Accountant first.
Patient second. Psychiatrist third.

Before medicine

His example. Then my own.

My father trained as an engineer and worked as an actuary before he decided, at 40, with a wife and three kids, to go to medical school. He went on to complete an internal medicine residency. I grew up watching the hours he spent studying. The lesson stuck: a path can change without the earlier chapters being wasted.

My own path started in numbers. I earned an accounting degree at Widener University in 2005 and spent my twenties in finance in New York, including at Bank of New York Mellon, keeping accounts accurate and moving teams between systems.

The patient

Then, at 23, I was the one in the chair.

I was diagnosed with ameloblastoma, a tumor in my jaw, and went through the reconstructive surgeries that followed. Being the patient changed how I understood uncertainty, trust, and how much a physician’s words can matter. It completely changed the direction I wanted my life to take. I left finance to pursue a different purpose.

That meant starting over: prerequisites in Miami, a master’s in biomedical science at Barry University, then Indiana University for medical school, psychiatry residency, and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry. I was 30 when I started medical school. So the kids who tell me they’re behind get a very honest answer.

The work now

What I bring into the room.

Today I’m a fellowship-trained Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Eskenazi Health, and I trained at Indiana University School of Medicine. I work with kids, teens, and families on the east side of Indianapolis.

I know what it’s like to be the patient, to start over, and to be the parent in the waiting room. I’m a father of 3. I believe good care should not depend on your background or how well you can navigate the system, and I believe most young people will talk if an adult is willing to ask a real question and wait for the answer. That’s what I try to do in clinic, and it’s what I talk about on stage.

I’m also a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.