Biology
Biology
With an M.D. and a B.S. in cognitive psychology and biology from UC San Diego, I specialize in standardized exam preparation, with a particular focus on AP Biology, which I have both taken and taught. My medical training gives me depth across every exam domain, from biochemistry and molecular genetics to physiology and evolution, so I can also support IB, Regents, honors, and college-level biology. I emphasize active problem-solving, free-response strategy, data interpretation, and experimental design, the skills AP graders reward most. Whether you are aiming for a 5 or building a stronger foundation, I connect concepts to real-world applications in medicine and research so complex material sticks.
I cover the full scope of introductory biology, including chemistry of life (water properties, macromolecules, enzymes and enzyme kinetics); cell biology (cell structure and organelles, membrane transport, osmosis, cell signaling, cell cycle, mitosis, and meiosis); cellular energetics (ATP, glycolysis, Krebs cycle, electron transport chain, photosynthesis, fermentation); molecular genetics (DNA replication, transcription, translation, gene regulation, mutations, and biotechnology such as PCR, gel electrophoresis, and recombinant DNA); heredity (Mendelian genetics, Punnett squares, linkage, pedigrees, chi-square analysis); evolution (natural selection, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, speciation, phylogenetic trees); ecology (population dynamics, community interactions, energy flow, ecosystems); and human physiology (nervous, endocrine, immune, circulatory, digestive, and respiratory systems, homeostasis, and feedback loops). I also help with AP Biology lab design, statistics, and graph analysis, as well as Biology 101, MCAT biology, and pre-health prerequisite coursework.
Microbiology
Microbiology
With a U.S. M.D. and over a decade of tutoring experience, I teach microbiology the way it is used in medicine: as the foundation for understanding infectious disease, from how a pathogen causes illness to how it is identified and treated. My training covered bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic pathogens through lectures and case-based learning, so I connect each organism to the infection it causes, the host immune response it provokes, and the findings that lead to the diagnosis. Rather than memorizing organisms as a list, students learn to reason from a clinical scenario (the presentation, the Gram stain, the likely source) to the pathogen and its treatment. I teach nursing, PA, pre-medical, pharmacy, and allied health students, using visual maps, active recall, and exam-style case questions to turn a memorization-heavy subject into one that makes clinical sense.
I cover microbial classification and taxonomy, bacterial structure and morphology, Gram staining and other stains, culture media and biochemical identification tests (catalase, coagulase, oxidase), bacterial growth and replication, gene transfer, and antibiotic resistance mechanisms (MRSA, VRE, ESBL). On the infectious disease side, I teach virulence factors, exotoxins and endotoxins, mechanisms of pathogenesis, modes of transmission, and the clinical syndromes organized by body system, including pneumonia, urinary tract infections, meningitis, sepsis, skin and soft tissue infections, gastrointestinal infections (including C. difficile), sexually transmitted infections, healthcare-associated infections, and tuberculosis. I also cover virology (viral structure, replication cycles, HIV, hepatitis, influenza, herpesviruses), mycology and fungal pathogenesis, parasitology and parasite life cycles, and host-pathogen interactions, normal flora, and innate and adaptive immunity. Diagnostics and prevention are part of every session: PCR, serology and ELISA, culture and sensitivity interpretation, vaccine mechanisms, sterilization, disinfection, and infect
Neuroscience
Neuroscience
As a Neurology resident physician with an M.D. and postdoctoral research experience in neurocognitive and neurodegenerative disorders at UTHealth Houston, I teach neuroscience from the cellular and molecular level up through systems, behavior, and clinical disease. My research includes addiction neuroscience and epilepsy imaging, and I was a teaching assistant for Sensory Neuroscience, so I know how these courses are taught and where students get stuck. I turn dense material like neuroanatomy, neural pathways, synaptic transmission, and neurotransmitter systems into visual, stepwise maps, then reinforce them with active recall and practice questions written the way course exams ask them. Because I work in clinical neurology, I can connect each concept to the disease it explains, which gives students a reason to remember it beyond the exam.
I cover neuroscience from introductory through graduate and medical level, including neuroanatomy (cranial nerves and brainstem, spinal cord tracts, cerebellum, basal ganglia, thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, cortical lobes and functional areas, ventricular system and CSF, blood-brain barrier, and cerebral vascular territories); cellular and molecular neuroscience (neurons and glia, resting membrane potential, action potentials, synaptic transmission, neurotransmitter systems, receptors, and synaptic plasticity including long-term potentiation); sensory and motor systems (vision, audition, vestibular function, somatosensation, pain, olfaction and taste, upper and lower motor neurons, reflexes, and motor control); the autonomic nervous system; sleep and circadian rhythms; and cognitive and behavioral neuroscience (learning and memory, language, attention, executive function, emotion, reward circuitry, and addiction). On the clinical side, I teach lesion localization, the neurological exam, stroke syndromes, epilepsy, Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease and other dementias, multiple sclerosis, ALS, peripheral neuropathies, headache, neuropharmacology, neuropathology, and
Pharmacology
Pharmacology
As a recent U.S. M.D. graduate and resident physician, I teach clinically grounded pharmacology to students preparing for high-stakes professional exams. My instruction centers on molecular mechanisms of action, drug indications, adverse effects, and the reasoning behind how they connect, so students can predict a drug's effects instead of memorizing lists. I also teach how test questions are worded, including how to spot the clue in the stem, rule out distractors, and choose between similar drug classes. I integrate pharmacology with pathophysiology and clinical reasoning, with special emphasis on neuropharmacology and psychopharmacology, where receptor targets, and side effect profiles drive the clinical picture.
I work with students in nursing (MSN, APRN/NP, CRNA, DNP), pharmacy (PharmD), PA studies, medical school, and undergraduate pharmacology courses. I organize the material by body system and drug class: cardiovascular, antimicrobial, CNS, endocrine, anti-inflammatory, chemotherapy and immunosuppressants, and respiratory medications. High-yield content includes mechanisms of action, indications, contraindications, adverse effects, black box warnings, drug-drug interactions, and medication safety, the core material that appears consistently on healthcare professional exams. I also emphasize how adverse effects are monitored, from laboratory studies (liver enzymes, renal function, blood counts, electrolytes, drug levels) to ECG and imaging, and which findings should prompt a change in therapy. For retention, I teach suffix patterns that identify drug classes, generic vs. brand names, and high-yield mnemonics. Whether you are preparing for an exam, working through a challenging course, or connecting pharmacology to clinical practice, I provide structured, efficient instruction focused on exam success and safe patient care.
Physiology
Physiology
With an extensive training and education from my Medical Doctorate, I teach physiology and pathophysiology as an integrated, systems-based discipline, from molecular signaling cascades to the coordinated function of entire organ systems in health and disease. What separates my approach is the ability to bridge foundational mechanisms with clinical reasoning: not just explaining how the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system regulates blood pressure, but why its dysregulation drives hypertension, heart failure, and renal disease simultaneously. Every mechanism is paired with the clinical implications that make it worth understanding, so students can reason through unfamiliar vignettes instead of recalling isolated facts. Whether you are preparing for a physiology course exam, USMLE Step 1, the MCAT, or graduate-level health science coursework, I tailor sessions to your level and goal, using visual frameworks, stepwise breakdowns, and active recall to make dense, interconnected content retainable rather than temporarily memorized.
I cover the full scope of human physiology and pathophysiology, including cell membrane transport, resting membrane potential, and action potentials; cardiovascular physiology (cardiac cycle, cardiac output, preload and afterload, Frank-Starling mechanism, pressure-volume loops, ECG basics, hemodynamics, blood pressure regulation, and shock); respiratory physiology (pulmonary mechanics, lung volumes and capacities, ventilation-perfusion matching, oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation, and gas exchange); renal physiology (nephron function, glomerular filtration rate, fluid and electrolyte balance, acid-base disorders, and diuretic mechanisms); endocrine physiology (hypothalamic-pituitary axes, thyroid, adrenal, insulin and glucose homeostasis, calcium and bone metabolism, and reproductive hormones); gastrointestinal physiology (digestion, absorption, motility, and hepatobiliary function); skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle physiology; autonomic and central nervous system physiology; hematology;
