Hometown: Georgetown, Illinois
Bio: I was born in Springfield, Illinois and moved frequently, eventually landing in a small town called Georgetown, Illinois. In high school I decided that I wanted to find a career where I could serve God and people, and medicine felt like a natural fit for me. I decided to go to college at Olivet Nazarene University, where I felt I could grow spiritually and academically. There I met my wife, Rachel, in the Honors program. After that, I attended Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and wasn’t sure what specialty to pursue. After rotating through all the specialties, I saw how important the patient-physician relationship and building trust is to take care of people. I also wanted to take care of everyone and treat all kind of different conditions. I believe that truly knowing your patients, their story, and letting them know you is essential to being the best doctor possible. I also believe that taking care of all the parts of a person, and taking the time to get to know your patient and their values is the cornerstone of good medicine, which made Family Medicine the clear choice for me.
Why Memorial: I chose Memorial because the people here felt like a family. From the first time I interacted with them, everyone took the time to get to know me personally, and clearly looked out for each other and their families. A lot of places say they’re like a family, but Memorial truly felt like one. Memorial was also the strongest program I could find, training full-spectrum family physicians with the highest standards. The rigorous training was also clearly pointed towards one goal, providing the best care possible to patients. I was immediately impressed with how capable and smart all the faculty and residents were, and loved the idea of working alongside and learning from everyone here! The physicians here are exactly the kind of doctor that I hope to be one day.
Clinical interests: Spiritual care/health, full-spectrum Family Medicine, preventative care, addiction medicine, pediatrics, sports medicine
Hobbies: Reading, hiking, board games, weightlifting, video games
Favorite quotes: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” – 1 Corinthians 15:58
Favorite books: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, The Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks, The Will of the Many by James Islington, The Light of all that Falls by James Islington, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein, Mistborn/The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Best advice: Trust in God and His faithfulness, especially when you can’t see how everything will be alright and don’t necessarily understand what He’s doing.
Favorite thing to do in South Bend/Mishawaka: Walking the riverwalk with my wife and our son!