Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellows

Residency: University of NC

What is your favorite memory from medical school or residency?
The times spent outside the hospital with my co-residents.  Whether it was traveling to the mountains for the weekend, trying new restaurants, checking out a new brewery, or our annual holiday parties.  We always had a blast.

Why did you choose cardiovascular anesthesia?
While working in the cardiac OR, I immediately appreciated the necessity of clear multidisciplinary communication, the need to adapt to rapidly changing situations, and above all else, the need to provide excellent clinical care under pressure.  Completing a cardiothoracic fellowship provides me the chance to hone these skills that are necessary to expertly manage complex, critically ill patients in the perioperative setting.

What drew you to BCM?
I was drawn to Baylor’s fellowship initially because of the balance of clinical exposure and education, and the excellent case mix that comes with working at Texas Heart Institute is second to none.

What’s your favorite thing and/or spot in Houston?
The food!  Houston is an amazing city full of great restaurants, unique cocktail bars and new food trucks to explore.  I’ve yet to eat a bad meal here.

What is one new thing you started in fellowship that you hadn’t done before?
Pilates!  There’s a great Pilates studio within 1 block of my apartment that I can walk to.

Residency: Northwestern, Chicago

What is your favorite memory from medical school or residency?
Beach days with my co-residents on Lake Michigan.

Why did you choose cardiovascular anesthesia?
I enjoy working together with the surgeon and perfusionists to manage the patients.  Everything we do affects one another

What drew you to BCM?
A strong collegial culture together with excellent training.

What’s your favorite thing and/or spot in Houston?
Running on the Buffalo Bayou trail.

What is one new thing you started in fellowship that you hadn’t done before?
Making homemade pasta.

Residency: UT Southwestern

What is your favorite memory from medical school or residency?
One particularly fun memory was traveling with my co-residents to present at different conferences across the country.

Why did you choose cardiovascular anesthesia?
I was drawn to cardiac anesthesia due to the complexity of patients, utilization of advanced clinical skills and technologies in the OR, and the team-based approach to each case.  Although anesthesia is always an important component of every surgical case, I feel like I’m truly using the breadth of my medical knowledge in cardiac cases.

What drew you to BCM?
I was drawn to Baylor College of Medicine’s program because of the vast array of cases, the prioritization of solo cases for fellows, and the reputation of the institution.

What’s your favorite thing and/or spot in Houston?
Exploring the massive array of restaurants in Houston and trying new cuisines!

What is one new thing you started in fellowship that you hadn’t done before?
Landmark-guided central lines: all the attendings are incredibly skilled with line placement and have taught me their technique to accurately place central lines without the use of ultrasound.  This could be a lifesaving skill in an emergency.

Residency: UC Davis Medical School

What is your favorite memory from medical school or residency?
I loved being in our nation’s capital for medical school! Morning runs along the Lincoln Memorial and Tidal Basin (especially during the cherry blossom festival) were so memorable. The incredible experiences at the Smithsonian Museums leave memories for a lifetime!   

Why did you choose cardiovascular anesthesia?
Patients with cardiovascular diseases are some of the sickest patients in the hospital. Taking care of sick patients in possibly their most vulnerable moment in life is such a privilege. 

What drew you to BCM?
BCM has an extraordinarily rich history in cardiac surgery. It continues to have world renowned cardiovascular surgeons who see complex patients and perform difficult surgeries. Having the opportunity to learn from faculty with such depth and breadth of experience is quite unique to BCM fellows. 

What’s your favorite thing and/or spot in Houston?
Having lived across the United States, I can confirm Houston has some of the best restaurants and food spots! There is a cultural diversity to the city that is unrivaled, and it shows in the variety of food that is so authentic and easily accessible! 

What is one new thing you started in fellowship that you hadn’t done before?
I guess the restaurant scene in Houston has inspired me to become a chef! I have rediscovered my passion for cooking! 

Residency: University of Utah

What is your favorite memory from medical school or residency?
It’s hard to pinpoint a favorite memory as residency has been some of the best years of my life.  If I had to choose a specific type of event, code saves are always my favorite.

Why did you choose cardiovascular anesthesia?
The camaraderie of a cardiac OR including the CT surgeons, perfusionists, and ICU teams was something I really valued.  Additionally, learning how to take care of the sickest patients in the hospital is a rewarding role.  Finally, echocardiography is truly fascinating and one of the most interesting tools we can have to help the OR team make medical and surgical decisions to best care for patients.

What drew you to BCM?
The faculty and staff are amongst the most talented physicians I have worked with in my career.  They have all seen the biggest and worse cases, some of them for several decades.  Collectively, fellows benefit from working with them because they see what true intraoperative comfort looks like during a large, complex case.

What’s your favorite thing and/or spot in Houston?
The food is next level.  There isn’t a bad spot in town for steaks (Pappas Bros), tacos (Torchy’s Tacos), drinks, happy hours, etc.  Truly a remarkable city!

What is one new thing you started in fellowship that you hadn’t done before?
I live close to work, so I’ve been commuting via bicycle and it’s a game changer.  It’s only 4 minutes door to door!

Residency: Baylor College of Medicine

What is your favorite memory from medical school or residency?
During our last month together, our entire residency class went to Galveston (a 45-minute drive from Houston).  We spent the day relaxing on the beach and reminiscing about our time in residency.

Why did you choose cardiovascular anesthesia?
I chose cardiovascular anesthesia to expand on the knowledge and skillset I gained during residency.  I really enjoyed the complex cases we did and knew I would leave fellowship being capable of handling any situation.

What drew you to BCM?
The atmosphere in the CV anesthesia department is collegial.  I enjoyed working with the attendings and felt they really cared about my education and well-being.

What’s your favorite thing and/or spot in Houston?
I love going to Chinatown in Houston.  It spans several blocks and always has new restaurants and desserts to try.

What is one new thing you started in fellowship that you hadn’t done before?
Gardening.

Residency: Baylor College of Medicine

What is your favorite memory from medical school or residency?
My first trauma case at Ben Taub General Hospital – the whole call team worked hard together to ensure a positive outcome for the patient.  It was awesome!

Why did you choose cardiovascular anesthesia?
I wanted to learn more about echocardiography and taking care of sick patients.  I enjoyed cardiac cases the most as a resident.

What drew you to BCM?
I like the complex cases and the friendly learning environment at this program.

What’s your favorite thing and/or spot in Houston?
Betsy’s at Evelyn’s Park!  It’s a chill, outdoor café/bar that’s a great place to hang out as a class.

What is one new thing you started in fellowship that you hadn’t done before?
I did not get much exposure to aortic surgery as a resident.  I have gotten to do a lot of complex aortic cases as a fellow.

Residency: Baylor College of Medicine

What is your favorite memory from medical school or residency?
My favorite times from residency have always been spending time with friends and work colleagues outside of the hospital.  Going to sporting events, rodeos, concerts, and happy hours after work will always be among my favorite memories.

Why did you choose cardiovascular anesthesia?
I’ve always been drawn to the care of medically complex patients.  Fellowship training in cardiovascular anesthesia will ensure I can effectively care for the sickest patients throughout my career.

What drew you to BCM?
The high volume of complex cardiac cases in a world-renowned program makes for an excellent training environment.  I loved rotating here so much during residency that I couldn’t imagine myself in a better place for fellowship.

What’s your favorite thing and/or spot in Houston?
The food!  There are so many great places to eat and drink in Houston.  Rodeo season in Houston is also a fun time to be in the city!

What is one new thing you started in fellowship that you hadn’t done before?
Since fellowship started, I’ve become much more comfortable with the use of transesophageal echocardiography in guiding intraoperative decisions and patient management.

Residency: UC San Francisco

What is your favorite memory from medical school or residency?
Although medical school and residency were busy times, I will always cherish the friendships I’ve made along the way.  Some of my favorite things I did during residency was grabbing brunch in San Francisco with my post-call team, wine tasting in Sonoma or Napa Valley, and walking through Golden Gate Park.

Why did you choose cardiovascular anesthesia?
It is a privilege to be entrusted with the care of some of the sickest patients in the hospital.  The cardiac OR is a true team environment and requires close communication between the surgeons, perfusionists, nursing, and anesthesia teams.  The field of cardiac anesthesia is constantly changing and evolving with no shortage of new procedures, mechanical circulatory support devices, and echocardiography techniques.

What drew you to BCM?
The reputation and history of Texas Heart Institute is well known to everyone in the field.  During residency, I had several attending anesthesiologists who trained here, whom I admired for their outstanding clinical abilities.  Naturally, I wanted to follow in their footsteps and train at one of the best tertiary cardiac surgical centers in the country.  The CV anesthesia faculty are highly invested in the success of their fellows, and we all feel extremely supported while training here.

What’s your favorite thing and/or spot in Houston?
The Houston food scene is incredible.  My wife and I have endless lists of amazing restaurants and food trucks that we are trying to eat our way through by the end of fellowship.

What is one new thing you started in fellowship that you hadn’t done before?
Listening to country music and eating lots of queso!

Residency: University Hospital Cleveland Medical Center
Fellowship: Critical Care Medicine 2021-2022

What is your favorite memory from medical school or residency?
My favorite memory from residency is my co-residents and the camaraderie I had with them.  Whether that’s running into them around the OR, having a venting session in the resident lounge, or hanging out outside of work.

Why did you choose cardiovascular anesthesia?
I’ve always had high interest in the cardiovascular system, and I enjoyed my cardiac anesthesia rotations during residency.  I wanted to do both critical care (more cardiac focused) and cardiac anesthesia in the future, so I chose a dual fellowship.

What drew you to BCM?
When I interviewed here, I was very impressed with the program and the people I met.  I also like the diversity Baylor College of Medicine has and how supportive they are.

What’s your favorite thing and/or spot in Houston?
We love going to Memoria Park whether it’s to take our dog to play in the grassy area, or to walk around the 3-mile loop, or to golf.

What is one new thing you started in fellowship that you hadn’t done before?
I started biking a lot more and swimming at the gym.