Residency: Internal Medicine/Medical Oncology Research Track - Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, CA June 2020 - present

I graduated from Kansas State University with a B.S. in Food Science. While at K-State, I did research on grass-finished beef, and a community health project working with rural health centers in Afghanistan. I also had the opportunity to conduct research at KUMC in a lab focused on the epigenetics of hypoxia in ovarian cancer.

My Ph.D. work at KUMC focused on head and neck cancer. The bulk of my studies sought to understand the molecular mechanisms between cancer cells and the surrounding microenvironment. Toward this end, we discovered a role for autophagy in cell secretion that promoted tumor progression. Inhibiting this pathway appears promising in preclinical models. Additionally, I investigated metabolic synergy between the highly glycolytic tumor and the surrounding microenvironment. I also enjoyed working on a range of other projects including developing a model for radiation-induced fibrosis, finding therapeutic targets for juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma, understanding the mechanisms of nutraceuticals that inhibit head and neck cancer growth, as well as several clinical projects using machine learning.
Outside of the lab, I enjoy cooking, woodworking, reading, hiking with our dog, and enjoying time with family and friends. Please feel free to reach out to me at anytime with questions about the program or residency afterwards!

Publications: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0707-9324

Mentor: Sufi Thomas, Ph.D., Departments of Otolaryngology, Anatomy & Cell Biology, and Cancer Biology