Fellow Focus in Four will introduce you to fellows from each section of the Department of Internal Medicine. This month's featured fellow is Kerrilynn Carney, MD, from Cardiovascular Medicine.
1. Why did you choose medicine and Yale?
Medicine is a field that I discovered slowly. In high school, I dreamed of following in the footsteps of my mother with a career in teaching and counseling. In my undergraduate training, I studied neuroscience, which opened my eyes to the field of medicine and the unique privilege of educating patients and their families about their health. In medical school, I was participating in public health efforts in New York City to address health literacy and educate adult students in Harlem about primary prevention of cardiovascular disease which lead me down the path to cardiology. I chose Yale for cardiology fellowship for the opportunity to learn from a diverse patient population in an integrated health system and to develop my research interest in implementation science and outcomes.
2. What was your path to Yale?
I came to Yale via undergraduate training in Rhode Island and almost a decade in New York City for my medical school, medical residency, and chief residency.
3. What is a fun fact about you?
I played Division I soccer for four years in college and continue to play in adulthood. In New York, I'd often play at Chelsea Piers or the East River fields and roller-blade, including on the street, to get there.
4. What is your 5-year goal? 10-year? Overall career?
In five years, my goal is to be the associate program director at an academic medical center and to obtain skills in implementation science to improve health care delivery. In 10 years, I hope to use those skills in a leadership capacity to improve regional and national cardiovascular care. Along the way, I want to take great care of my patients, my family, my friends, and myself.