WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
I'm originally from Long Island, NY! Home of *the best* bagels & pizza, no debate. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAMILY LIKE?
My parents both immigrated from Jamaica in their 20s. I am the oldest of 3! My sister is currently doing TFA in Texas & applying for law school. My brother is in college and plays D1 football. They both never cease to amaze me! 

ANY PETS?
My cuddly black cat child, Addy <3 @addyrightmeow #rescuecatsofinstagram

WHAT COLLEGE DID YOU ATTEND?
I attended Cornell University (Go Big Red!!!) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Biology and Society in 2015. Beyond the sphere of pre-med requirements, I was very interested in exploring social determinants of health, ethics, policy, and public health. This major allowed me to do that! 

WHERE ARE YOU DOING YOUR MEDICAL TRAINING?
I graduated from medical school in SoCal in June 2020 & I'm soooooo excited to stick around for my residency training! I'm currently completing my intern year at a safety net hospital and afterwards, I'll start my dermatology training at another institution! 

DERMATOLOGY? DROP THAT SKIN CARE ROUTINE GIRL!
I hate to admit it, but my routine is pretty basic. I didn't go into derm for the glitz and glamour that is sometimes superficially associated with the specialty! My skin is pretty well behaved at baseline (THANKS MOM ;P) and I wash with neutrogena oil free salicylic acid wash and moisturize with neutrogena hydro boost hyaluronic acid. When I can afford it, I use skinceuticals phloretin cf for that #glow (got a sample at a conference once & got hooked but it's $$$$$$).

WHY DERM THEN?
Even though I did not know what specialty I would choose when I began medical school, I always knew that the pursuit of health equity was at the core of my personal mission in medicine. My framework for addressing health disparities was principally based in primary care until I was introduced to a number of issues in dermatology early on in my medical education. Through my experiences, I came to realize that dermatology care is often viewed as a luxury in underserved populations (ie the kind of doctor you can only go to if you have a certain income/type of insurance and the idea that if you go as a POC, the doc won't understand your hair and skin anyway), which is a HUGE disservice because dermatology is medical care and access is a matter of health justice. I aim to be on the front lines of changing that through teaching, research, outreach, and clinical work. 

WHAT ARE YOUR RESEARCH INTERESTS?

I am interested in building on my previous clinical research on hidradenitis suppurativa (a devastating skin disease that predominantly affects low socioeconomic status WOC). My other research interests include disparities in dermatology (particularly access to care), skin of color, and scarring alopecia.

FAVORITE PLACE TO DECOMPRESS?
Hands down the beach! The benefit of SoCal is that I can sit and watch the sunset any time of year :)

TYPICAL STARBUCKS ORDER?
Black Iced Coffee or Cold Brew, boring but gets the job done.

WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH "POSITVITEA?"
I wish I could say more but it really boils down to 1. I have a tea problem (sometimes 4+ cups a day) and 2. I dig positive vibes and stuff, hence...positivitea! 

WHAT ARE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES?
It's @purelypositivitea on insta and @purepositivitea on twitter. Let's connect! <3