What is your hometown?
Orlando, FL & Gainesville, FL
Where did you attend medical school?
Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine — Ft. Smith, Arkansas
What other educational credentials do you have?
B.S. at University of Florida
M.S. at University of South Florida
What are your particular clinical interests?
I have many different clinical interests, but some particular ones are endoscopic procedures, lifestyle medicine, psychiatric/psychosocial determinants, and sports medicine. Although these are unique in their own way, I enjoy procedures and portions of medicine that focus on physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.
Why did you choose Family Medicine?
I have always been interested in Family Medicine since I wanted to be a doctor as a child, but this specialty spoke to me in medical school because of its focus on continuity of care, prevention, and treating the patient as a whole person. While other specialties hyper-focus on a specific area, Family Medicine allows the physician to curate not only a treatment plan, but also a long-lasting relationship that fosters deep trust throughout their lifetime. I also believe that continuity of care allows the physician to truly make an impactful difference because through proceeding follow ups, the physician can follow alongside the patient through their health and psychosocial concerns.
I also believe that medicine is more than just treatments, so preventing disease and creating realistic goals by educating the patient and investing time into their unique lifestyle plans truly flourishes in Family Medicine.
Why did you choose the Little Rock Family Medicine residency program?
The Little Rock Family Medicine program was my top choice because it offered everything I am hoping to gain as a physician. During my two years of clinical rotations in Little Rock in medical school, I got to learn the area of this city and many of the physicians that worked at adjacent hospitals and clinics that graduated from UAMS residencies. Not only were they outstanding teachers, but their competence and confidence in medicine was reassuring, and I knew this institution would offer top-tier training.
I also loved the focus on procedures, the high success of boards pass rate, and focus on well-being and serving the entire community (ie: LGBTQ+, underserved populations, rural, etc).
What are your hobbies and interests outside of medicine?
Some of my hobbies outside of medicine are: Gardening, houseplant collecting/care, watercolor painting, Pilates, weightlifting, and writing blog posts or poetry. Specifically, gardening fruits and vegetables, with some variety of seasonal flowers. For houseplants, I enjoy collecting and tailoring care for aroids and hoyas, although my collection includes all kinds of species and cultivars.
I also love to mentor pre-medical and medical students through writing and sharing my own journey through medicine. Aside from hobbies, I spend my time with my two boy dogs (Bichon Frise and Havachon) at home.