I am a currently a family medicine resident at Christ Health Family Medicine Residency at UAB St. Vincent’s East in Birmingham, Alabama. I am so grateful and honored for the opportunity to serve on the ACOFP Resident Council for Region 3.
I am originally from Richmond, Virginia and studied Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise at Virginia Tech. I stayed in the beautiful Blacksburg mountains for medical school and attended Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM-VA). I am passionate about primary care, working with underserved and poverty-stricken communities, lifestyle medicine, OMT, integrative medicine, and medical missions. After residency, I plan to serve in an underserved community with the National Health Service Corps (NHSC).
Why did you choose this residency program?
I love my residency! It is truly a joy and blessing to get to go to work every day, which is not at all how I expected residency to be or how residency is often portrayed! During my fourth year, my husband and I came and visited my residency program for an audition rotation. We are both big family people and have all of our family in Virginia so neither of us were honestly expected to end up choosing Alabama as our top residency choice. However, we were so impressed and encouraged by the program's exceptional education and experience, the thoughtful and intentional attendings that treat you and care for you as a friend/own child, and the incredible, uplifting, and supportive community of residents. Our program also has lots of learners: audition students, assigned medical students, and PA students. I love getting to teach and mentor others who are just a little behind me in this journey. It is challenging, refreshing, and sharpening of my own medical knowledge! I fell in love with not only the community, but also the wonderful outreach of the clinic. Our patient population mainly consists of very underserved, low socioeconomic status families with very complex social and emotional situations. I absolutely love being at a clinic where I am trained and empowered to care for patients holistically: mind, body, and spirit! The compassion of our clinic, attendings, and residents to care so deeply and genuinely for our patients is what drew me to the program.
Why did you choose family medicine?
At a very young age! I was diagnosed with severe vesicoureteral reflux, which caused me to frequently go to doctors/hospitals. My experience, and the kindness and help I received from my doctors , birthed in me the passion to want to be a physician. I am so grateful and feel so blessed to be living out those dreams daily now as a resident! From the time I can remember I always wanted to be a pediatrician--I love working with kids (and still do!). During my clinical rotations and after being the caretaker for my grandfather in his last 1.5 years of life, I started to really enjoy taking care of adults and doing prenatal care. I fell in love with the family medicine model--being able to care for newborns, elderly, and pregnant women (truly an entire family) was so sweet! I love building personal connections with my patients and their families and also enjoy the challenge of the breadth of knowledge that family medicine physicians obtain. I love lifestyle, preventative, and nutritional counseling-based medicine, which is so relevant in primary care.
What is a typical day like in your life as a resident?
Depends on the rotation! Most mornings, I wake up, eat breakfast with my husband and daughter, spend time reading my Bible, get my daughter ready for the day, jam to music or catch up on the phone with someone as I drive to work (clinic days start at 8, hospital days usually 6:30 a.m.). Hospital rotation: check out with night team, preround on patients, and as an upper level prepare teaching/help medical students and interns, 8:30 a.m. table rounds and teaching, 10 a.m. walk rounds. 12 p.m. is team lunch, and the rest of the day varies from management, admissions, meeting with patient's family, and so on. 5 p.m. is check out and then I am back home to my family. Outpatient is usually 8-5 p.m. and always keeps you on your toes with various ages, pathologies, complex social situations, etc.!
After work I usually exercise with my family and we cook/eat dinner. Throughout the week we volunteer at our youth group, lead our residency Bible study, and attend small groups with our church. When we aren't out and about, we spend time doing housework, playing with our little girl, playing board games, and baking/preparing meals! Oh and in our house, we usually have ice cream (often homemade) to end the night 🙂
What do you like to do in your time outside of residency?
I love spending time with my husband and sweet little girl, family and friends and enjoy spending time volunteering with children/youth and serving in my church community. I love traveling, running, barre, hiking, thrifting, exploring cute towns/shops, cooking, and making homemade ice cream!
Why did you volunteer to join the Resident Council?
From a young age, I was blessed to be taught the importance of advocacy, policy, participation, and leadership in order to serve, grow, challenge, and improve an organization or community. I was blessed to serve as SGA Vice President during medical school and was a part of the College of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents, which gave me the opportunity to help represent osteopathic medical students at a national level. When I heard about the resident council opportunity, I felt like it was a great opportunity to serve and grow as I represent the needs and concerns of my fellow osteopathic residents on a local, regional, and national level. I am truly honored to serve on the ACOFP Resident Council.
What is your one word of advice to students?
Choose a residency in which the attendings and the residents are the kind of physician you aspire to be one day! Medical school, residency, and your journey thus far is long, hard, and exhausting. Remember to find balance and prioritize and cherish the things that truly matter in life: the people around you, not the books, test scores, or prestige!
If you could meet one famous dead person, who would it be?
Anne Frank--to hear her story, perspective, and challenges. Her story, and the story of so many others during that time, is heartbreaking, moving, and displays their resilience, bravery, and courage in horrific situations.
If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?
Jesus! I am a Christian and very active in my faith. I think it would be amazing to have been alive when Jesus walked the earth and to be mentored by Him like the disciples were.
What would you title an autobiography or memoir?
Hope Found. One of my favorite Bible Verses, since I was a young kid, is Proverbs 23:18, "There is surely a future hope for you and that hope will not be cut off." I was raised by a single mother (with my grandparents' help) and financially things were pretty difficult, family dynamics weren't the "usual," and health situations were sometimes complicated. I found this verse with my mom as a young girl and we later painted it on our hallway wall as a daily reminder. It has been a verse and Truth I have clung to beyond my childhood years. Throughout the ebbs and flows of my life, the hope I have found in Christ does not change, never ends, and brings me joy, peace, and confidence.
