Morning: I wake up around 6:45-7am. I like a slow morning and take my time making and eating breakfast. I’ll likely be listening to the news or a podcast. After, I take a short five- to eight-minute drive to the outpatient clinic (BHOP) and I see patients for medication management from 8 to 11am. At 11:15am, Dr. Beyer and the rest of my co-residents meet to talk about cases and do some learning!
Afternoon: Off to get lunch at 12pm. Mondays are great at BHOP because they have the buffalo chicken wrap at the cafeteria, which is my favorite. I’ll usually try to answer a few patient messages during this time. From 1 to 4pm I see more med management patients then congregate at 4:15pm with Dr. Adcock for more learning.
Evening: Quick drive home! I go on a short easy effort run (I’m training for the Richmond Marathon!) and then make some dinner afterwards. The rest of the night is for relaxing, reading, and calling my wife (we are long-distance!).
Tuesday
Morning: Same morning routine but I need to get to DRPC (Duke Resident Psychotherapy Clinic). I see patients from 8 to 11am, which includes a psychodynamic, a supportive, and a CBT case. Then I have CBT supervision to discuss my CBT case for an hour.
Afternoon: I grab a quick lunch, likely heat something up I brough from my freezer. I’m part of the Physician-Scientist Track and Duke Psychotherapy Track; therefore, I’m likely in one of these monthly workshops from 1 to 2pm. From 2 to 5pm, it is Academic Half Day, which is finally in person once a month this year! When in person, it could be at Duke Regional Hospital or Duke North Pavilion. It’s fun to be in class with my co-residents!
Evening: Get home and go for a slightly longer run. Eat dinner, work on research projects (possibly applying for an award, writing up a proposal, or designing upcoming experiments). Before bed, I take some time to call family.
Wednesday
Morning and afternoon: This is my full research day. Since I’m part of the physician-scientist track, I have dedicated time during my week for research. I get in around 8 to 9am so I can set up a patch-clamp electrophysiology experiment. Usually, I’m sitting by a rig until 12pm before I go for lunch, then I come back and finish up from 1 to 5pm. This is a fun change of pace from the rest of my week, where I get to work an exciting project looking at synaptic physiology in the striatum and cortex.
Evening: Speed workout run today when I get home. Cook dinner afterwards and possibly head to trivia night at The Tavern if some friends are up for it.
Thursday
Morning: Typical morning routine before I get to my morning med management clinic. I see patients from 8 to 11am. All the BHOP PGY3 residents are at clinic this morning so we all get to learn together from 11am to 12pm! We focus on prescribing and nuances of outpatient clinical care during this time. From 12 to 1pm, I log into zoom to attend the departmental Grand Rounds.
Afternoon: I attend family studies lecture series from 1:30 to 2:30pm, where we discuss topics such as frameworks in family therapy, attachment styles, and the utility of genograms. I spend the rest of the afternoon in family therapy sessions, where I either participate as a therapist or observe and contribute as a team member.
Evening: This is my longest day, so I make something easy or get takeout for dinner. The rest of the night I wind down with TV, reading, or calling family.
Friday
This was when I just moved to Durham and I was very excited about my new apartment!Morning: I start off with psychodynamic supervision with Dr. Wald at 8am! I then head to the Bryan Research Building to attend lab meeting from 9:30 to 11am. I round out the morning responding to my chart messages, sending emails, or other administrative tasks.
Afternoon: I’m currently rotating at the memory disorders clinic from 1 to 5pm on Fridays. I get to see a variety of patients with dementia-related pathologies, including Alzheimer’s, Lewy body, vascular, and frontotemporal disease. Additionally, we get to offer a cool new treatment for patients with Alzheimer’s disease called Lecanemab, which has been quite remarkable!
Saturday
I could be in Atlanta, where my wife lives, or she could be visiting me in Durham. I try to get outside as much as possible. Maybe I’m at the beach on the Carolina coast, camping in the blue ridge mountains, swimming in the Eno River in Durham, or at the farmer’s market (Durham has one on Wednesday and Saturdays). I also meet up with friends to catch up.
Sunday
This is usually my long-run day and I end up exhausted on the couch afterwards. But I’m still able to spend some time cleaning my apartment and getting groceries for the week!
I chose Duke because ...
… of the great faculty and opportunity to work with wonderful mentors in both psychiatry and neurobiology!
My favorite thing about Durham is ...
… it is so close to nature! You can find me walking the Eno River most weeks.
My favorite thing about Duke is ...
… the people. I’m so grateful for the friendships I’ve made and for the supportive environment that I get to work in.
My advice to prospective residents is ...
... reach out to people who share your interests. There are so many things going on at Duke and people are eager to make connections!
