Academic title: Clinical director of the Stanton Road Clinic; assistant professor of internal medicine
Joined the USA College of Medicine faculty: I did a chief year after graduating from the Internal Medicine Residency Program here at South and was offered a position to be the clinical director of Stanton Road Clinic this past year.
What does your position in the USA COM/USA Health entail?
In addition to having my own personal clinic at the Mastin Patient Care Center, I work together with some amazing people to improve quality measures and optimize clinic workflow for our outpatient medicine services. Most days of the week, I also serve as an outpatient attending and assist residents with the care of their patients.
What is your favorite or most rewarding part of your position?
There are too many to count! I would say most of all, I enjoy seeing residents progress throughout their time in this program. Just watching the evolution of a resident from the time they begin up until the day of their graduation and knowing that you played a part in that transition is extremely rewarding. The same can be said for patient care. I love meeting new people, learning their stories and partnering with them to help them lead a healthier, more enjoyable life.
What research or other initiatives are you involved in?
Late in my chief year I began working with an amazing group of people as one of the Internal Medicine representatives to help with the Primary Care Pathway Program within the USA COM. This has been a rewarding experience and I continue to learn a great deal from all involved. Dr. Brian Persing is also leading a group of physicians on a Tobacco Cessation Initiative that I hope to be a part of in the near future. I've also been fortunate to work alongside Allison Helmer, Pharm.D., for the past few months to incorporate continuous glucose monitoring into Stanton Road and we are excited to have our first few patients scheduled for their appointments in August!
What is your advice for medical students?
MSl-MS2 years: Take some time or even meet with an advisor to determine how you learn best. Most students cannot read and remember the insane amounts of information needed, and there are many tools to help determine how you learn most effectively. In general, finding an active learning strategy tends to help the information stick so you can recall it when you need it.
MS3-MS4 years: Try to fully understand the pros and cons of each field (specialty/subspecialty) you rotate through. Ask your preceptor what they like/dislike about their chosen field. Are there any changes they expect in their field of practice in the upcoming years? These are important questions to understand before you make your final decision. Enjoy your time on each rotation as you will likely never get to do some of those things ever again. TRAVEL before starting intern year. Planning a big trip gets much harder once you've started residency.
What are your hobbies/interests outside of work?
If you've met me, you've probably seen pictures of my Boston terriers. You can usually find me at HopHounds playing fetch with them. Otherwise, I enjoy playing/fixing guitars, woodworking and kayaking.
