Biography
Undergraduate school: University of California - Berkeley
Medical School: Florida Atlantic University
I grew up in southern California and went to the Bay Area for college. It was there, in a course about neurochemistry and the effects of various drugs on perception and consciousness, that I discovered the complexity and profundity of the brain. I was especially interested in research on the use of psychedelic substances in treating a variety of ailments such as PTSD, addiction, and end-of-life anxiety.
In medical school I enjoyed both psychiatry and neurology, each a portal into the elusive brain-mind relationship and the mystery of subjective experience. Neurology seemed the ideal reflection of my set of interests, a field where I could explore the intersection of physiology, philosophy, and ethics more deeply and in the unique context of disease and patient interactions.
Outside of the hospital I’m an avid road-tripper and a die-hard Survivor fan.
Fun fact: I am an Italian citizen (my mom emigrated from Sicily) and I speak fluent Italian!
Theme song: “It’s All Too Much” by The Beatles
