About Me

I grew up everywhere as the daughter of a career Air Force officer. I never had a single place I called home. When I moved to Oregon over three years ago, I feel like I found my home and community. I had always wanted to find a place where my professional and personal lives would come together seamlessly within a community, where who I am is represented in both, where I have a responsibility not only to my patients and family but also to my community. There is a sense of completeness. To me, this is what family medicine is! I have never wanted to be defined by my career but more by who I am and my belief that service to others is a crucial part of my life.

About my practice

I have been in several different practice models since leaving residency. Notably, I was with Kaiser Permanente in Southern California for 14 years. I moved to Oregon to help develop a patient centered medical home in Salem. Three years later, I returned to Kaiser Permanente realizing that what I hoped to do was best done here. Caring for the patient as a whole rather than compartmentalized into different organ systems, attending to the mind-body-spirit, helping people thrive and find contentment, helping people prevent illnesses that have become epidemic in our culture (heart disease, diabetes), that is the philosophy I believe in. I personally have a special interest in mental health but treat all illnesses and all ages. I also am pursuing a fellowship in integrative medicine (mind-body medicine, nutrition, botanicals, etc.) in Arizona. It is exciting and rejuvenating!

How I thrive

I find it interesting how easy it is to forget yourself while at the same time encouraging and pushing others to make changes. So, I must be honest and say that my life is constantly a work in progress. Transformations I want to make are as difficult as yours. I do find that I thrive when I am working at the Salem Free Clinic, participating in my faith, laughing and being silly with my three girls, and when I am out walking.