Hometown: Hills, Minnesota

First-year Resident-2005-06

Undergraduate: Augustana College

Medical School: Mayo Medical School

Internship: Mayo Clinic Scottsdale

I grew up in Hills, Minnesota, a rural town of 542 people. I attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, graduating with a major in physics and minors in biology and chemistry. Before starting medical school, I had the wonderful opportunity to teach high school mathematics and coach girls’ basketball and boys’ baseball in my hometown. After retiring (at age 23) from teaching, I went to medical school at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and completed a transitional year at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona.

I feel extraordinarily lucky to be a part of Duke, and luckier to be a part of the Duke Eye Center. This is a dynamic place where education is emphasized and ideas flow freely. As I was going through the residency match, I tried to judge how excited people were about their program. I remember Dr. Epstein (chairman of ophthalmology) speaking of our beloved profession. The passion of the residents, fellows, and attendings permeates the culture here. People truly love what they do, and that excitement is contagious. A deep sense of camaraderie is fostered through numerous formal and informal events, like a yearly outing to see the Durham Bulls, faculty hosted parties, an annual resident-faculty basketball game, and coed intramural Eye Center softball teams. 

The opportunities for educational and research-related activities are truly limitless. There is faculty conducting high-level research in nearly all subspecialties within ophthalmology. Projects range from basic science to clinical studies to public policy. Financial support is available to present research at national meetings and international meetings. Residents also present Grand Rounds to the community yearly, often write book chapters with mentors, and have dedicated time to teach medical students. Friday afternoons are protected for formal faculty to resident lectures. 

The best part of Duke is the training. Starting on day one, we are intimately involved in the patient’s treatment. Duke strikes the perfect balance of autonomy and supervision. As we rotate through the Duke clinics, we have immediate access to worldwide leaders who teach the nuances of ophthalmologic disease and treatment. We take that education with us as we rotate through the Veterans Affairs Hospitals in Durham and Asheville, North Carolina, where we make the clinical decisions and solicit help from attendings on an as-needed basis. As first year residents, we do numerous laser procedures, multiple plastics cases, and one cataract surgery. Doing this quantity of procedures early helps us to think of both the surgical and medical aspects of the diseases our patients face. 

Duke Eye Center provides residents with tools and opportunities to become leaders in ophthalmology; I am thrilled to be a part of it.