit non-linear - I loved surgery and thought I was going to be a surgeon until I did an Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant elective as a fourth-year med student. I loved all the hemodynamics and MCS, and my experience in the CICU in residency helped me further realize that I loved cardiology. I served for a year as a chief resident at WashU in St. Louis before coming back to Duke for cardiology fellowship.
What are your career plans in cardiology?
Academic cardiology with a focus in Cardiac critical care, advanced heart failure and transplant, and/or cardio-obstetrics
Why did you choose Duke for your cardiology fellowship training?
World class faculty, the world's most amazing co-fellows, and a program that offers both strong general training as well as in all of the fields I'm interested in potentially pursuing. I know can be hard to tell via the virtual interview, but the camaraderie between fellows and between the faculty and fellows at Duke is genuine, and the people are really what makes this place great. From the first week of fellowship, the faculty seemed excited to get to know us and are always happy to have you ask for help or reach out to discuss a challenging case. My class of fellows is particularly close, which makes even the challenging parts of fellowship worthwhile.
What advice might you offer residents looking at fellowship programs?
Go to a place where you feel completely supported asking for help, because you will definitely need to ask for help in fellowship. Having an idea of what you want to do with your career is helpful to ensure you'll be in a place with ample opportunity for training in that field, but it is also ok if your interests evolve and change during fellowship. Finally, the other life things (proximity to family, your partner's job, being in a place you enjoy living) matter too and are a big part of your quality of life. Don't be afraid to take these things into account in making your list, and look for a place that is willing to support you in all those other life things.
What do you enjoy doing in the Triangle area outside of work?
Running/walking on the American Tobacco Trail, hiking in the nearby state parks, Duke basketball games, trying new restaurants, Durham Bulls games, the Duke Gardens, visiting the Asheville or the Outer Banks for a weekend getaway, and eating Maple View Farms Ice Cream.