Why did you choose medicine?
I did not originally plan to go into medicine. A longstanding commitment to social justice and fascination with science brought me to an early career in public health. I went back to school to complete premedical requirements after doing field work with clinical collaborators, which showed me the value of caring directly for patients. I feel most at home when I can understand the full process of disease and consider not only what is happening in a single illness episode, but also what came before and what may be to come.
Why did you choose Yale Department of Internal Medicine for your fellowship?
The Digestive Diseases fellowship at Yale offers a combination of expert mentorship and flexibility that is optimal for a clinician-scientist. As a trainee acquiring both clinical and procedural skills while also growing as an investigator, I can advance my knowledge by learning from content and methods experts in all aspects of gastroenterology and hepatology.
You were selected for an editorial fellowship with Gastroenterology, the flagship journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). Why did you apply for the position and what will you do in your new role?
The AGA editorial fellowships are designed for early-career clinicians interested in scientific publishing. Each fellow is mentored by the editorial leadership at one of five AGA journals, including Gastroenterology. Fellows participate in board of editors conferences to discuss manuscript decisions, perform peer review of submitted manuscripts, and contribute up to two original submissions to the journal. I applied because the fellowship presented opportunities to gain skills in the critical appraisal of research, to strengthen the quality of formative feedback I provide to authors, and to inform my own work as a developing investigator.
What is your 5-year goal? Overall career goal?
In 5 years, I hope to have completed a PhD and secured extramural funding to research gene-environment interactions on the pathway from metabolic dysfunction to serious liver disease outcomes. Ideally, this work will help clinicians identify which individuals with metabolic risk factors, like obesity and diabetes, require enhanced screening and surveillance for fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. My overall career goal is to care for patients living with liver disease and work as a leader in clinical epidemiology with expertise in the study and application of heritable (genetic) and acquired (epigenetic) measures in liver disease.
Since forming one of the nation’s first sections of hepatology and then gastroenterology over 50 years ago, Yale’s Section of Digestive Diseases has had an enduring impact on research and clinical care in gastrointestinal and liver disorders. To learn more, visit Digestive Diseases.