Medical Student
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
I am an MD/PhD student at Columbia University with a background in neuroscience and interested in interactions between the mind and body. My thesis research, performed in the lab of Charles Zuker, focused on the neural basis of sugar preference. This work uncovered a fundamental role of the vagus nerve and gut-brain-axis in the insatiable appetite for natural sugars. Prior to that, I performed research at the New York Psychiatric Institute studying the role of the hippocampus in stress, anxiety, and antidepressant responses.
Looking forward, I am interested in the ways that the body and brain interact-- how our nervous system encodes physiologic stimuli and how our emotions produce autonomic responses. This current multi-disciplinary project seeks to use VR technology and exposure therapy to dampen the stress response evoked by intensive care hospitalization.
Next year, I will be attending Brigham and Women's Hospital for residency in Internal Medicine where I hope to continue training as a physician-scientist.