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Tell us about yourself.
I’m originally from LA. I attended Cornell University, where I studied physics and computer science as an undergraduate and applied physics as a master’s student. My first exposure to medicine was when I joined Cornell’s EMS squad. After graduating from Cornell, I spent four years working as an engineer but realized that I wanted a more hands-on career. Remembering how much I loved EMS, I decided to apply to medical school. I’m now a fifth year at CCLCM staying at MetroHealth/Cleveland Clinic/Case Western Reserve University for emergency medicine residency.
What made you decide to become a physician-researcher?
I wanted a career that enabled me to embrace my engineering background while pursuing my passion for medicine. For example, one thing I worked on before coming to CCLCM was looking at how unsupervised machine learning models could be used to analyze ECGs and detect heart attacks while autonomously improving themselves. While I’m a little bit of an AI and machine learning skeptic, I do think these technologies have the potential to make physicians’ lives easier. It’s been great to have the freedom to explore these possibilities.
Describe your research year project.
I had the privilege of working with Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Value-Based Care Research for my research year. My project focused on a diagnostic tool called the pneumococcal urinary antigen test that has been the subject of debate in the literature. This test is meant to detect infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae, the bacteria responsible for pneumococcal pneumonia. By detecting the specific bacteria responsible for a patient’s pneumonia, physicians can de-escalate from broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment to more targeted drugs. Many physicians, however, are skeptical of the pneumococcal urinary antigen test’s usefulness and the safety of de-escalating antibiotics. Our research showed that the test does in fact increase antibiotic de-escalation but has an exceptionally low positivity rate.
What extracurricular activities and hobbies do you enjoy?
One of my favorite CCLCM extracurricular activities has been volunteering at Bolton Elementary School. I get flustered around kids and often have trouble connecting with them. Teaching science at Bolton allows me to both contribute to the Cleveland community and push myself out of my comfort zone. I’m also a proud member of the Ohio National Guard. During COVID, I ran our detachment’s internal vaccination program, which involved administering about 1,000 vaccines to National Guard soldiers.
My biggest hobby is aviation. My dad was a NASA scientist who built his own plane, so I grew up flying with him. I got my pilot’s license right after graduating college. Since then, I’ve also learned to skydive and even got certified as an instructor, which has allowed me to take a bunch of my classmates skydiving. Being a pilot was especially useful during COVID when social events had to be outside. I would fly classmates out to Put-in-Bay, located on South Bass Island in Lake Erie, and we would camp there. It’s been a joy to share my love for flying with my peers.
What are your plans after graduating from CCLCM?
My most immediate goal is graduating and becoming the best emergency medicine physician I can be. After residency, I plan to deploy with the military to somewhere remote so I can help keep isolated troops and civilians healthy.
I would love to practice medicine somewhere truly extreme, like Antarctica. My ultimate dream is to become a physician astronaut. The most important thing is that I have opportunities to practice medicine out in the field. I love working in the ER, but I don’t want to be confined to the hospital. There’s a whole world of people outside of those walls who need care.
