“I entered Internal Medicine residency knowing that the only subspecialty I wasn’t interested in was Oncology. Life is funny in that way - you think you have a plan and then it changes! After my rotation on our inpatient Oncology service I realized that I enjoyed taking care of patients with cancer. I observed how strong the bond was between these patients and their outpatient oncology team and knew that I wanted that kind of patient-physician relationship in my future career. I enjoyed the challenge of determining how cancer was contributing to their admission - was it the direct cause, was it the treatment causing their hospital problem, or was it unrelated? It required a strong foundation in Internal Medicine to provide exceptional care. I then scheduled outpatient Oncology clinics, which solidified my decision to pursue oncology as a career.

In the outpatient setting I was really able to appreciate that patient-physician bond. I also enjoyed the variety of patient scenarios - taking care of a patient who was critically ill in one room and then a patient who was cured in the next. I realized that oncologists are there for patients during a terrifying and challenging time in their life and I wanted to be the person who took care of them during that time. Though I gave a list of reasons above, one of the main reasons I chose oncology was my dad. He died from lung cancer when I was 17. I still remember his oncologist. Though I entered residency thinking that the loss of him would make it too hard, I think what it actually did was make me a better oncologist. I listen, I’m more empathetic, and I’m passionate because of what I went through alongside my dad. I’m also inspired by how much the treatment of lung cancer has changed since 2007. It’s one of the other things I love about Oncology - there’s no field in medicine that changes as quickly. It’s also why I do research here at UIHC - to change the lives of future patients with cancer.”