People

Thomas Andrews, MD

Associate Professor of Surgery

Meet Tom Andrews: Cardiologist
Dr. Tom Andrews explores the interplay between cancer and the heart.
Dr. Andrews received his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in cardiovascular diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine with a subspecialty in Cardiovascular Diseases, and he specializes in research and study of cardiovascular complications related to cancer therapies.

Amit Khera, MD, MSc

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine

Meet Dr. Amit Khera: Preventive Cardiologist
Dr. Amit Khera is a preventive cardiologist at UT Southwestern and hopes to educate the audience of HeartTalks on how to prevent or deal with heart disease.
An expert in cardiac risk assessment and risk factor modification, Dr. Khera earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and completed a residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, followed by a cardiology fellowship at UT Southwestern. He also holds a Master’s degree in epidemiology from Harvard. Dr. Khera is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, and clinical lipidology.

Ankur Gupta

Meet Ankur Gupta: Second-Year Medical Student
Ankur Gupta describes his experiences at UT Southwestern and shares what he is learning on the road to becoming a doctor.
Ankur is a second-year medical student at UT Southwestern. He previously earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biology from Stanford University. While at Stanford, he developed a passion for the potential of regenerative medicine and now maintains a twitter page @regenMD to highlight updates in the field. As an aspiring physician, scientist, and innovator, he plans to use stem cell biology and mobile/web technology to address unmet clinical needs and improve clinical care. When not studying, the Dallas native enjoys playing tennis, road trips, and catching up on sleep!

Nancy Lin

Nancy Lin
Nancy Lin is a second-year medical student at UT Southwestern. She previously earned a bachelor’s in Biochemistry and Cognitive Sciences from Rice University.
Nancy Lin is a second-year medical student at UT Southwestern. She previously earned a Bachelor’s in Biochemistry and Cognitive Sciences from Rice University. After graduating college, she worked as a business consultant for Accenture in Houston. Although the young professional life was exciting, Nancy missed the academic environment and decided to return to school for a medical degree. Though she is still deciding what her ultimate career goals will be, Nancy is leaning towards academic medicine, where she could split her time between clinic, teaching, and research. Outside of schoolwork, Nancy enjoys writing, catching up on current events, and consuming too much coffee/dessert on any given day.

James Wagner, MD

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine

Meet Dr. Jim Wagner: Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Dr. Jim Wagner discusses his plans for MedTalks and what he hopes students can learn from his column.
James Wagner, MD, is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern and is an Associate Dean in the Office of Student Affairs, where he offers academic and career guidance to current students, recruits new students, and helps organize many of the major activities medical students experience during their career at UT Southwestern, such as new student orientation, the White Coat Ceremony, and Match Day. A dedicated teacher, Dr. Wagner has won several teaching awards. He is a UT System Distinguished Teaching Professor and a member of the Southwestern Academy of Teachers, as well as the University of Texas Academy of Health Science Educators. Dr. Wagner earned his medical degree from UT Southwestern, where he also completed a residency in internal medicine. He has been a UT Southwestern faculty member since 1989.

Gaurab Chakrabarti

Gaurab Chakrabarti
Gaurab is a second-year medical student at UT Southwestern. He previously earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computational Neuroscience from Brown University.

Gaurab is a second-year medical student at UT Southwestern. He previously earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computational Neuroscience from Brown University. He is passionate about understanding the biology of cancer and will be pursuing a PhD in Cancer Biology in addition to his MD at UTSW after his second year of medical school. He loves to learn new things and blogs about his findings at GaurabC.com. As a physician-scientist, Gaurab hopes to function as a basic science researcher, clinician and educator in a large academic center. When he’s not thinking about science or exams, Gaurab enjoys playing guitar, hanging out with his friends and performing an occasional stand-up routine at local comedy clubs.

Sandeep Mehta

Meet Sandeep Mehta: Second-Year Medical Student
Sandeep Mehta describes his experiences at UT Southwestern and shares what he is learning on the road to becoming a doctor.

Sandeep is a second-year medical student at UT Southwestern. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration for Corporate Finance and a Bachelor of Arts for Plan II Liberal Arts Honors at The University of Texas at Austin. As a resident assistant and tutor at UT, he developed a passion for connecting with people, mentoring, educating, and simplifying complex ideas, all of which he hopes to continue as a medical student and future physician. While at UT Southwestern, Sandeep has also developed a newfound interest in basic science and clinical research, especially of the heart, and hopes to incorporate some element of discovery into his career. Outside of school, Sandeep enjoys tinkering with technology, volunteering at free clinics, and running.

Lesley Childs, MD

Assistant Professor of Laryngology

Meet Lesley Childs, MD: Assistant Professor of Laryngology
As a recently appointed Assistant Professor of Laryngology in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, it is thrilling for me to combine my musical interests with my passion for medicine at the Clinical Center for Voice Care.

Lesley Childs, MD, joins the faculty at UT Southwestern after completing a fellowship in Laryngology and Neurolaryngology at Columbia and Cornell Universities in New York City. Dr. Childs specializes in the full spectrum of laryngology services and has particular expertise in endoscopic vocal fold surgery, thyroplasty and vocal fold augmentation, office-based treatment of voice disorders, laser surgery of the vocal fold, care of the professional voice, and management of airway disease and swallowing dysfunction. Dr. Childs, who cares for both adults and children, has authored several scientific articles and book chapters in the field of laryngology and neurolaryngology. She is also a vocalist herself, with professional recording experience.

Amanda Strickland

Medical Student

Amanda is a first-year medical student at UT Southwestern. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

As a student at Texas A&M, she followed her lifelong interest in linguistics by minoring in French and nurtured her passion for interdisciplinary studies, research, originality and education. She hopes to continue pursuing these interests at UT Southwestern.

Deciding on her career goals is still a work in progress, but she would like to incorporate education, research and clinic. Outside of the medical field, Amanda enjoys learning about new languages and cultures, exploring the culinary world, and telling witty jokes.

Nicole Strickland

Medical Student

Nicole Strickland is a first-year medical student at UT Southwestern. She earned a bachelor’s in Biology from Texas A&M University. While at Texas A&M, she pursued her lifelong passion for history by undertaking a minor in History and researching the history of medicine in the Old South.

At UT Southwestern, Nicole has enjoyed learning about all fields of medicine and tying in the history of medicine along with her studies. Although she is still finalizing her career goals, Nicole hopes to incorporate teaching and discovery of both science and humanities in her career. Outside of school, Nicole enjoys listening to music, reading the news, and exploring the Dallas Arts District.