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I was born in Houston, Texas. I have since lived in Columbia, MD; Baltimore, MD; Austin, TX; Osaka, Japan; Williamstown, MA; Fort Worth, TX; Boston, MA; San Antonio, TX; and now, Altoona, PA. I claim Austin as my hometown, but I have enjoyed living in cities far and near to central Texas.
I was an exchange student to Japan in high school. I went to Williams College for undergrad. I spent a year after college working as an EMT in Fort Worth, Texas, and I got an MA from Boston University before starting medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.
I am married to my college girlfriend, Kate, who is from Shaftsbury, Vermont, and we have a son who was born in August of my Intern year (2010). We spend our free time hiking, watching movies, hanging out with friends, traveling and simply marveling at our son.
I went into medicine because I wanted to be a doctor who took care of patients. While that may seem like a banal statement, I learned as I went through my clerkships that most specialists don’t really take care of patients. Most specialists take care of specific diseases that patients have but nothing more. I chose family medicine because it gives me the opportunity to take care of the full gamut of patients, and it gives me the largest spectrum of job opportunities after residency.
AFP provides a great fit for me. It is an unopposed program. Dr. Beckstead is truly interested in the residents’ happiness. Altoona is an easy place to have a young family on a resident’s salary, and it is within driving distance of family.
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