UNIVERSITY TRACK RESIDENT
Hi! I’m Ben. I spent the first 24 years of my life in New York City, where I developed a strong affinity for bagels, art museums, and public transportation. After studying English and Narrative Medicine at Columbia University and spending two years as a clinical research coordinator, I headed south to attend the UNC School of Medicine. I had such a great time that I chose to take an additional MPH year at the Gillings School of Global Public Health — and, eventually, to stay at this beautiful place for my residency training.
My main professional mission is to make health and wellness accessible to as many people as possible. For me, this encompasses a number of different efforts, both within and outside of the healthcare system. As a full-spectrum family physician, I will provide gender-affirming care, Medication-Assisted Treatment, and other critical services for people and communities with limited access to healthcare. In my role as a health disparities researcher and advocate, I am committed to dismantling structural racism, transphobia, and other systems of oppression that shape our state’s and our nation’s marked health disparities. As a writer and visual artist, I do my best to encourage conversation around social justice, mental health, trauma, and other critical topics that may be challenging to discuss.
I feel incredibly fortunate to have found a professional home that embraces all of these facets and more. When considering residency programs, I knew I wanted to wind up somewhere with robust, full-spectrum training and strong roots in both academic and community medicine. But what really kept me here, at the end of the day, was the people. I am endlessly inspired by the folks with whom I work every day, and am so grateful to continue serving and learning from the people of North Carolina. I look forward to meeting you!
Clinical interests: LGBTQ+ health, trauma-informed care, complex care
Research interests: health disparities research, community-based participatory research, Photovoice, social medicine, narrative medicine
