I am currently a senior fellow in the University of Washington's Department of Neurology. I spend about half of my time seeing patients at the Memory & Brain Wellness Center I am also working with NeuroLex Laboratories, an amazing company using voice analytics to identify disease. My path here has been what the medical community tends to label as "non-traditional". I decided on psychiatry residency training while in medical school for several reasons (see here for more). I subsequently entered a movement disorder and behavioral neurology training program through the University of Washington and the Veterans Administration. This was an avenue for me to attain my long time goal of caring for patients with neurodegenerative disorders (e.g. Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, etc.). Specifically, I have trained to be an expert in diagnosing and treating those who have somewhat rarer types of these disease which may require a more in-depth approach to understanding and correctly identifying. Many of these diseases have variable symptoms and overlap with each other and can be particularly challenging to identify (e.g. early-onset Alzheimer's Disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, etc.)
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 studied electrical and computer engineering and computer science in a rigorous program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which unfortunately did not leave much room for fun outside of the classroom. I spent a short while in systems engineering, working for The US Navy, and my experience as a patient with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma right after college 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 wondered about being on the other side. I decided by going to medical school and becoming a physician engineer, I could feed my appetite for solving technical and systems problems while also maintaining close contact with those I serve.
In medical school, I spent significant time time working with others to organize and improve the local free clinics by establishing the Worcester Free Clinics Coalition. I worked during 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. I also enjoyed teaching yoga and other integrative medicine modalities for patients at the cancer center, supporting a child with cancer through the UMASS sidekicks program, 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. 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 clinical duties in Seattle, I am involved with local organic farming and forestry work by maintaining a large vegetable garden and restoring the wildlife habitat and native plant species along the Burke-Gilman Trail, running, and tennis. I am dedicated to expanding my understanding of wellness through nutrition and cooking, social engagement, travel, exercise, reading, and meditation; including activities which combine all of these elements such as my time at Kripalu.
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 studied electrical and computer engineering and computer science in a rigorous program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which unfortunately did not leave much room for fun outside of the classroom. I spent a short while in systems engineering, working for The US Navy, and my experience as a patient with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma right after college 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 wondered about being on the other side. I decided by going to medical school and becoming a physician engineer, I could feed my appetite for solving technical and systems problems while also maintaining close contact with those I serve.
In medical school, I spent significant time time working with others to organize and improve the local free clinics by establishing the Worcester Free Clinics Coalition. I worked during 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. I also enjoyed teaching yoga and other integrative medicine modalities for patients at the cancer center, supporting a child with cancer through the UMASS sidekicks program, 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. 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 clinical duties in Seattle, I am involved with local organic farming and forestry work by maintaining a large vegetable garden and restoring the wildlife habitat and native plant species along the Burke-Gilman Trail, running, and tennis. I am dedicated to expanding my understanding of wellness through nutrition and cooking, social engagement, travel, exercise, reading, and meditation; including activities which combine all of these elements such as my time at Kripalu.
"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
