Hometown: Hilliard, OH
Bio: Hi, my name is Daniel. I was born in Charleston, West Virginia and lived in Hurricane, West Virginia until I was 8 years old. My family then moved and I spent the rest of my childhood in Hilliard, Ohio. Most of my extended family are teachers or engineers, so medicine was not on my mind until high school when I had several visits to the doctor to address ingrown toenails. One of the doctors graciously answered all my questions about what he was doing and how things worked while my mom tried not to gag. I went on to study biomedical engineering at University of Cincinnati and worked at the UC/Cincinnati Children’s Proton Therapy Center for one year before attending Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. The radiation oncologists I worked with at the proton therapy center all offered the same advice of keeping an open mind as I considered what specialty of medicine to choose as a career. That quickly went out the window after my first medical school course, Upstream Medicine, that introduced public health concepts and highlighted how much of people’s health was determined by factors outside the healthcare setting. I enjoyed each of my rotations but was always drawn back to the focus on prevention and longitudinal relationships in primary care. Once I completed my OB rotation, I knew family medicine was the specialty with the breadth that would let me pursue all my interests.
Why Memorial: I originally found and applied to Memorial because of the program’s unopposed setting and strong OB and inpatient medicine training. Once I interviewed, I was hooked by the camaraderie among residents and faculty, the opportunities to learn more upstream medicine (especially the HSM curriculum), and the program’s dedication to the care of the underserved in South Bend.
Clinical interests: Hospital medicine, OB, medical education, public health and preventive medicine
Hobbies: Running, cycling, hiking, reading, car/home improvement projects
Favorite quotes: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead; “Remember, in the end, nobody wins unless everybody wins” – Bruce Springsteen
Favorite books: The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz, Evicted by Matthew Desmond
Favorite podcast: On Becoming a Healer, The Best of Car Talk
Best advice: During the difficult parts of your medical education, remember your effort is for the benefit of your patients.
Favorite thing to do in South Bend/Mishawaka: Run around the St. Joseph River and Notre Dame
