Pediatrician-Scientist Program Residents

Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii

Undergraduate Institution: University of Pittsburgh

Graduate School: Johns Hopkins University

Medical School: Wayne State University

Fellowship Interest: Heme/Onc Bone-Marrow Transplant or Neonatology

Research Interests: Developmental origins of health and disease with a particular focus on early life immune dysfunction, oncogenesis, and epigenetics.

How does the PSP Program support your career development? The PSP is the perfect environment to make the transition from trainee to independent investigator without losing momentum on either side of my training. The program's structured research pathway and significant commitment to protected research time allow me to think about bigger research questions to pursue at the bench as I progress through a rigorous clinical curriculum that exposes me to rare and complex cases. This environment truly fosters the reciprocal benefits of training at both the bench and the bedside. Paired with the vast resources in Heme/Onc and Neonatology, the TCH/TMC ecosystem is a truly unparalleled training environment. Even more important are the people. Training alongside other budding physician-scientists at the same stage and with faculty who have navigated the same funding and career pressures provides the necessary support and mentorship to navigate the difficult, unpredictable training that comes with becoming a physician-scientist.

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nev.

Undergraduate Institution: Brigham Young University (B.S., Chemical Engineering)

Graduate School: Purdue University (Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering)

Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine

Fellowship Interest: Pediatric Cardiology

Research Interests: Cardiac imaging, 3D imaging, image processing, congenital heart disease, artificial intelligence, biomechanics

How does the PSP Program support your career development? The PSP is structured to give me the support and mentorship I need to continue my path toward independent research as a physician-scientist. My PhD gave me a strong technical foundation in engineering, imaging, artificial intelligence, and biomechanics, and the PSP offers the opportunity to further develop these interests through strong mentorship and career support. The structured programming and protected research time are exactly what I need right now to prepare for a fellowship and my early research career. The Texas Medical Center ecosystem and the support structures at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital are also major assets for growth and learning as a pediatric physician-scientist.

Hometown: New Lenox, Ill.

Undergraduate Institution: University of Notre Dame (B.S.)

Graduate School: University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada (M.Sc.)

Medical/Graduate School: Baylor College of Medicine (M.D./Ph.D.)

Fellowship Interest: Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

Research Interests: I’m interested in the microbiome-gut-brain axis as a target for neurodevelopmental disorders like autism.

How does the PSP support your career development? The PSP has enabled me to make connections within the world’s largest medical center, while simultaneously offering a broad and deep clinical exposure to pediatric medicine at Texas Children’s Hospital. Because of the size of the Texas Medical Center, there are always researchers with aligned interests ready to mentor, collaborate, network, or teach! I feel genuinely supported and cared for by the PSP leadership, who are always looking for individualized opportunities for PSP trainees.

Hometown: Oak Park, Ill.

Undergraduate Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Graduate School: Baylor College of Medicine

Medical School: Baylor College of Medicine

Fellowship Interest: Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Research Interests: Intestinal Epithelial Pathophysiology, Nutrition

How does the PSP support your career development? The PSP program offers a dynamic, career-focused curriculum that actively connects trainees with opportunities and mentorship they might not otherwise encounter. It intentionally facilitates mentorship aligned with my fellowship and research interests, both within and beyond the department and institution. Program leadership strongly supports protected research time and cultivates a vibrant community through meaningful social engagement with like-minded peers across related fields.

Hometown: Beaumont, Texas

Undergraduate Institution: Baylor University, Waco, Texas

Medical/Graduate School: Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine

Research interests: I am interested in the developmental origins of health and disease and the placenta-brain axis. My research interests lie in gene-environment interactions, specifically how gene expression changes in response to prenatal/perinatal exposures (e.g., alcohol, marijuana, opioids) and how these expression changes in the placenta have downstream consequences on fetal brain development. I want to elucidate mechanisms of short-term (mal)adaptations and correlate them with long-term health outcomes to identify points of intervention. 

Fellowship Interest: Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Why did you pick Texas Children's/Baylor Pediatrician-Scientist Program? I was initially interested in Baylor PSP because of how well-designed and structured it was to help my training as not only a pediatrician but also as a scientist, with regular meetings with mentors and well-laid-out annual goals. However, I knew it was the right place for me when I met the people and experienced firsthand just how supportive they are, listening to my research ideas and career goals and immediately putting me in touch with people of similar interests. Between the research potential, the excellent mentorship, and ample time for research built into the program, I could not have picked a better place.