B.S. Human Biology, Concentration: Human Health and Disease
Minors: Psychology, Biology, Youth Sport Management
Upon graduating from IU with a Human Biology degree in 2013, I entered a graduate program at San Diego State University where I earned master’s degrees in Exercise Physiology and Nutritional Sciences. This pursuit was a natural extension of the interest I garnered for human physiology during my time at IU. I developed great respect for the intricate processes by which the human body maintains and regulates homeostasis. After taking a course in exercise physiology during my senior year, I discovered a profound interest in the body’s ability to make adaptations to the stress of exercise.
During my master’s program, I interned with the San Diego Fire Wellness program where I was able to apply my knowledge of performance, nutrition, and health to a high-performing tactical population. I had the opportunity to hone diverse skills such as administering strength and conditioning assessments, conducting maximal effort stress tests, programming injury prevention protocols, and delivering nutrition education. This professional experience was extremely transformative in helping me understand the unique occupational demands of firefighters and lifeguards.
I have continued to work with tactical populations since leaving my position at Fire Wellness; presently, I work with active duty military service members at the Intrepid Spirit Center, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) clinic on Marine Base Camp Pendleton. I conduct graded exercise stress tests with service members who are experiencing exertional headaches as a result of their TBI(s).
The Intrepid Spirit Center operates out of a team-based approach that considers the patient as a whole person rather than a just a collection of symptoms. Utilizing a holistic treatment model that combines traditional medicine and integrative health with embedded collaboration amongst providers, we deliver care that helps service members address their unique needs on their way to long-term health and healing post-TBI.
My HUBI experience set me up to excel in—and deeply appreciate—such an interdisciplinary, holistic medical clinic. To be able work with a diverse team of professionals to consider the complex case of each service member in the broader context of his/her human experience has been a gratifying intersection of my educational and professional pursuits.
The College of Arts