Research Interests:
Viral respiratory illnesses result in many pediatric hospital admission, both in the ICU and the general care wards. They make up a bulk of what we see as pediatricians and can result in significant morbidity and even mortality for children. A patient's immune response to a viral illness can dictate a lot about the symptomatology and severity of their overall course. My research is focusing on using translational techniques to identify differences in patient immune responses to various respiratory viruses in the context of severity of illness through cytokine levels and mRNA expression.
Favorite thing about Ann Arbor:
Ann Arbor has so many offerings of a much bigger city, while also having tons of green space and natural spaces to explore. There is a robust and diverse dining scene in the downtown area (shout-out to Spencers!), tons of museums and shows through the University, and a lot of neighboring communities to explore! As someone who likes to be outside, Ann Arbor has access to wonderful running trails (like the Border-to-Border!), the Huron River (for all your kayaking or tubing purposes), and tons of unique parks! Even after all of this, when you find yourself in need of a big city (like to attend a Green Bay Packer game, theoreticallly), Detroit is an easy drive and less than an hour away!
Why Michigan?
I initially chose the University of Michigan for my Pediatric Residency training due to the wide-array of clinical exposure, mentorship opportunities, and most importantly the friendship and collegiality between the staff members. My training lived up to these expectations throughout my three years, and in no place so apparently than in the PICU. With this in mind, it made my decision to stay an easy one! As fellows at Michigan, we get to see the full breadth of pediatric critical care medicine in a unit that encourages us to be leaders within the healthcare team. Outside of the ICU, the faculty at Michigan have a variety of academic focuses and have proven to be excellent mentors no matter what your goals outside of clinical medicine are.
