I was born in an Army hospital in Japan to parents who are from the Midwest. When my father's service ended, we moved to California where I was raised. I am the oldest of four children. Growing up, we would spend time outdoors playing tennis, swimming, rafting, camping, and waterskiing in the summer or snow skiing in the winter. I am a third generation doctor and grew up understanding the long hours and commitment involved in a career in medicine. When I was 8 years old, I helped bandage my brother after a bicycle accident and knew then that I also wanted to be a doctor. I studied biology and communication at the University of California, Davis, then attended St. Louis University School of Medicine, where I was active in campus ministry and spent a month working in a clinic in Belize. I moved to Oregon for a Pediatric residency at Oregon Health and Science University, which was closer to the mountains, ocean and my family. Here I met my husband, who is a fifth generation Oregonian. We have two teenage boys and spend most of our free time either skiing, swimming, playing soccer or taking our Labrador hiking.