Academic title: Assistant professor of emergency medicine
Joined the USA College of Medicine faculty: August 2020
What does your position in the USA COM/USA Health entail?
I have several roles at USA. I am one of the moderators for Emergency Medicine Residency Program weekly didactics. I am also the well-being coordinator for the residency – organizing well-being events and education for our residents. Lastly, I am the associate director of wilderness medicine for our department. I help run the wilderness medicine student elective for USA COM fourth-year medical students, our resident elective, and an adventure CME course for local physicians. Oh, and I take care of patients in the emergency department at University Hospital and Children’s & Women’s Hospital!
What is your favorite or most rewarding part of your position?
There are two things that really stand out amongst the many things I love about my job. Firstly, I love taking care of patients on their worst day. There is no other field that impacts so many people during challenging times across such a breadth of medicine. I also love helping residents and students grow. It is so rewarding to coach a learner through a first-time procedure and then watch them do it on their own the next time, or help teach them the art of resuscitation, and ultimately watch them flawlessly run multiple resuscitations at the same time.
What research or other initiatives are you involved in?
I am involved in research on snake envenomations, especially copperheads. I also am involved in curriculum design, both for emergency medicine education and wilderness medicine.
What is your advice for medical students?
Find a niche within whatever specialty you ultimately choose. Taking care of patients day in and day out is rewarding but also can be hard. If you have an area of interest you can pursue outside of patient care, that can help you recharge and make your life even more enjoyable.
What are your hobbies/interests outside of work?
I enjoy backpacking, hiking, hunting and fishing. I also love cooking and eating new foods, and I dabble in bread baking.
