About Me
My journey to psychiatry started like many other journeys, with a breakup and a soul searching expedition. The expedition led me to the mountains of Kathmandu, Nepal where I had hoped to learn the secret to happiness from Buddhist monks. I spent a month there living among and sharing butter tea with other spiritual students in the monastery, all the while learning meditation, ritual, and philosophy. I did not leave Nepal an enlightened being, but I did develop hope, hope that I could learn to tame my turbulent mind and accept the entirety of my being.
The next pivotal moment was when I received psychotherapy, specifically intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP). My therapist put me face to face with all of the ways that I had deceived myself and escaped from my feelings. The process was filled with grief and anger, but working through those emotions led to my accessing a profound love for the important people in my life. I knew then how I wanted to practice my profession, to be a psychiatrist that utilizes medications for distress relief and ISTDP to help people deeply understand themselves.
These experiences were transformational for me, and I dedicate my life to honing my craft so that I may offer the same benefits to my patients.
Education
LAC+USC Psychiatry Residency
I completed my psychiatry training at the Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Medical Center. There, I received special training in intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and geriatric psychiatry. I was a cofounder of the House Calls with Dr. K podcast.
McGovern Medical School
I received my medical doctorate from the McGovern Medical School, formerly known as the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School. I had additional training in medical ethics, and I conducted research on mindfulness-based therapies.
Rice University
I earned a bachelor of arts from Rice University and graduated cum laude. I had a special focus in ethics, communication, and the intersection of science and law. I spent summers as a research student at the Texas Medical Center studying using nanoparticles for drug delivery and reviewing the genetic connection of autoimmune disorders.