Hometown: Bluffton, IN
Bio: I am a small-town girl who had big dreams of becoming a doctor from a young age, despite coming from a non-medical family. I was drawn to the idea of being able to care for other people in a profound way while constantly experiencing new intellectual challenges and opportunities to learn. I also grew up with a passion for the environment, and I pursued a college degree in Environmental Studies with a capstone project focused on possible pesticide contaminants in a local river. I hope to integrate some of my environmental knowledge into my career in the future by doing public health work, advocating for policies and programs that protect and enhance the health of humans as well as the world in which we live. In medical school, I knew early on that Family Medicine was the right specialty for me – I loved caring for every aspect of a patient’s health, building long-term relationships, maintaining a huge breadth of medical knowledge, and focusing on preventive care and community health. I plan to one day be a full-spectrum family physician in a rural area of the Midwest. Outside of medicine, my family is the center of my life. I am blessed to be married to my high-school sweetheart, Dylan, who works as a teacher. Our household is run by our two cats, Oliver and Mr. Wickers. I also love spending time with my parents, sister, and two nephews every chance I get.
Why Memorial: As I looked at residency programs near my family in the Midwest, I was initially drawn to Memorial by the rich training opportunities the program offered – robust obstetrics and procedure training, electives in rural and underserved medicine, even a track for Health Services Management that greatly appealed to me. Then, on my interview day, I was blown away by the fantastic people at Memorial. Every member of the residency family I met was so welcoming, thoughtful, kind, and genuine. I could tell the residents worked hard and the faculty pushed them to be better, yet they all supported one another and balanced work with fun and family. I immediately knew I would fit right in and find a home at Memorial, and that was the most important consideration for me in the end.
Clinical interests: Obstetrics, Rural Medicine, Public Health
Hobbies: Reading books, doing yoga, playing board/card games, listening to podcasts, petting cats
Favorite quotes: “Not all of us can do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.” – Mother Teresa
Favorite books: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz, The Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (etc.)
Favorite podcast: The One You Feed
Best advice: Don’t count on some future accomplishment, circumstance, or person to make you happy – do the things that make you happy now.
Favorite thing to do in South Bend/Mishawaka: TBD but likely to include trying new restaurants, exploring parks, and going to the Farmer’s Market
