"I grew up just outside of Detroit, and attended the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) for my undergraduate studies in bio-psychology and medical anthropology. I became involved in health equity and social justice efforts, serving as president of my university's GlobeMed chapter and developing partnerships with community-based organizations in Liberia and Mali. I also volunteered at a Detroit-based free clinic, building health education programs, planning an urban farmer's market, and implementing a health needs assessment. Driven to combat the health inequities and structural racism I witnessed in Detroit, I obtained a Master of Public Health degree at Michigan in Health Behavior and Health Education. Following my partner to Boston, I began a career in community health and quality improvement at the Upham's Corner Health Center in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood. There, I co-led in the design and implementation of a patient-centered medical home model and value-based payment structure. In 2015, I moved again, this time to the outdoor lover's paradise of Washington, where I headed quality improvement efforts for two years at Providence ElderPlace in south Seattle. After five years in healthcare administration, inspired by my work with primary care physicians, I resolved to pursue a career in family medicine in order to provide full-spectrum primary care in urban underserved communities. In 2017, I was fortunate to join the Inaugural Class of Washington State University's Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, a new school with a mission to meet the needs of underserved populations in Washington. During medical school, I co-founded my school's Family Medicine Interest Group and served as Medical Student Co-Trustee to the Washington Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors. I led WSU's student Anti-Oppression Task Force, working to combat racism and other forms of discrimination in medicine and medical education. Volunteering for the Spokane Alliance, I used community organizing methods to help conduct a health needs assessment in Spokane. I plan to be a family physician at an urban federally-qualified health center, providing full-spectrum primary care and obstetrics with a focus on social medicine. I am particularly interested in caring for communities of color, people experiencing homelessness, LGBTQ+ populations, the elderly, and patients with substance use disorders and psychiatric conditions. I will also continue to organize and advocate for equity around the social determinants of health - housing, food, racism, education, health insurance - which often impact patients' health outcomes far more than their medical care. The Swedish First Hill Family Medicine Residency aligns perfectly with my interests because of its excellent full-spectrum training and focus on equity. In my spare time, I am almost always outside with my spouse, and have been known to ascend a long way up one of Washington's volcanoes at any time of year to satisfy my need for backcountry skiing. I also enjoy running, yoga, rock climbing, biking, ice hockey, reading, and snuggling with my cat, Denard Robinson. I am thrilled to continue living in this beautiful state and to train with the best faculty and co-residents I could ask for at Swedish First Hill."
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