Where is your hometown?
West Palm Beach, Florida
Where did you attend:
- College/University: University of Florida
- Medical School: NYU School of Medicine
- Residency: NYU School of Medicine
List your Medical and Non-Medical Honors and Awards:
National Merit Scholar, 2011
Summa Cum Laude, 2015, University of Florida
Jan T. and Marica F. Vilcek Scholarship, 2015-2019, NYU School of Medicine
Chief Resident, 2022-2023, NYU School of Medicine
Tell us briefly about your background before embarking on your medical training?
I was born in the Bronx, New York but grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida. My mother is a (now retired) pharmacist and my older sister is a pediatrician, so I received my first exposure to a potential career in healthcare through my immediate family. Growing up, I was very active and participated in numerous sports, and I was initially interested in pursuing a career in physical therapy. However, during my undergraduate studies, while pursuing a Health Science major, I became more fascinated with the function of the human body on the internal level, which led me to apply to medical school. While in medical school and subsequently during Internal Medicine residency, I discovered that gastroenterology was the perfect field for me to combine my passion for patient care, health equity, and procedures.
Outline your career plans in gastroenterology (If you know it at this point in your training)?
At the moment, I am most interested in Inflammatory Bowel Disease as well as general GI. In regard to Inflammatory Bowel Disease, I am most interested in the nutritional status of patients and the weight gain profiles of the various agents utilized to treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease. From a general GI perspective, I am very interested in exploring interventions at the population level targeted at reducing health disparities in colorectal cancer screening.
What were you looking for in a fellowship program?
-Positive culture between fellows and faculty members
-Interaction with a wide range of both general and subspecialty faculty
-Exposure to a wide variety of practice settings (tertiary care center, community hospital, and federal hospital)
What advice might you offer residents looking at fellowship programs?
For many residents, fellowship will be the final stage of their medical training. Compared to residency, fellowship structure (clinical/research time split, subspecialty exposure, etc) tends have a bit more variability between programs. Even though you likely will not have your entire future career path mapped out (and that is okay), it is helpful to be honest with yourself and consider your personal/professional values when choosing a program. We all have factors that matter to us outside of medicine, and it is perfectly fine to also take those into account!
From your experience in fellowship, what have you learned about training at Duke?
Duke offers an academically challenging, diverse training experience where you are afforded the opportunity to learn from outstanding faculty in numerous subspecialties. It is a very tight knight and supportive group of faculty and amazing co-fellows who make coming to work enjoyable despite the clinical rigor.
How is your life in the Triangle area outside of work?
Living in the Triangle has been amazing so far! Although I have only been here for a short time, my wife and I have had the opportunity to explore so many delicious restaurants, meet new people, and are certainly enjoying access to a robust amount of green space.
What is your favorite restaurant in Durham?
So far, it is either Rue Cler or Taqueria La Vaquita but this can change at a moment’s notice!
List your hobbies and interests outside of work?
Biking, jogging, playing (or watching) almost any sport, going on weekend road trips, trying out new restaurants, seeing live music and shows