I am currently a resident physician at University of Washington in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences transitioning to being a fellow in the Department of Neurology in their Movement Disorders Fellowship. I am also a core member of the BRiTE Center here at UW. I enjoy affiliations with the UW eScience Institute and the Institute for Neuroengineering. I am also working with NeuroLex, an amazing new company using speech analytics to identify disease. My path here has been what the medical community tends to label as "non-traditional". I decided on psychiatry while in medical school for several reasons (see here for more). I plan to practice as a neuropsychiatrist after specialty training in psychiatry, movement disorders, and cognitive disorders.
I entered medical school after some wandering, not having a clue I would be there five years after finishing college. I am grateful for the diverse experiences I was privileged with prior to matriculating. I spent a short while in systems engineering, working for The US Navy, and my experience as a patient with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma soon led me to look further. I ended up finding myself in basic science and imaging research, eventually leading to a graduate degree in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins. I went on to do a research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital with the radiology department where I enjoyed an active and supportive research environment. I developed a novel device to measure metabolism of the lower leg muscles during exercise with MRI. This project was so rewarding I realized solving medical problems with engineering was where I wanted to be. During that fellowship I also supported several clinical studies and that's where I began to experience the doctor-patient relationship I had read about, experienced, and admired. I decided by going to medical school and becoming a physician scientist, I could feed my appetite for solving problems from the core and improving systems while also maintaining close contact with those I serve.
In medical school I spent significant time time working with others to improve the local free clinics (checkout a project I worked on for the bulk of medical school with VecnaCares, which allowed me to stay involved at the intersection of technology and medicine by designing, testing, and implementing an electronic health record), teaching yoga and other integrative medicine modalities for patients at the cancer center, hanging out with my sidekick, reading for pleasure, and writing.
Now I spend my time trying to strike balance between my research, clinical duties, and other commitments in my life, including those to myself and my community. It's the hardest engagement I've undertaken and the most rewarding. I often find myself relearning some old lessons and learning some new ones, too. I enjoy bringing laughter to both patients and colleagues. I often will highlight behavior in myself and others lightheartedly as means of safely connecting while also gaining attention in our increasingly distracting world. I use humor to challenge myself and others to bring awareness to the present moment.
Outside of work in Seattle, I am involved with local organic farming (caring for my own community garden space), community and public-sector medicine, and enjoying the close proximity to so many outdoor adventures. I am dedicated to expanding my understanding of nutrition and exercise and their role in a healthy lifestyle through practice (with long distractions, too), and often, experimentation by cooking with local foods, improving posture and form, or stepping into a new and often initially, uncomfortable experience (e.g. my time at Kripalu). During my breaks in schedule you will almost always find me traveling somewhere, no matter how close or far.
I entered medical school after some wandering, not having a clue I would be there five years after finishing college. I am grateful for the diverse experiences I was privileged with prior to matriculating. I spent a short while in systems engineering, working for The US Navy, and my experience as a patient with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma soon led me to look further. I ended up finding myself in basic science and imaging research, eventually leading to a graduate degree in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins. I went on to do a research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital with the radiology department where I enjoyed an active and supportive research environment. I developed a novel device to measure metabolism of the lower leg muscles during exercise with MRI. This project was so rewarding I realized solving medical problems with engineering was where I wanted to be. During that fellowship I also supported several clinical studies and that's where I began to experience the doctor-patient relationship I had read about, experienced, and admired. I decided by going to medical school and becoming a physician scientist, I could feed my appetite for solving problems from the core and improving systems while also maintaining close contact with those I serve.
In medical school I spent significant time time working with others to improve the local free clinics (checkout a project I worked on for the bulk of medical school with VecnaCares, which allowed me to stay involved at the intersection of technology and medicine by designing, testing, and implementing an electronic health record), teaching yoga and other integrative medicine modalities for patients at the cancer center, hanging out with my sidekick, reading for pleasure, and writing.
Now I spend my time trying to strike balance between my research, clinical duties, and other commitments in my life, including those to myself and my community. It's the hardest engagement I've undertaken and the most rewarding. I often find myself relearning some old lessons and learning some new ones, too. I enjoy bringing laughter to both patients and colleagues. I often will highlight behavior in myself and others lightheartedly as means of safely connecting while also gaining attention in our increasingly distracting world. I use humor to challenge myself and others to bring awareness to the present moment.
Outside of work in Seattle, I am involved with local organic farming (caring for my own community garden space), community and public-sector medicine, and enjoying the close proximity to so many outdoor adventures. I am dedicated to expanding my understanding of nutrition and exercise and their role in a healthy lifestyle through practice (with long distractions, too), and often, experimentation by cooking with local foods, improving posture and form, or stepping into a new and often initially, uncomfortable experience (e.g. my time at Kripalu). During my breaks in schedule you will almost always find me traveling somewhere, no matter how close or far.
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and endless plans: That the moment one definitely commits oneself then providence moves, too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never have otherwise occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it! Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
