Start Year: 2022

Where is your hometown?

Oyster Bay, NY

Where did you attend:

College/University: Stanford University
Medical School: University of Pennsylvania
Residency: University of Pennsylvania 

List your Medical and Non-Medical Honors and Awards:

• Gold Humanism Honor Society Member
• 2022 Richard P. Shannon Resident Award for Outstanding Leadership in Quality and Safety                                   

Fellow Perspective

Tell us briefly about your background before embarking on your medical training:

I grew up in Oyster Bay with 2 younger sisters, parents in medicine, and a beloved dog. I initially contemplated a career as a biology researcher and to that end, did research at CSHL in high school on epigenetics in plants. In college, I was drawn back towards health care and explored global public health with a focus on equity and access to health care through the Human Biology major and through research in Cape Town. Throughout this exploration I continued to volunteer at a free health clinic and realized that I truly loved practicing medicine and building direct relationships with patients, so applied to medical school where I discovered quality improvement, and realized I could use this methodology to try to improve equity and access to care. In residency, I worked on a QI project to reduce CRC screening disparity in resident primary care patient panels.

Please outline your career plans in gastroenterology (if you know at this point in your training):

I would like to continue quality improvement work within GI, hopefully with continued focus on reducing disparities in care. I'm debating general vs. luminal GI. In residency, I did some research on Eosinophilic Esophagitis and began to explore the field of esophagology. I feel really lucky to be at a program that is strong across the board so I can continue to explore the subspecialties of luminal GI.

What advice might you offer residents looking at fellowship programs?

It's easy to get caught up in the interview and match process, but make sure you're prioritizing programs that truly fit your needs (both professional and personal).

What were you looking for in a fellowship program?

• Positive culture among GI fellows and the broader GI department
• Strong culture of mentorship
• Breadth and depth of GI program with a balance of generalists and subspecialists
• Opportunity to do quality improvement (with mentorship)

From your experience in fellowship, what have you learned about training at Duke?

I have the most amazing co-fellows who are always stepping up for each other and who make coming to work a lot of fun. I've also learned our program administrators supply us with great snacks (shout out to Jill's kind bar bowl).

How is your life in the Triangle area outside of work?

The quality of life here is incredible. My husband and I have 2 big dogs and are so grateful for all the green space and hiking around here.

What is your favorite restaurant in Durham?

Too soon to say since we just moved here, but I loved Foster's Market for brunch, KoKyu for takeout, and Plum Southern Kitchen & Bar for nicer dinner.

Tell us about you interests and hobbies outside of medicine?

Hiking, biking, tennis, hanging with our 2 dogs, BBQ/potlucks with friends, reading (especially historical fiction and mystery) when I'm able to make more time

Professional social media sites:

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