Professional Summary
Personal Statement
He was polite, but his answers were truncated, his eyes never meeting mine. I finally sat down next to him and asked point-blank: “What are you worried about?” He was quiet for a moment, then he whispered, “My hands have been shaking a lot lately, and I’m scared I have Parkinson’s like my dad did. Between the anxiety and my arthritis, the hot tub is the only thing that helps me sleep at night.” I was stunned into silence. I was so focused on narrowing down my differential that I forgot to take his emotions into account. He wanted to give me all the pieces to properly care for him, and I hadn’t given him the time and space to do so. I took the sense of humility brought on by this moment and used it to guide the rest of our interview. By the end of his stay, he had a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, and confirmation from my attending that he had an essential tremor, not the early signs of Parkinson’s. I will never forget the gratitude and relief in his eyes when he told us we were the first medical providers to take the time and explain this to him.
Why I Chose Cincinnati
Cincinnati’s stellar track record of evidence based medical education along with a diverse patient population made it one of my top choices for residency. Combine this with my large support system I built during my undergrad years at UC, and I knew Cincinnati would be the best environment for me to learn and grow.