Research Abstract

I am a Physician in Medical Oncology at DFCI, an Associate Physician at BWH, and an Instructor in Medicine at HMS. As I begin my career in faculty, I hope to continue to grow in the three areas of medicine that I value most: (1) patient care, (2) medical science, and (3) meaningful access to novel therapies.

During my Internal Medicine residency, I identified a large cluster of young patients presenting with widespread parenchymal hemorrhages. In conjunction with state and national health departments, we identified a pattern of synthetic cannabinoid usage and positive mass spectrometry testing for brodifacoum and other coumarin derivatives. I published my work on these coagulopathy cases as first author in the New England Journal of Medicine. I thus entered my fellowship at the University of Florida with a focus on benign hematology and worked with Dr. Anita Rajasekhar on projects in hemostasis and thrombosis, including publishing two reviews in the 2020 American Society of Hematology Education Book. Then through the course of my fellowship, particularly through my work with Drs. Chris Cogle, John Hiemenz, and John Wingard, I discovered a passion for both the science and clinical management of cancer, blood disorders, and stem cell transplantation.

I believe our role as physicians for our patients and communities goes beyond clinical care because access to care is the ultimate bottleneck in medicine. To this end, I pursued research and policy work in health economics, care delivery, cost-effectiveness, bioethics, and public health. I completed coursework in decision analysis, biostatistics, and epidemiology through the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and will complete an MPH degree in 2023. Using techniques learned from these courses, and with mentorship from Dr. Corey Cutler, I completed a cost-effectiveness model comparing second-line CAR-T and ASCT in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma and presented our findings at the 2022 ASCO Meeting. We are currently working on other decision models in transplant and developing projects in post-transplant survivorship.

With my primary mentor, Dr. Gregory Abel, I am conducting a series of clinical trials evaluating an AI-based avatar in patients undergoing allogeneic transplantation with the goals of improving patient education, reducing anxiety and loneliness, and shortening hospitalizations. We are also designing an ethics-focused survey for patients undergoing cellular therapies that I plan to apply to future decision models and policy work.

My committee work also figures into this paradigm. I am currently serving on the American Society of Hematology Committee on Practice and Subcommittee on Reimbursements, and previously served on the American Medical Association (AMA) Council on Legislation. I am also working with Dr. Sam Silver to represent hematologists at the AMA/Specialty Society RVS Update Committee and CPT Advisory Committee. I plan to continue in these roles and hope to grow as a national leader in policy and advocacy within hematology and oncology.

I am dedicating my professional career to the delivery of effective therapies for patients with cancer and blood disorders and believe my diverse skill sets position me to shape the landscape of cell therapy for the better.