About Me

Welcome! I am very happy that you are taking advantage of the comprehensive online health resources provided to you by Kaiser Permanente. I believe that staying active in your own health care will help me optimize your health. I look forward to meeting you!

Biography

I am a first-generation Chilean-American and grew up with my parents and grandparents, who taught me the importance of love, family, and advocacy. My passion for medicine derives from seeing my sister help others as a physician, my desire to serve others, and my social responsibility to better my community. I was born in Los Angeles and spent my formative years in the Bay Area. After college at UC Berkeley (Go Bears!), I moved to Illinois to attend medical school at Northwestern University and remained in Chicago for residency at Presence St. Joseph Hospital to work closer in the community setting. I then put on my sunglasses and moved back to sunny Los Angeles to be closer to my family and continue my medical career as part of the Kaiser Permanente family.

About my practice

I am trained in family medicine, completed a fellowship in geriatrics, and have experience in hospice and palliative medicine. My practice philosophy is to work closely with members to provide individualized medical care that promotes their personal goals and priorities for health in the context of evidence-based medicine. I believe that health in body, mind, and spirit is the foundation for a fulfilling life. I collaborate with members and their loved ones as partners to achieve greater health and well-being as well as to prevent repeat or subsequent hospitalizations. In particular, I have a passion for helping my older clients successfully age in place; this means that I support people in their efforts to continue living at home safely, do more of the things they enjoy, and participate in fulfilling activities. My professional interests include successful aging, aging at home, shared decision-making, health education, and reducing pill burden (discontinuing the recommendations for unnecessary medications). I work in the Department of Continuing Care and care for people in skilled nursing facilities (sub-acute rehabilitation) and in the outpatient geriatric clinic.

How I thrive

I love what I do and am grateful for being given the opportunity to help others through medicine. I strongly believe that life is about balance in mind, body, and spirit, so speaking to that aspect I continue to challenge myself outside of work by reading, working out in the gym (toward the goal of completing an occasional marathon), daily meditation, and positive psychology. My happiness stems from my family, friends, laughing, being grateful, staying active, and always taking time to smell the roses or pet a puppy.