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In April, I was honored to travel to Philadelphia to present at the American Occupational Therapy Association's (AOTA) Inspire Conference alongside my undergraduate lab from the University of Florida. This momentous experience was filled with learning, connection, and a deep appreciation for the ever-evolving field of occupational therapy.

I would not be where I am today without excellent mentorship at every stage of my journey. This includes when I first changed my career from automotive to medicine as well as current day from residents and faculty that I have been honored to work with.

The most important thing I learned at Duke was how to think like a clinical researcher—asking the right questions, designing meaningful studies, and translating data into impact.

I want to explore how epidemiologists, implementation scientists, and global health professionals can co-create sustainable, community-driven interventions for low-resource settings like The Gambia—ones that enable families to stay healthy without sacrificing their livelihoods

The most important lesson I’ve learned at Duke is how profoundly the training environment shapes your scientific mindset and productivity.

Beyond learning theoretical foundations and developing a comprehensive toolkit of biostatistical methods, I learned how to think like a researcher and how to collaborate effectively – especially in a field characterized by team science

I want to help improve access to physical therapy for underserved populations, particularly Latino communities where physical labor is a way of life.

I knew that by attending Duke I would learn from and collaborate with faculty and staff conducting cutting edge research as well as having access to state-of-the-art instrumentation through the Duke Core Research facilities.

I was drawn to medical physics because it combines medicine, physics, and engineering in a way that directly supports patient care. I was excited by the opportunity to apply technical skills to improve imaging technologies and treatment outcomes.

I chose Duke because it has one of the oldest and most well-established programs in computational biology. Beyond academics, I appreciated the positive and welcoming atmosphere during recruitment, as well as the temperate climate and affordable cost of living—important considerations for life during a PhD.