First Faculty Interview

Today I had my first interview for a faculty position in heme/onc. It went well, and it’s at a program I’m pretty excited about.

I am so incredibly grateful for all the opportunities that have led to this day. First was the opportunity training in the UTHealth MSTP in Houston, TX. The nine years I spent there were character changing – I had lots of fun times, but also some of the hardest times of my career – learning to be both a physician and scientist. The program set me up for success and helped me match to a really wonderful internal medicine residency at the Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic taught me how to do research in medical education and also gave me a good foundation as an internist. It introduced me to some of my first research mentors in clinical oncology. I am thankful for my transition to UCSD in La Jolla, CA in 2020. Southern California is the most beautiful place I have lived in my life, and every morning I wake up thankful for the opportunity. UCSD was a great capstone to my medical training and also helped me match into a wonderful heme/onc fellowship at the Scripps Clinic. Over the past 1.5 years I’ve learned so much about classical hematology, malignant hematology, and solid tumor oncology. I still have much to learn, but I am grateful for my program.

Today’s visit made me so excited for the future where I’ll be able to care for cancer patients and their families, teach trainees, and do research in cancer control and prevention. I could not have imagined this career back when I was writing my personal statements for medical school, but it’s beautiful how this path has unfolded over the past 14 years of training.

My family sometimes asks “When will you be finished and get a real job?” In my mind I’ve had a real job since 2018 when I received my first training license to care for patients. Rather than hurry up to look toward the future, I’ve tried to enjoy each step in the journey. 

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