What is the SDN Experts program?
Verified experts (doctors, professors, administrators, and pre-health advisors) provide answers to nearly any question, from school application advice to personal concerns. These experts in their fields offer advising services via the SDN forums community, both in the public forums and in the Confidential Expert Advice forum, where members may submit questions privately.
Our donor-supported advising services are 100% anonymous. Questions that are not identifying and of interest to our general membership will be shared without your member name attached to the Confidential Expert Advice forum.
Note: This service does not serve to provide counseling or advice for severe psychological issues, per the SDN Terms of Service.
Who are our experts?
Student Doctor Network Experts are verified healthcare professionals such as physicians and dentists, pre-health advisors, faculty, administrators, and admissions committee members.
How do members get designated as experts?
SDN members wishing to become experts complete a multi-step verification process. Experts must have a history of positive contributions to the forums and expertise in one or more areas of the health professional educational process. SDN verifies the expert’s real-world identity and requires the completion of a non-disclosure agreement to ensure that member questions are kept confidential.
Except in cases where our moderator and administrator team also serve as experts, the experts do not have access to member email addresses or other personally identifiable information beyond what the member chooses to share on the forums.
How can I serve as an expert?
If you are an expert who wants to give back to the pre-health community, please submit your request in the Account Help Desk forum. An SDN team member will be in touch to request the information required to validate your credentials.
SDN Experts
Dentistry
2TH MVR is a licensed Orthodontist with over 30 years of clinical experience. He completed his B.S. Science degree with a minor in Biology at Arizona State. He then attended a small, midwestern dental school where he was awarded a D.D.S degree. He followed this up with an Advanced Education General Dentistry 1 year residency. He then completed his orthodontic residency at a stipend paying 2-year program in the northeast part of the United States. He started his career as an associate which lead immediately to a partnership role. 18 months later he purchased the entire practice. He has designed and built 3 ortho practices from scratch. He has practiced in both rural and urban areas. After 25 years of private practice, he decided that it was time to slow down. He sold both of his practices and took a part-time job with a Corporate dental organization.
Big Time Hoosier is a pediatric dentist in private practice. Prior to completing a specialty residency, he served as a general dentist in the United States Navy.
Robert Nadeau DDS, MD is a board-certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon who currently practices at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Nadeau is the interim Division and Clinic Director as well as the Director of Advanced Training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He completed his dental degree at the University of Minnesota and his medical degree and residency training at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. He is a Commission on Dental Accreditation site evaluator for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery as well as the Surgical Service Director for M Health Fairview Hospitals and Clinics. Dr. Nadeau also has a part-time private practice within a DSO in the twin cities area.
nealofgrafton is a licensed and practicing general Dentist as part of a smaller corporate group. nealofgrafton has practiced in large Dental Service Organization, small Dental Service Organization, private practice (owner), and public health. An Army National Guard Dentist for Wisconsin, nealofgrafton received his DDS from Marquette University in Milwaukee WI, and completed a one-year non-categorical internship in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from St. John’s Providence in Detroit MI. Fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry.
PerioDont is a licensed general dentist and current resident in periodontics and implant dentistry. He completed his DMD at a large state university in the United States and then continued straight on to his residency program.
SirBrotherJam is a licensed dentist. He completed his DDS at a large state university in the Midwest United States utilizing the HPSP scholarship. He then served for six years in the USN, including one deployment. He is presently enrolled as an endodontic resident in a Northeast school.
Tinman831 is a board-certified pediatric dentist. He obtained his DMD degree and did his residency training in the New England area. He has been in practice for over ten years serving children in the state of Texas.
Medicine
AlteredScale is an upcoming gastroenterology fellow. He completed his medical degree in the midwest then completed a research-focused internal medicine residency at a large university medical center. Prior to this, he obtained his undergraduate degree at UC San Diego. His current research is focused on the immunopathogenesis of alcohol liver disease under the guidance of a hepatology physician-scientist.
aSagacious is a diagnostic radiologist. (S)he completed undergrad at a Big Ten university with a biology-related major, then took a year off for research and completed some graduate coursework. (S)he went to med school at a mid-tier state university, and did a residency and fellowship in the same place, at a top-tier west coast university program. Now, aSagacious is an early career radiologist in private practice on the east coast.
asmallchild is a dermatologist formerly in academics and now currently in private practice. She completed a dermatology residency in Texas and a joint Mohs and cosmetics fellowship afterward. She is board certified in dermatology and micrographic dermatologic surgery and enjoys helping students and residents chase their passion in dermatology.
Blue Dog is a board-certified family physician who practices ambulatory primary care in a physician-owned multi-specialty group. He received his Doctor of Medicine at a medical school in the Southeastern United States. He volunteers as a community preceptor for first- and second-year medical students, and is active in leadership and advocacy efforts at the state and national levels.
Bonne Nuit is a nontraditional medical student. She earned her bachelor’s degree in the mid-2000s and subsequently worked in the tech sector for several years. She returned to school as a post-baccalaureate pre-medical student in her early 30s and is currently attending an allopathic medical school (class of 2024). Now that she sits on the other side of the medical school admissions process, she is eager to support and advise other prospective nontraditional medical students. Bonne Nuit’s areas of interest include “DIY”/informal post-baccalaureates, MCAT preparation, and pre-medical advising (both online and offline) with a special focus on older/career-changing students.
Catalystik is a Clinical Assistant Professor at a Midwest medical school. She is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. Her research interest is in the area of fetal and neonatal toxicology. She attended a small liberal arts college where she majored in Biology and minored in Biochemistry, then entered medical school in her home state. Her Pediatric residency was completed at a county hospital in a large city. She is married and has three children.
cchoukal is an academic anesthesiologist and intensive care physician. He is collaborator on a study investigating the role of sleep, activity, and physical therapy in postoperative delirium and cognitive dysfunction, consults for medical device marketers, leads process improvement/systems redesign efforts using lean methodologies, and thinks and writes about the larger world of healthcare structure and policy, including a book chapter on occupational exposures in anesthesia practice for Miller’s Anesthesia, the pre-eminent text in the field. His undergraduate and graduate degrees are in psychology from Gustavus Adolphus College and Iowa State University, respectively, and he graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School. He completed residency training in anesthesiology at the University of Chicago, and fellowship training in critical care medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He is board-certified in anesthesiology and critical care medicine, and is an active clinician in both specialties.
chaim123 is an internal medicine resident in the tri-state area. He grew up in the Northeast and received his MD from a T10 medical school. His relevant experience includes running a mentorship program for pre-health and MD students and serving on the admissions committee at his institution.
Clive Staples is an academic Emergency Medicine physician working at a level 1 trauma center. He completed his medical school at a state university in the southern United States. He then completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at a large, academic medical center. He worked as a community ER physician before his current job at an academic medical center. He is board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine.
Doctor Bob is a program director for a large critical care fellowship program in Orlando, Florida, and he is board certified in emergency medicine and critical care. He also serves as the resident and medical student rotation director. Prior to this job, he was an intensivist and emergency medicine doc for the Air Force. During his career, he has worked at academic, community, and military medical centers.
Dr. USMLE is a Board-certified fellowship-trained Radiology attending at a top medical school with Step 1, 2, and 3 scores >265. I trained at Harvard and Johns Hopkins. Dr. USMLE has over 15 years of tutoring experience and has tutored for all of the USMLE Steps. Dr. USMLE previously worked for Kaplan and Princeton Review as the highest level of tutor (“Premier tutor”) and has also written actual USMLE questions for prominent question banks. Because of this, Dr. USMLE is aware of “insider information” on how the step exam questions and answers are written. This will allow you to get inside the test writer’s mind – the most advanced skill – and answer questions correctly with test-taking alone. Beyond the USMLE, Dr. USMLE can be your comprehensive consultant for shelf exams and the residency application process. Many of my students have matched into the most competitive residencies including dermatology, radiation oncology, radiology, ophthalmology, urology, ENT, and more. Dr. USMLE has also worked extensively with Caribbean, other IMG, and DO students. From years of experience, Dr. USMLE understands your unique concerns about the step exams and the residency application process.
Evilbooyaa is a practicing board-certified Radiation Oncologist Attending Physician at an Academic Institution and is involved with Resident Education. He completed training within the past 5 years.
Fencer is a practicing physician-scientist who is board certified in neurology and two subspecialties by ABPN. He sees patients and continues publishing original manuscripts ranging from bench sciences, clinical observations and trials, health care outcomes, MD/Ph.D. workforce and social issues, and has over 10 patents and an FDA de novo cleared device. He is an MSTP Director in Texas and has been an elected national leader for the AAMC MD/Ph.D. section and the National Association of MD/Ph.D. programs.
GamerEMdoc is a practicing board-certified Emergency Medicine physician with over a decade of academic experience in training medical students and residents in EM. He previously served as an APD at his current program for 7 years before being promoted to his job as Program Director. He continues to serve a duel rule as student clerkship director as well. He is an active member in state and national EM committees and is a longtime mentor online for students seeking application advice for EM.
Gfunk6 is a board-certified Radiation Oncologist practicing in private practice in the San Francisco Bay area. Although he currently practices clinical medicine only, he originally trained as a medical scientist through an NIH-sponsored Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). He works in a multi-specialty consisting of Medical Oncologists, Radiation Oncologists, and various Surgical and Internal Medicine sub-specialists. He has a particular interest in ablative radiotherapy.
Goro is a Professor teaching in the pre-clinical sciences at an osteopathic medical school somewhere west of St. Louis. He has been on the faculty for over 20 years and has about 18 years of experience with medical school admissions. He completed his Ph.D. at a large state university in the United States. He spent his post-doctoral fellowship years at two state university medical schools in the midwest. His research interests involve molecular cell biology, oncology, and medical genetics. Goro is married and has two children and one cat, as shown in the avatar.
GoSpursGo is a pediatrician who is board-certified in general pediatrics and in pediatric hematology-oncology. He is an assistant professor at a large public medical school who devotes 80% of his time to translational and clinical research to improve outcomes for children and young adults with relapsed/refractory cancer. He has a growing national reputation and has been recognized with several society awards and receipt of extramural grant funding, with his immediate goal being a successful NIH K08 grant application by the first half of 2023. He cares clinically for children and young adults receiving bone marrow and stem cell transplants.
Il Destriero is a practicing pediatric anesthesiologist at a quaternary care Children’s Hospital. He received a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from a well-known private school in the Northeast. He attended a state medical school on the east coast on an HPSP scholarship. He completed a transitional internship at a Naval Medical Center followed by a residency in Anesthesiology. After paying back his required active duty service obligation, during a time of war, he resigned his commission and completed a Pediatric Anesthesia fellowship at a large Children’s Hospital on the west coast. He’s been in practice for almost 2 decades on the faculty of a couple of highly regarded medical schools, has published a number of textbook chapters and peer-reviewed articles, and lectured nationally and internationally on pediatric anesthesia topics.
lobelsteve is a Pain Medicine physician practicing in the suburbs of Atlanta. He attended medical school at St. Georges University and completed his internship at the UVA Carilion Internal Medicine program, followed by a PM&R residency at EVMS and a fellowship at Emory in Pain Medicine. When not seeing patients in office M-F or in the OR Friday afternoons, he does legal reviews and sits on the Evidence Analysis Committee for the Spinal Intervention Society.
mmmcdowe is a pediatric neurosurgeon at a major academic children’s hospital. He has subspecialty training in skull base neurosurgery. He is heavily involved in medical education and is the course director for a neurosurgery elective.
Neuronix is a physician-scientist and board-certified radiation oncologist. Many years ago, he completed his training at a Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/Ph.D.) at a well-known university. Neuronix spends his time trying to balance laboratory innovation, outstanding patient care, training the next generation, and family life.
OchemOficionado is a first-generation, non-traditional/career changer, medical student in their last year. They are presently beginning the process of applying to joint residency programs in their selected fields.
PapaGuava is a fourth-year medical student currently in his last year of medical rotations. He previously completed his Bachelor’s degree in Biology at a Florida university. He currently serves as the chief medical student of his core hospital and continues to dedicate time to mentoring both medical and pre-medical students.
PathDocMD is a pathologist at Midwestern academic medical center. He has 14 years of medical school admissions experience serving as an admissions committee member, vice-chair, chair, and dean of admissions at two medical schools. He has also served on AAMC’s Committee on Admissions. PathDocMD applied to medical school three times, perhaps making every mistake short of an institutional action, before being accepted.
Planktonmd is a board-certified anesthesiologist. Planktonmd has been in practice for 25 years. The first part of my career was in a busy private practice setting; now I work for the VA.
PTPeony is a board-certified and practicing Pediatric Intensivist practicing at a large academic medical center in the middle of the country. She completed her MD Ph.D. at a private institution. She then completed her Pediatric residency at a community program and fellowship at a large academic medical center both in the Northeastern United States.
Raryn is a licensed physician who is board certified in Endocrinology, Internal Medicine, and Obesity Medicine. He primarily practices outpatient general endocrinology/obesity medicine with a small, private group, though also does inpatient consults several weeks a year at a local hospital. He enjoys teaching residents through the local IM program and is otherwise engaged in spending time with his family.
RheumDoc112 is a board-certified practicing rheumatologist in the United States. After graduating from medical school, RheumDoc112 continued his medical training at the University of Washington as an internal medicine resident. Upon completing his internal medicine residency, RheumDoc112 further sub-specialized as a rheumatology fellow at the University of Pittsburgh. RheumDoc112 is passionate about preventative health care and assisting his patients to achieve both short and long-term optimization of their health and well-being. RheumDoc112 is a fellow of the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). His current academic interests include inflammatory myopathies and novel therapeutic targets in spondyloarthropathy research. Further, RheumDoc112 has a keen interest in managing chronic arthritic pain and the potential for the development of substance abuse disorders. This has led to further interest in addiction medicine and harm reduction approaches to combat the growing opioid epidemic in the United States and Canada. He recently completed additional training and received certification from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and is authorized to prescribe buprenorphine (Suboxone) for those suffering from opioid addiction.
southerndoc is an emergency physician, associate ED medical director, and EMS medical director who is currently practicing at a large academic emergency department in metro Atlanta that is home to an emergency medicine residency program. He also serves as the medical director of an ISO class I fire department that provides paramedic first response services. He completed college at Shorter University majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry. He completed medical school at Mercer University and completed a four-year emergency medicine residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital. southerndoc is board-certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine in both emergency medicine and emergency medical services (EMS).
Stitch is board certified in general pediatrics and pediatric critical care medicine. He works at a busy pediatric trauma center and directs the ECMO program there in conjunction with his surgical colleagues. In college, he studied chemistry and music performance before going on to medical school, residency, and fellowship. He is a proud member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and is an outspoken advocate of children and the issues that affect them. He continues to enjoy playing the piano in his free time, along with brewing beer that he shares with friends.
TexasPhysician is a licensed psychiatrist in private practice in Texas. All medical training years were completed in the great state of Texas. Entrepreneurial activities are enjoyed and participated in yearly.
TheBoneDoctah is a PGY-2 orthopaedic surgery resident in the midwest. He completed his B.S. in neuroscience at UCLA and attended medical school in Kansas City, MO. At this time, he is interested in pursuing an adult reconstruction fellowship after his orthopaedic surgery training.
Wook is a physician whose first career was in public safety (EMS and police) before he transitioned into information technology as a consultant. He attended medical school in the northeast, and then residency and an EMS fellowship in the southeast. He is board-certified in Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services (EMS). He has served in various roles as an Emergency Medicine and EMS physician, including as a state regional medical director. He is also an intermittent federal employee within the National Disaster Medical Support (NDMS) and has also previously served as an intermittent federal employee with an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team. He has been employed as an academic physician for his entire career but has done locums work during that same time at community hospitals. He still serves as a police officer.
Wysdoc is a board-certified pediatrician who resides in the Lone Star State. She earned her MD at OHSU, followed by a pediatric residency and chief resident stint at the University of Minnesota Hospital & Clinics. She practiced outpatient pediatrics for 21 years, then retired from active practice. After retirement, she earned a certificate in college and career counseling at UC Riverside as a way to stay engaged in working with and helping young people. Wysdoc says the skills she developed to reassure worried parents were perfect training for her current avocation of reassuring worried premeds on SDN. She aims to advise them with a balance of candor and kindness. She is proud to be a resource for the most current facts on the TMDSAS medical school application system, which has a few features that differ from the national AMCAS system.
Pharmacy
Hels2007 is a registered pharmacist currently working for a top-25 pharma company. She completed her PharmD at a small state university in the middle of the US, where opportunities offered by the school were few, but the school was excellent at supporting students’ individual efforts to do research, explore pharmaceutical industry and otherwise go beyond the standard curriculum. Later, she completed a fellowship with the Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Institute and obtained a Master’s degree and a professional certification in her narrow area of focus. She has spent her career on the commercial side of pharma and has firsthand experience doing competitive intelligence and primary and secondary market research, as well as broad experience being involved in cross-functional collaborations with departments as diverse as scientific publications, trade operations, and business development.
Podiatry
DexterMorganSK is a second-year Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Resident at a program in NYC. He completed his DPM degree from Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University. In addition, he also completed an MPH degree from Yale School of Public Health. He is presently interested in Podiatric trauma and diabetic limb salvage. After completing residency and board certifications, he hopes to get involved in a fellowship that aims at minimally-invasive surgeries on the foot and ankle.
MusicManMike completed his graduate-level training at the Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine, followed by a Podiatric Medicine and Surgery residency at Western Reserve Health Education in Youngstown, Ohio. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Podiatric Medicine and holds additional wound healing certifications from the American Board of Wound Healing and Council for Medical Education and Testing. He currently practices in a large multi-specialty group.
newfeet is a podiatrist. He is currently a clinical assistant professor at a medical school in New York State. Before he became a professor, he practiced at rural hospitals in central and northern NY. He completed a podiatric medical and surgical residency in New Jersey. He is board certified in podiatric medicine.
Psychology
AcronymAllergy is a licensed psychologist and practicing clinical and forensic neuropsychologist working in private practice. He previously worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a clinical neuropsychologist and internship training director. He completed his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at a large state university in the southern United States. He then completed his one-year, APA-accredited internship at a VA/Academic Medical Center consortium and his two-year, APPCN-member fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at a large VA medical center. He is board-certified in clinical neuropsychology through ABPP.
calimich is a bilingual licensed psychologist in private practice and a tenured associate professor at a small liberal arts college. Calimich earned a BS in psychobiology from a large, western, state university, a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from a large, midwestern, state university, and completed an apa-accredited internship and postdoc at a large, western, state university. Professor calimich teaches courses in Psychopathology, Theories of Counseling, Family Psychology and Race, Culture, and Ethnicity in Psychology and conducts research exploring the broad intersection of culture and mental health. In private practice, calimich provides psychological assessment and treats a small caseload of individuals and couples using an emotion-focused framework. He is a husband, father of two, and a former Licensed Stockbroker, high school science teacher, and Peace Corps Volunteer.
R. Matey completed a Ph.D. in counseling psychology at an R1 Midwestern university, an APA-accredited internship at a large university counseling center, and a postdoctoral residency based in primary care within a large private hospital system. They are currently completing a research fellowship in neurodevelopmental disorders.
Singasongofjoy is a licensed psychologist specializing in the assessment of neurodevelopmental and cognitive differences. Prior to her current position, Singasongofjoy worked in various nonprofits, obtained a master’s and affiliated work in vocational rehabilitation/employment supports and intellectual/developmental disabilities before attending a doctoral program in the southern United States. She subsequently attended an APA-accredited internship at an academic medical center in the midwestern US with a focus on both autism and as many diverse other opportunities as possible related to behavioral health and chronic illness, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship focusing on autistic adolescents/adults through post-retirement age. She now works at a specialty outpatient clinic affiliated with a large academic medical center in the southeastern United States. She has a particular focus on diagnosis, self-insight, and advocacy for neurodiverse individuals of all ages, with related interests in LGBTQ-related matters, learning differences, rural populations, and traditionally marginalized groups. As time goes on, she finds the unexpected intersection of these topics with teaching/training graduate students, parenting, and personal life to be invigorating, exhausting, rewarding, and mutually informative.
Therapist4Chnge is a licensed psychologist and practicing clinical neuropsychologist in private practice. He completed his MS and PsyD in clinical psychology at an APA-acred university. He then completed his APA-accredited internship at a VA consortium, and his two-year rehabilitation psychology/neuropsychology fellowship at a flagship R1 university. He also completed a post-doc MS in clinical psychopharmacology. He then spent 5 years as an assistant professor at another flagship R1 university where he provided consultation services for TBI, Neuro, Ortho, and related in-patient services and out-pt neuropsychological assessment. His area of research focused primarily on acquired brain injury, and he has published in a range of top journals and given talks around the country on acquired brain injury and related subjects. He currently owns a boutique neuropsych practice where he provides a range of assessment and consultation services, in addition to IMEs and expert witness work.
WisNeuro is a licensed psychologist and practicing clinical neuropsychologist currently running his own private practice. He currently splits time between clinical work and Independent Medical Evaluations in the medicolegal arena. He completed his Ph.D. in clinical psychology, with a concentration in neuropsychology, at a large state university in the Midwest. He then completed his one-year, APA-accredited internship at a VA/Academic Medical Center consortium, and his two-year, APPCN- member fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at a large VA medical center. He is board-certified in clinical neuropsychology through ABPP.
Veterinary
dyachei is a licensed veterinarian. She completed a DVM at UTCVM in Knoxville and a BSc at Emory University. dyachei owns her own practice in the southern part of the United States.
finnickthedog is a licensed veterinarian. She completed her DVM at Michigan State University and is currently working in the Midwest as a general practitioner with a special interest in canine reproduction.