Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I was born in Colorado but grew up in Northern Virginia. I attended Duke University as an undergraduate (Go Blue Devils!! Sorry Wahoos – once a Dukie, always a Dukie!). I went to medical school at Washington University in St. Louis and stayed there at Barnes-Jewish Hospital for my internal medicine residency. I came back to the east coast for my fellowship in Allergy and Immunology at the NIH. My first faculty job was here at UVA in 2013, and I have been here ever since. I live in Crozet with my husband, 6 year daughter, 3 year old son and 8 month old puppy (who is almost as much work as another child!)
Why healthcare?
My mother is a retired nurse and I grew up hearing stories that she would tell about her patients and her day. In many ways, I “grew up” in a hospital – first calling her at work, then volunteering as a candy-striper in junior high, and then working as the overnight telephone operator in high school. So, deciding to attend medical school felt like a natural transition and the obvious next step for me.
What brought you to Charlottesville?
After having our daughter, my husband and I were eager to move somewhere less congested and fast-paced than the DC area. At the same time, we wanted to be close enough to family and friends and all the resources that the DC area has to offer. We came down to visit Charlottesville for a weekend trip and fell in love with the area. We were fortunate to both find jobs here and have loved being here!
What excites you about your work?
My primary clinical interest is in primary immunodeficiency. This is a field which is constantly growing and changing, so it is never boring. I love that when I go to conferences I learn about new diagnostic tests, treatment options and diseases that are directly applicable to the patients I am seeing. I also love that the field of clinical immunology is relatively small (so I know many of the folks across the country) and incredibly collegial. If I see a patient with a condition that someone anywhere in the country or even world has expertise in, all it takes is an email or a phone call and almost invariably, that person is willing to help in any way that they can, whether it be providing advice on diagnosis or treatment, seeing the person in consultation, or arranging for blood/DNA to be sent to them to assist with analysis.
Proudest / greatest achievement outside the professional realm?
Watching my kids grow up into the amazing people that they already are, even at such a young age, has been an incredible joy and source of pride.
Next life?
Professional organizer (move over, Marie Kondo!)
What are you usually doing on the weekend?
I am usually spending time with my kids and husband, or my family who recently moved here from Northern Virginia.
How did you meet your partner?
He was a fellow in the medical ICU when I was a resident. Our paths only crossed briefly in the hospital, but a mutual friend set us up later.
Favorite vacation/activity spot?
Anywhere warm – I love the sun (and conversely, can’t stand the cold!)
Most admired person, and why?
My parents, for truly living the American dream. They came to this country from India in the 1970s with almost nothing, and knew almost nobody to ask for help. They moved to a town in rural Colorado at a time when there were very few (if any) immigrants and so had to overcome so many stereotypes/beliefs. They saved every penny and worked so hard to provide my sister and I with every opportunity to succeed.
Best advice anyone ever gave you?
When choosing a specialty, a faculty mentor who was towards the end of his career said that in whatever specialty I was thinking about, I should look for the “old folks” that were still practicing. If there were a lot of them, with no signs of wanting to retire early or slow down, it was a good sign that it was a specialty that I would still enjoy doing later in life, that brought a lot of satisfaction to those practicing. If on the other hand there were mostly young faces, it might be one that seemed exciting at the time but could lead to burn-out later on. Let’s just say there are a lot of “old folks” still doing Allergy and Immunology and they all seem to love our specialty, even after all these years!
What about you would surprise us?
I was a Cameron Crazie in college – hair dyed blue, face painted, loudly cheering and chanting during games, sleeping in a tent for weeks for tickets to the most competitive games of the season – the whole thing. I still am a big sports fan.
Filed Under: News and Notes
Tags: Allergy, DOM, faculty, May 2019 newsletter, medicine matters, newsletter, profile, profiles