Daniel Hodson

Daniel (He/him/his) hails from Trumbull, Connecticut (a small state just northeast of California). He attended high school at Fairfield Prep in Connecticut and then undergrad at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. At Swarthmore, he promptly started down the medical path by majoring in psychology and minoring in theater, captaining the cross country and track teams, and serving as one of the inaugural Swarthmore Phoenix mascots. Daniel then joined the United States Peace Corps and spent three months in Niger before the program was evacuated. He was transferred directly to Senegal, where he spent over four years in the rural, southern region of Kolda helping to build a community garden, creating radio shows in Foulacounda for the local Peace Corps radio program. Most importantly, he worked in the support of local health districts in a broad range of malaria control activities and helped to deliver tens of thousands of malaria rapid diagnostic tests and first-line antimalarials to these under-resourced catchment areas. Returning to the states, Daniel completed the Bryn Mawr Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Med Program (Pennsylvania again) and then returned to Connecticut for a year of clinical heart failure research at the Yale School of Medicine, where he remained for medical school. In medical school, Daniel conducted field epidemiological research into malaria infection in Douala, Cameroon and fell in love with bedside ultrasound.

Daniel’s broad clinical interests entering intern year include primary care, cardiology, infectious disease, and critical care. Beyond patient care, Daniel is passionate about delivering healthcare to underserved populations, building bi-directional global health collaborations, and implementing cutting-edge technology to transform bedside diagnosis and clinical medicine. He chose Med/Peds for the opportunity to provide continuous clinical care across the lifespan and for the broad clinical training applicable to global health contexts and public health. Daniel was drawn to UCLA for the energy of the program that was evident on interview day, for the emphasis on clinical competency, for the opportunity to work across several different types of hospitals, and for the diverse patient populations.

Daniel enjoys running, cycling, and swimming, practicing French and Foulacounda, and instigating fun shenanigans with friends. He enjoys watching highlights of New York Mets baseball, cycling, and soccer and recommends Lenox Hill on Netflix. Prior to Match Day, Daniel and his significant other Abigail had never been to Los Angeles. Here in the sun and warmth, they look forward to learning to surf, rebuilding/expanding their collection of fruit trees, and climbing nearby mountains.

Education:

Medical School - Yale University
Undergrad - Swarthmore College