What is your background and what attracted you to medicine and ultimately ENT?
I am the first physician in my family, so it was a big decision to go to medical school. I wanted to work in a field where I could care for others. I also wanted to spend my career working in the sciences, and medicine was my greatest interest. I was drawn to ENT since I loved head and neck anatomy in medical school, and it seemed familiar since my mom is a speech therapist. When I was a child, she worked at my elementary school, so I got to experience her working with pediatric patients that had speech delays caused by hearing loss and cleft palates. My early life experiences helped me choose to care for patients with head and neck pathologies.
What do you enjoy most about this field and why?
I enjoy taking care of head and neck cancer patients. I am lucky to now have the opportunity to undertake facial plastics fellowship training with an emphasis on head and neck microvascular reconstruction at Oregon Health Sciences University. My greatest interests lie in learning the complex technical aspects of microvascular reconstruction and the creative new techniques used to reconstruct complex head and neck defects.
What attracted you to a residency at Washington University?
The strength of the surgical training, outstanding faculty with expertise in every sub-specialty in ENT, and high academic standards, drew me to seek residency training at WashU. I was also drawn to the multitude of research opportunities available. The program is large, and there are new opportunities to develop your skills as a resident every year.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I enjoy getting out and about in St. Louis. Prior to the pandemic, I loved going downtown to Cardinals games. Union station is one of my favorite areas of St. Louis with the Ferris wheel and aquarium. In the summertime, I like visiting the St. Louis Arch and downtown museums.