In her own words: After graduating from Monmouth University, I earned my medical degree from the University of Virginia. I then completed my Internal Medicine residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital, followed by a fellowship in Allergy & Immunology at Mount Sinai. During fellowship, I fell in love with the field of food allergy, leading me to join the faculty of the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Mount Sinai after finishing training.
As a pediatric allergist at an academic medical center, I see patients, conduct research, and teach. My clinical practice involves caring for children with a variety of allergic conditions, and I have a special interest in food allergy and food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES). I am an investigator on several clinical trials to advance our ability to diagnose and treat food allergies. I am particularly excited about a NIH-funded study designed to learn more about the immunology underlying FPIES and how best to conduct food challenges for this condition. When I’m not treating patients or conducting research of my own, I enjoy teaching and mentoring trainees interested in research.
Looking back, I can clearly see how my love of teaching had its roots at Monmouth University, where I encountered some of the first and best examples of true mentorship and genuine commitment to students. As a Spanish major concurrently completing pre-medical coursework, I faced unique challenges immersing myself in two very different disciplines. The dedicated faculty of both the Department of World Languages and Cultures and the School of Science were incredibly supportive of this path and invested in my academic and professional success. The individualized attention to students was instrumental in helping me develop mastery of the material and the critical thinking skills that I would carry forward throughout my medical training as well as the language proficiency to converse with my Spanish-speaking patients.
Additionally, Monmouth University’s extracurricular opportunities helped me discover a love of research. I was fortunate to conduct my first bench project with Dr. Dorothy Lobo and a fantastic team of fellow students. (See photo at left with student colleagues presenting a poster), and the Pre-Health committee connected me with a summer internship that showed me how clinical research can link science to patient outcomes. These early research experiences helped shape my decision to pursue work in academic medicine and laid the groundwork for a fun and fulfilling career. (Photos courtesy of M.G. Baker).