About Me

I am a medical student at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. I currently conduct research on head and neck free flap management, surgical outcomes after neoadjuvant immunotherapy, surgical and patient-facing technology, and patient-centered surgical consent forms. I also volunteer as a student clinician/coordinator at Shade Tree Free Clinic, health educator for previously incarcerated individuals, and mentor for children affected by gun violence.

I graduated from Johns Hopkins University in December 2021 with a B.A. in Biophysics and a Minor in Bioethics. At Johns Hopkins Hospital, I worked at the Wilmer Eye Institute’s mobile free clinic and the Disability Health Research Center. As an undergraduate student, I taught an Organic Chemistry Lab section as a teaching assistant and conducted basic science cancer research for three years at the Institute for NanoBioTechnology. Additionally, I led my IRB-approved study called Peer Influence on Vaping in High Schools as well as two COVID-19 research projects on health website accessibility and restrictive policies in fragile Middle Eastern countries. I also volunteered in a hospice center to help provide palliative care to terminally ill children.

During the six months before medical school, I continued working at Johns Hopkins Hospital as a research coordinator in the Department of Pediatrics. I led research projects on parents’ trust in messengers of COVID-19-related information, children’s early determinants of illness, and primary care being central to improving both health equity and civic engagement. I also worked as a Postbaccalaureate fellow in NIDA’s Technology and Translational Research Unit, where I helped leverage natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to identify stigmatizing social media discussions about substance use.

Throughout my medical journey, I aspire to continue becoming a better person through each of my patients as well as spearheading surgical outcomes research, medical technology innovation, and advocacy for equitable healthcare and patients’ rights.

Gilman Hall, Johns Hopkins University

Nashville, TN