Undergrad Institution; Degree and Major:
1995 - University of Chicago, BS in Biochemistry
Medical School:
1999 - Harvard
In practice since:
2005. From 2005-2010, I was an attending in the US Army. I joined Emory in 2010.
Your Specialty:
General Cardiology
Where and for how many years did you train AFTER medical school:
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6 years
How did you choose your specialty?
I loved the physiology and pathophysiology of cardiology. It drew me in. Additionally, I enjoyed working with the majority of cardiologists that I met and all the technical equipment that cardiologists utilize (echo, cath, ekg, pacemakers, defibrillators, CT, MRI).
What do you like MOST, and like LEAST, about your specialty?
- MOST: The pathophysiology and physiology (just thinking about it, explaining it to patients and students, and trying to prevent disease and treat disease in my patients)
- LEAST: The stress of having patients who can be extremely ill; being on call frequently.
In your opinion, what attributes are important in anyone choosing this specialty?
- Someone who is interested in the cardiac system and enjoys the pathophysiology.
- Someone who is not put off about caring for illnesses that can become very severe and life threatening and can require very rapid action to treat.
- Someone who is willing to work long hours (which can be said for many areas in medicine).
Hobbies/special interests:
- Walking/jogging/being outside
- Philosophy, especially regarding understanding the human experience
- Travel (although I do much less of this since we started raising kids in 2009)
- And perhaps most important of all, trying to be a good and present father to my three daughters