Dominic’s work is fundamentally about deploying medical systems in low-resource settings. From building virtual reality education platforms to train without the use of expensive medical equipment, to designing applications that can screen for cancer from a phone without an internet connection, his work is about making health more accessible. He thinks of it as making tools that will work in space but focused on real-world applications here on Earth — tying a line between global health and space medicine. He writes about his MEng work on his Substack.

Dominic is a fourth-year medical student at Duke University, simultaneously completing a Masters of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence from Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering. His research on coagulation risks in microgravity earned him the Donald B. Hackel Fellowship in Cardiovascular Pathology, and he received the Barr-Spach Scholarship to support his MEng degree.

He co-taught the VR-HEAL Duke Bass Connections course (2024–2025), developing virtual reality software for training on tunneled catheter procedures and augmenting the way interventional radiology procedures are taught. The team won the 2025 Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase for best showcase work.

Since February 2023, he has led Duke COMIDA (Customized Outreach for Mothers in Need of Dietary Assistance), a Chancellor’s Fellowship Grant project dedicated to supporting Hispanic women through their gestational diabetes.

To help other students discover the field of space medicine, he has worked with Duke University and Baylor College of Medicine’s Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) to produce several courses. He and his co-instructor produced the first undergraduate-taught digital course: Space Medicine with Duke Learning Innovation.

Dominic is also passionate about medical education. Since August 2024, he has served as a Duke Anatomy Teaching Assistant, introducing first-year medical students to anatomy through leading live dissections, running weekly review sessions, and developing customized education modules for students with learning accommodations.