Hello! My name is Akash, and I am from Santa Rosa, CA, though I previously called Tennessee and New Jersey home. I graduated from Tulane University with a degree in public health. After college, I worked for several years at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, where I led policy initiatives within HIV, tobacco control, food policy, and maternal and infant health. Most recently, I managed the design, implementation and evaluation of a CDC-funded HIV surveillance demonstration program focused on Stage 0 infections and molecular transmission clusters, with the objective of minimizing system-wide gaps within HIV prevention. My clinical interests center around internal medicine and trauma-informed care. I am also passionate about health policy, journalism and medical-legal partnerships. At Duke, I am involved in the Holton Clinic, DukeMed Pride, VOICES, and the Quality and Innovation Scholars Program. Outside of medical school, I love DIY projects, running, crosswords, sewing and listening to podcasts.