As a pediatric oncologist, I take care of children, adolescents and young adults with various solid tumor cancers, including neuroblastoma, soft tissue sarcomas, Wilms tumor, bone tumors, retinoblastoma, hepatoblastoma, germ cell tumors, skin cancers and more.

As a child, I told my family I wanted to be the “best helper.” While I wasn't sure at the time how my career journey would unfold, a few special humans—my Meme (grandmother), my Baba (grandfather) and a few outstanding academic mentors (my college and graduate school mentors)—showed me the importance of taking care of oneself through healthy physical and mental habits, improving one's medical literacy and the power of good education and communication. Through the influence of these folks and a few life experiences, I realized I wanted to be a pediatrician, scientist and educator.

I am constantly in awe of how incredible it is to work in pediatric oncology; these patients and their families are genuine warriors. Like most fields in medicine, there are good and bad days, but I cannot imagine myself doing anything more dynamic, humbling and extraordinary. I approach each patient as if my family members were in the exam room. I pride myself on being persistent, thorough and willing to ask for help when needed. I want each patient and family member to walk out of an exam room knowing the "what, why and how" along with our next steps. The steps may not always be easy, but with clear communication, a good knowledge base and teamwork, good things can happen.

Through my clinical and research pursuits, I hope to add to the growing landscape of solid tumor cancer biology, enhance treatment options for patients with metastatic solid tumor cancer, and ultimately, improve the survival and quality of life for patients with solid tumor cancers and cancer predisposition syndromes.

I am honored to have received the following awards and recognitions:

• Annual National Institutes of Health (NIH) Lung Cancer SPORE Workshop, Poster Presentation Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine (2023)
• Warshaw Pediatric Fellow Research Award, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine (2023)
• Pediatric Resident and Fellow Research and Education Fund, Travel Award, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas McGovern Medical School in Houston (2019)
• Outstanding Oral Presentation Award, Behavior, Biology and Chemistry Conference, San Antonio, TX (2015)
• Outstanding Oral Presentation Award, MD/PhD, Annual Retreat, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (2014)
• American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) Travel Award (2014)
• Translational Scientist Training Award, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (2013)
• Presidential Ambassador Scholarship Award, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (2013)
• Outstanding Oral Presentation Award, MD/PhD, Annual Retreat, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (2013)
• International Narcotics Research Conference (INRC) Travel Award (2012)
• MD/PhD Program Brackenridge Scholarship, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (2011)
• Traveler’s Scholarship, Medical Mission Trip, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (2010)