Undergraduate School: Stanford University
Medical School: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Residency: Washington Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program
Board Certified: American Board of Family Medicine

Q: What sparked your interest to focus in family medicine?
A: When I arrived as a new resident to Washington Health System, I asked if there were any committees, employee resource groups, or policies with a focus on health equity for LGBTQ+ folks. Though there were none at the time, I was given the green light to begin raising awareness across the health system of these remarkable people, who face daily struggles to access care and maintain their health. My research and advocacy work during residency uniquely prepared me to work full time at Central Outreach Wellness Center (COWC), which was at the time I joined them opening a new clinic building in another part of the city of Washington. While I was deepening my practice of LGBTQ+ medicine with COWC’s population of rural and underserved LGBTQ+ patients, I was simultaneously expanding their primary care and preventive services.  It was a wonderful exchange that helped both of us to grow while helping an at-risk population.

Q:What makes you excited to teach residents
A: Residents are inspiring! They are willing to try new things and want to learn as much as they can while they can. Residents also challenge beliefs and old practices; they are flexible in their thinking. Teaching them causes me to not only validate my thinking and my practices by way of literature review, but also check what I know by the residents’ varied backgrounds and experiences. Residents also call on me to personally care more deeply for my patients because they ask tough questions and notice more about the patient at times than I can alone. Teaching residents, at the end of the day, makes me a better physician.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about the city of Pittsburgh?
A: Pittsburgh has some of the friendliest and most approachable people in the US. From the serious surgeon to the yelling yinzer, everyone will respect you and offer a helping hand.

Q: What’s your favorite food?
A: The entire breadth of Asian cuisine, from India to Japan, is endlessly enticing to me. I can hardly pick a favorite food, let alone one country’s style of cooking from that part of the world. But I will elevate the lowly dumpling as a personal comfort food.