How I got here.

Farm work and timber-frame construction were part of my upbringing. There were animals to feed, machinery to repair, and neighbors who helped when someone needed a hand. I learned to work with my hands and to keep at a problem until I could make something work.

My mother is a nurse practitioner. Watching her care for people gave me a direction for those interests. I decided early that I wanted to become a doctor.

My faith is important to me. I want to be someone who does what’s right, tells the truth, and helps other people. Before college, I spent two years as a missionary in South Korea. I learned Korean and adapted to life in Seoul, a long way from rural Ohio. I came home with a love for the country and its culture.

At Brigham Young University, I prepared for medical school and walked on to the rugby team. I enjoyed the demanding training and being part of a team that took the work seriously.

Orthopaedic surgery felt like a natural fit. Years of sports had made injuries familiar, and my background with tools made me comfortable with the practical side of the work. I wanted to learn how to repair the injuries I understood as an athlete.

Early in medical school, my pet needed life-saving surgery I couldn’t afford. I put the bill on a credit card and started making and selling hardwood furniture to pay it off. I knew how to build things. Finding customers, managing websites, and shipping orders were skills I had to learn.

The garage business grew into a workshop with heavy machinery and employees. I still expected to become a surgeon, but I had discovered how much I enjoyed building a business.

During medical school, I also spent two summers working with patients and assisting in surgeries in Eswatini and the Himalayas. Many patients lived far from specialist care. I began to think about how I could help people I would never be able to see in person.

Late in medical school, a research project required the same measurements on thousands of X-rays. I taught myself computer vision and built a machine-learning tool for the project.

The year after earning my MD, I took a clinical AI position at Harvard Medical School while applying and interviewing for orthopaedic surgery residencies. I kept exploring AI out of curiosity and learning to code alongside engineers.

About seven months into my Harvard role, ChatGPT launched. I was already fascinated by AI, and its rapid progress made the opportunity feel increasingly significant and timely.

I’d gone into medicine to help as many people as I could. A surgical career would let me help people one patient at a time. Through machine learning, I saw the possibility of reaching many more people and working toward solving the diseases themselves.

I applied to study computer science at Carnegie Mellon. When I was accepted, I chose that route and decided not to enter the residency Match.

I chose Carnegie Mellon intending to become a founder. For the work I envisioned, there wasn’t a conventional career path to follow. I wanted to build a company that brought medicine and computer science together.

I believed an AI founder needed to be deeply technical. Carnegie Mellon was my opportunity to study the foundations of computer science and machine learning rigorously, so I could understand and build the systems myself.

I’m now putting that training to work as a founder in San Francisco, building a company focused on using AI to understand disease and develop better treatments. I’m keeping the details private while the work takes shape.

I still care about testing ideas carefully and being honest about what the evidence shows. The goal is the same one that drew me to medicine: helping as many people as I can and being a force for good in the world.