Hometown: Naperville, Illinois
Undergraduate Institution: Purdue University
Pritzker Activities: Basic Life Support Program, Pritzker Oncology Group, Dermatology Interest Group
S&D Track: Medical Education
S&D Mentor and Project: Daniel Golden, MD - Medical Student Radiation Oncology Knowledge and Education.
Tell us about your research experience(s) at UChicago.
During the Summer Research Program, I did basic science research in Dr. Ralph Weichselbalm's lab. The main focus of the lab is to explore the mechanisms of cancer metastasis. I was able to work on several projects during the summer. For Scholarship and Discovery, I have been working on various medical education projects with Dr. Daniel Golden. We've been looking at assessing and improving medical student education in radiation oncology.
Why did you choose to attend Pritzker?
Every interaction I had with the Pritzker students and staff was overwhelmingly positive. During my interview, it seemed like the Pritzker staff really cared about the students. Meanwhile, Pritzker has a fantastic reputation for delivering top notch education and graduating medical students who become leaders as resident and attending physicians.
How would you describe your classmates?
Pritzker's student body is a main draw of the school. I have never met a more interesting yet grounded group of people. Everyone has life stories worth telling. The average Pritzker student is passionate about medicine and generous with their time and energy.
What is your favorite thing to do in Chicago or the best thing about living in Chicago?
Chicago is a great place to live year round. In the warm months, you can find a street festival, outdoor concert, or baseball game every weekend. North Avenue Beach and Ohio Street Beach are my favorite places to soak up the sun. The city is also extremely bike friendly with plentiful protected bike lanes and an endless trail on the lake shore. In the cooler months, you can still enjoy Chicago's famous food (there's way more than deep dish), comedy (Second City), sports (Blackhawks, Bulls), music (more venues than you can count), and museums (can’t beat the MSI). It's hard to be bored in Chicago. Even though it's a big busy city, getting around is surprisingly easy and the people are generally friendly.
Anything else you'd like to include in your profile that's not covered above?
Last year, I stepped away from Pritzker to complete classes for an MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. The experience has been fantastic and is just one example of the many programs and opportunities available to Pritzker students outside of the established curriculum.
