Hello, everyone! I am originally from northern New Jersey, but more recently from California, where I’ve lived since graduating from Stanford in 2006. I majored in marine ecology, and spent a glorious, muddy year after graduation working at an environmental education non-profit in San Francisco, where I taught small children about the ocean from the deck of a 90-foot boat. I then moved to Santa Barbara to begin graduate school at UCSB, where I studied fisheries biology and sustainable approaches to fisheries management. Along the way, I realized just how much I missed working with children and the personal connections I’d made while teaching.
As I came to understand the types of work I found most fulfilling, I began to reconsider my career path. I first began exploring medicine through shadowing and volunteering, and eventually wound up working closely with a local pediatrician for over a year. Seeing the longitudinal relationships she developed with patients and their families was critical in cementing my desire to become a physician—and also sparked my interest in primary care!
I’m thrilled to be here at UVA, and have been utterly and completely impressed with the wonderful experiences and mentoring opportunities that the GSP has afforded me in these first few months. In the future, I plan to practice as a general pediatrician, hopefully in a community health setting. I also still love to teach, and hope that I can incorporate working with students into my future practice in some way. Outside of school, I enjoy running, cooking, being outside—especially at the beach—and spending time with my family and friends.