What are you doing professionally now?

• I am currently a Neurointensivist at Emory University Hospital and Grady Memorial Hospital. I enjoy teaching our medical students, residents and fellows daily as a part of my clinical practice!

SOMG Graduation Year? 

• 2017

Any personal life updates or big milestones since graduating?

• In addition to completing my residency in Neurology at Emory, followed by a fellowship in Neurocritical Care, my wife and I welcomed our son this past summer! We have been having so much fun exploring parenthood with this wonderful addition to our family!

Best memory of your time at SOMG?

• I have so many great memories from my time in medical school. Those moments of palpable excitement stand out the most: standing as a class outside the anatomy lab for the first time waiting for Dr. Williams to open the doors; the final minutes before an exam trying to stuff one last bit of knowledge in with your study group; walking into the hospital as a third year for our first clinical rotations; and of course, opening the envelope on Match Day. Each moment became progressively better over time, as it was no longer your classmates you were sharing those moments with, but your life-long friends. 

How did your time at SOMG prepare you for where you are today?

• Looking back, I realize how much of what I learned at SOMG is embedded in my daily practice. Naturally, medical knowledge is important, but the "extras" from SOMG really stand out. Our EMT shifts and code-simulations helped me to remain calm in the stressful situations I encounter daily in the ICU. The immersive lectures with real patients and OSCEs on delivering bad news helped me develop the passion I have for palliation, especially in the ICU. The smaller class size and setting within the hospital on campus allowed me opportunities to work alongside attendings and gain practical clinical experiences many don't get until residency. 

What person, course, or experience most influenced you while at SOMG?

• The family-like environment of SOMG that really turned your professors into peers and friends was the key to my success. Dr. Shanna Williams brought excitement to learning in a way I never thought possible, and something I still to this day try to capture and model in my own teaching. Dr. Paul Catalana taught me the importance of mentorship and modeled the ideal role a mentor can hold for medical trainees at any stage across any specialty. Of course, clinically Dr. Sandip Jain and Dr. Chris Troup showed me the hope that I have for treating the most severe of neurologic disorders.