I’m originally from rural Southern Louisiana, where my sense of wonder and stubborn work ethic put me squarely on the path to higher education. I attended Louisiana State University, where I graduated with honors, earning bachelor’s degrees in kinesiology and biology. Afterwards, I moved west to train as a physician-scientist at Stanford University, earning two doctorates (an M.D. and a Ph.D. in cancer genomics). I initially envisioned a career in laboratory-based research, but along the way, I found a dynamic sense of purpose in improving people’s lives as a psychiatrist.

During my fellowship-funded years in the Cancer Biology Program at Stanford, I learned to integrate “multi-omic” data into statistically defensible, visually compelling stories of disease. I was also a SPARK scholar, spending two years repurposing drugs to treat infectious diseases in the developing world. In parallel with my research, I explored cognitive psychology and behavioral economics to broaden my scientific thinking and safeguard my career against uncertainty. I was struck by how unconscious mental processes guide daily life, creating problems people often fail to recognize or learn from. These insights sent my muse stumbling in a new, metacognitive direction.

I followed my interest in psychological “blind spots” into the psychotherapy literature, exploring foundational texts in cognitive behavioral therapy, existential therapy, and psychoanalysis. I saw how surface-level issues of unawareness and irrationality were often rooted in deeper struggles with emotional regulation. Furthermore, I came to understand how formative experiences shape individuals in both overt and subtle ways, predisposing them to unique challenges in living. Clinical theory resonated with my self-reflective tendencies, offering exciting new ways to understand myself and others.