About Me

Welcome to my Web page. I'm glad to have the opportunity to present my credentials and share other information about myself. It is very important that you feel comfortable with your surgeon, and I hope this page will help you get to know me.

Biography

I was raised in Detroit and received my undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Michigan. I then moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where I completed my residency in general surgery. I've been in San Diego since 1998, when I came to UC San Diego to do a fellowship in trauma surgery and surgical critical care. My husband is also a Midwesterner, and he now practices emergency medicine at another hospital in San Diego. Kaiser Permanente is very supportive of physicians who want to do volunteer work. I have been able to go to Liberia twice, with Doctors Without Borders, to give emergency surgical care to people affected by war and poverty, as well as to Haiti, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. I also fill several administrative roles in the department, serving as the assistant chief of general surgery for North County, and am the former subsection head of general surgery, former chief of surgery, and the chair of the Peer Review Oversight Committee at Palomar Hospital. I've newly joined the Brand Ambassador team as well.

About my practice

I have a broad-based general surgical practice. Most of my practice is based in North County at Kaiser Permanente’s San Marcos Medical Offices and Palomar Medical Center.

How I thrive

Being a Kaiser Permanente surgeon allows me to find time to enjoy my hobbies and take good care of myself. I love surfing and competing in triathlons. I became an ironman in September 2010, when I completed the Ironman Wisconsin triathlon. My family and I enjoy spending time together outdoors. I also enjoy hiking and have climbed Mt. Whitney and Mt. Kilimanjaro. I've run several marathons, including New York City and Tokyo. In 2016, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, which was found on a screening mammogram. I have had both breasts removed, and had 4 cycles of chemotherapy. (I ran the Tokyo marathon a year after starting chemo, so it is definitely possible to get back to doing the things you love after a cancer diagnosis!) I have lymphedema (arm swelling) in my dominant arm from the removal of my armpit lymph nodes. That is why you will notice that I wear a sleeve and glove on my right arm. My own experiences as a patient have given me a more complete understanding of what members are experiencing when they are in need of surgery.