As a pediatric oncologist and health services researcher, research questions that focus on how children with cancer and their caregivers interact with the healthcare system bring together my passions and expertise. Initially, my research was focused on emergency department (ED) utilization of children with cancer which revealed that most children with cancer will visit the ED during their therapy and that there are many reasons for children with cancer to seek urgent medical evaluation. We also revealed that negative provider perceptions of local EDs influence their recommendations for care. These endeavors led me to collaborate with caregivers to co-create an mHealth tool to improve preparedness for when medical emergencies arise among children with cancer in the community setting. My long-term goal is to continue placing caregivers as invested stakeholders in the design and refinement of an mHealth tool to support them in the medical management of their child with cancer. I believe this research path will allow me to improve outcomes for not only my own patients with cancer, but for all children and families that are touched by cancer. While others have dedicated their careers to finding cures for cancer, I firmly believe it is equally important to investigate the support for caregivers and the healthcare utilization of children with cancer in order to determine where interventions are needed to improve the care that patients receive. My overarching career goal is to improve caregivers’ sense of self-efficacy and mastery of the medical needs of their child with cancer, which I believe will lead to improvements in quality of life and healthcare utilization patterns. I will achieve these long-term career goals by continuing my career as a physician-investigator with dedicated research time, collaborative multi-disciplinary partnerships, and through mentoring others interested in following this path.
M.Sc. - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 2013
M.D. - Rush University Medical College, Chicago, IL 2008
