Start Year: 2019

Where is your hometown?

Grosse Pointe, MI

Where did you attend:

College/University: University of Michigan
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Residency: Duke
GI Fellowship: Duke 

List your Medical and Non-Medical Honors and Awards:

• 2021 American Liver Foundation - Southeast Academic Debates Winner
• 2020 Chief Resident for the Duke Internal Medicine Program
• 2016 Alpha Omega Alpha - Co-President of the Tufts University School of Medicine Chapter
• 2016 William Dameshek Award in Internal Medicine - Tufts University School of Medicine
• 2016 Glasgow-Rubin Citation for Academic Achievement - AMWA
• 2012 James B. Angell Scholar Award - University of Michigan Honors Convocation
• 2012 Mary "Pete" Hartwig Female All-Around Athlete Award - University of Michigan                                   

Fellow Perspective

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

I am originally from the Detroit area and grew up playing soccer, running cross country, and while at the University of Michigan I was captain of the women’s boxing team. Sports have always been my passion and I continue to play soccer with many of my GI co-fellows.

Please outline your career plans in gastroenterology/txp hepatology:

I am currently doing a combined GI/Transplant Hepatology third year of fellowship. I am aiming for a career as an academic hepatologist with a focus on medical education and alcoholic liver disease. 

What advice might you offer residents looking at fellowship programs?

Look at the tone that the program director sets. Is he/she inclusive? Kind? Approachable? Does the GI division prioritize fellows and their education? I personally feel that the leadership of a program can often set a vibe that trickles down to all of the faculty and fellows.

What were you looking for in a fellowship program?

When I was looking at fellowship programs, I knew I wanted to train at a place where the faculty were approachable and dedicated to teaching, and my fellowship felt like a family. I wanted to make sure I was at a top tier program that gave me opportunities to learn multiple areas within GI, because at that time I wasn’t sure what my specialty would be. I wanted a place where the fellows did a large number of procedures and had the opportunity to learn more advanced procedures if desired. Duke GI fit all of those needs and more.

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

Duke is an incredibly unique and rewarding place to train. From a procedure standpoint, we do way more procedures during fellowship than most other training programs and we have the chance to train at the VA (with Olympus equipment) as well as multiple Duke inpatient and outpatient locations (with Pentax equipment). All Duke fellows feel more than confident in their procedural skills at the end of residency. For me, I was comfortable doing a fast-track fellowship in Transplant Hepatology as my third year because I had done so many procedures up until this point. Duke is also a unique place to train because of the leadership. Our GI Division chief has supported the fellowship for many years and has a passion in medical education. Our Program Director has worked to create a Duke Family feel for the fellowship that is supportive, and always prioritizes education over anything else. Lastly, Duke is a rapidly growing powerhouse GI program with specialties in IBD, Esophagus, Pancreas, Small Bowel, Third Space Endoscopy, and Transplant Hepatology and more. We have experts in nearly all fields of gastroenterology and hepatology and the faculty here are unparalleled.

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

The Triangle is an amazing place to live. My husband and I bought a house with nearly a half-acre of land only 10 minutes from the hospital. Durham is a “dog and baby friendly” place that gives the vibe of “old tobacco warehouse turned into brewery” vibe. We live walking distance to a state park with trails for hiking and a river. Durham provides TONS of nightlife and fun things to do both for singles and families.

What is your favorite restaurant in Durham?

Nana Steak!

Tell us about you interests and hobbies outside of medicine?

I play on a soccer team every week with one of my co-GI fellows. I also love board games, breweries, and spending time with my hilariously opinionated 2-year-old.

Professional social media sites:

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