What year are you and where are you from?
I am an MS2 from Chicago, Illinois.
What motivates you to become a doctor?
In undergrad, I studied classics and spent a lot of time thinking about the core of what it means to be human. Medicine is a field where you have the privilege of being with people through both life-defining and quotidian moments. It unites intellectual rigor with empathy and makes for a challenging and exciting life of service to others.
What do you like most about Pitt Medicine?
The flex weeks have been amazing opportunities to try out different medical specialties way before the clerkship year. I was exposed to anatomic and pediatric pathology, threw a few sutures during a week in urology and brushed up on my medical Spanish. I was so impressed that faculty go out of their way to create these educational experiences and that they really take the time to mentor first- and second-year medical students.
Do you have any areas of interest? What are your career aspirations?
I am keeping my mind open, but I am interested in pathology and surgery. Through the Klionsky Summer Research Fellowship offered by the Department of Pathology, I conducted dermatopathology research on digital measurement accuracy in malignant melanoma—it was a blast! I would like to stay in academic medicine and enjoy a balance of clinical work, teaching, mentorship and research.
Tell me some fun facts!
- I love volunteering at the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History and giving virtual art tours to blind and low-vision visitors through the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
- My outdoor hobbies include rollerblading, rugby and intramural soccer. I also enjoy needlepointing and watching University Challenge.
- My undergraduate thesis was on a mummy portrait from Greco-Roman Egypt in the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures at the University of Chicago.