As a child, my earliest memories were those where I tagged alongside my father, a national registry paramedic and former director of emergency medical services in our small hometown in South Carolina. My trips with him to the hospital or to the emergency medical technician classes he taught significantly influenced my decision to pursue medicine.

I am an assistant professor and minimally invasive and bariatric surgeon in the University of Florida Department of Surgery. I aim to increase access for bariatric and metabolic surgery, as well as increase awareness of the many significant health and quality of life benefits that can result for our patients. My clinical and research interests include bariatric surgery, anti-reflux surgery, gastroesophageal reflux disease and minimally invasive hernia repair, in addition to equity in health care access, delivery and outcomes.

My tertiary education and medical training began not far from where I grew up, at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. During my undergraduate years, I balanced my time as a student-athlete on the varsity volleyball team with pursuing a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences. I earned my medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston and subsequently completed my residency in general surgery there. During my time as a resident, I fell in love with foregut and bariatric surgery. As a result, I decided to pursue further training in this field. Following residency graduation, I moved to Virginia and completed a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at the University of Virginia Health System in 2018.

I remain engaged nationally in medical and surgical societies as an active member of the American College of Surgeons, Association for Surgical Education, Association of Women Surgeons, American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons, National Medical Association, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons and the Society of Black Academic Surgeons.

Outside of practice, I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling and reading.