I attended medical school with the intention to continue my research in cardiology and add clinical practice to my career. However, my exposure to people with mental illness convinced me that I wanted to dedicate myself to improving the care and understanding of mental illness. I became involved in series of clinical studies addressing the medical problems associated with mental illness and its treatment, and received specialized research training at Washington University in St. Louis, where I completed a NIMH funded career development award. I also remained clinically active, providing care and training residents on the inpatient psychiatry service, the psychiatry consultation-liaison service, and a similar consultation service for patients with cancer. I am thrilled to be working at OHSU, where I will have the opportunity to continue to learn about mental illness and help train the next generation of psychiatrists to build on our progress.