Program:

Trauma Surgery Fellowship Graduating Class of 2024

Where are you from originally?

Liberty, Illinois (West Central Illinois)

Education & Training:

• Surgical Critical Care Fellowship, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Mich.
• General surgery residency, McLaren Macomb Hospital, Mt. Clemens, Mich.
• Medical school, A.T. Still University/Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kirksville, Mo.
• Graduate school (Master's in Biomedical Sciences), A.T. Still University/Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kirksville, Mo.

What brought you to Michigan?

I came to Michigan as a 4th-year medical student to complete rotations in 2016 and officially moved here in 2017 when I matched at McLaren Macomb for residency.

Why did you choose your specialty?

Growing up I enjoyed hands-on learning that integrated critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity (building or re-doing homes, playing sports, playing video games, etc.). As a 3rd-year medical student, my goal was to find a specialty that required a hands-on approach, and General Surgery was the specialty requiring it and was the rotation that I enjoyed the most. My second-favorite rotation as a medical student was in the intensive care unit (ICU), as this required critical thinking but also the need for quick decisions about what management a patient needed, along with a hands-on approach due to the procedures done in the ICU. As a resident, I quickly knew that I wanted to pursue a career in Trauma/Acute Care Surgery/Surgical ICU as it combined the two specialties I loved.

Family?

My wife, Karishma, moved to Michigan in the early 2000's, completed her undergrad at University of Michigan and law school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and currently is a Wayne County prosecutor. We have one dog (Jesse) who is a Shih Tzu, and we rescued him in 2021.

Favorites:

• Movies: Fletch, Back to the Future, Jaws, and The Hangover
• TV Show: The Office
• Restaurant: Oak & Reel, Detroit

Favorite quotation?

Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.

~ Muhammad Ali.

My father is my greatest inspiration in life. He encouraged me to set goals, dream big and to never give up on my aspirations. Unfortunately, there were individuals throughout my life that were less encouraging. These individuals told me that these goals/aspirations were unrealistic as I lacked the ability to achieve them. I have also felt that this quote best exemplified my father's encouragement and my journey though life.