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Your academic career started with engineering. Tell us more.
I attended Case Western Reserve University as a biomedical engineer and quickly fell in love with neural engineering and the many ways it was applied to help patients. After graduating, I took two gap years and had the opportunity to work in neural engineering labs at Cleveland Clinic and the VA. However, I yearned for a more personal role in patient care to balance with the lab work, which drove me toward a career as a physician-scientist. I’m now applying for neurosurgery residency and am excited to continue applying lessons from that background as a surgeon-scientist.
You emphasized that mentorship was an important component of your medical education experience.
The mentorship that I’ve received at CCLCM has been outstanding. The support CCLCM offers, from admin to faculty and peer leaders, is stellar. They do a great job of connecting you with the people and career paths that you’re interested in and get you involved early on and often to learn about yourself as a future physician.
What drew you to CCLCM?
To be honest, CCLCM was always at the top of my list. The program does a terrific job of combining the clinical and research worlds in just the right amount. The problem-based learning groups and small class size really emphasize the close-knit community that everyone here loves. The Lerner College does a good job of encouraging social connections, and I have lasting friendships to show for it.
Tell us about your experience starting two electives.
I helped to co-found two electives: the Sonography of Anatomy and Physical Diagnosis course and the Machine Learning in Healthcare elective. It’s been a truly rewarding experience to work with my mentors on these projects from the start and see how they have come to fruition and continue to grow. Also, as someone passionate about medical education, I’ve loved teaching these courses and learning from the students and seeing them grow!
Your engineering background played a role in your research project. Tell us more.
I devised a back-end system for continuous patient quality-of-life monitoring. Using systems engineering concepts, we were able to identify novel ways to detect patients who may be declining after surgery so we can intervene earlier and hopefully improve their long-term quality of life.
What advice do you wish you had received prior to starting the program?
Learn when to say yes and no to new opportunities. CCLCM presents you with so many impactful opportunities, it can sometimes be challenging to find a single focus as you also form your professional identity. Finding which opportunities excite you most (whether one or many) and prioritizing them can help you make a diverse impact, while also staying focused on achieving those lofty goals CCLCM is so helpful in making happen.
You’re earning a master’s degree as well as a medical degree. What has that experience been like?
I'm in the Clinical Research Scholars master’s program, and much of the coursework involves statistics, epidemiology and designing clinical trials. During my gap years, I helped start a company in Cleveland for individuals with bladder incontinence. After my coursework, I was able to better help design a pivotal clinical trial to test our device, which was an incredible experience, applying lessons from the master's program. I am very thankful for the faculty in this program and highly recommend it!
While in the program, you’ve received two research grants for brain cancer research. Tell us more.
I received funding through Case Western Reserve University to research laser interstitial thermal therapy, which is a novel form of treating glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain tumor. I was also awarded the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) Grant to investigate novel synaptic interactions between a healthy brain and glioblastoma that may lead to disease progression.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about applying to the program?
Think about your goals and how you can achieve them at Lerner. Talk to people about how you can succeed, and you’ll find your way. It’s a small program with a family feel and many proud alumni willing to teach and coach you toward your goals, so don’t be afraid to ask questions!
How do you spend your free time?
I enjoy spending time with my wife and our friends and family. I also enjoy playing guitar, running/lifting and watching sports.
Fun fact?
I took six years of Chinese language classes in high school and have had the opportunity to visit China twice. To this day, I love learning about the history and customs of cultures different from my own.
