About Me

When I decided to go to medical school (it’s a second career for me after 10 years as a journalist), I decided to venture out of my home state of Colorado. I moved to Oregon for medical school and pediatric residency and loved the outdoors there as much as I do here in Colorado. Both are kid-, bike- and dog-friendly states. When it was time to begin practice, I returned to Colorado and worked in Summit County. I came to Kaiser Permanente because I believe in the integrated care model. We have terrific resources for our members and many opportunities for providers to be involved.

About my practice

Kids are creative, brave and generally honest. They find joy and fun in everyday things, and that’s why I wanted to work with them and make their visits with me as enjoyable as possible. I believe taking care of children is a team effort. We’ll play, laugh and learn together. There are a lot of right ways to do things, and I like to elicit parents’ and kids’ thoughts and values to come up with a good plan. My goal is that you will leave feeling comfortable with our plan. I work in general pediatrics as well as pediatric supportive (palliative) care for children and families facing serious illness. Whether a child has an ear infection, or something vastly more scary and complex, I believe in treatments that are determined in a manner that includes the family’s values. I also wholeheartedly believe in the importance and safety of vaccines.

How I thrive

My kids and I raise Guide Dogs for the Blind, and are frequently seen with a pup-in-training out in restaurants, stores and school. We also have other dogs at home. My family (husband, two kids, and four step-kids) enjoy cooking all types of food together, and we love being outside, hiking, camping or cycling. I eat popcorn almost every night, and try to spend at least 15 minutes each day reading a good book (a typical to-read stack includes Untangled about teenage girls, Beartown because I read everything by Fredrik Backman, Things Fall Apart as recommended by my son, and My Not So Perfect Life).