I am West Coast transplant from the East Coast. I lived in the San Francisco Bay area for many years. Later, I moved north to Seattle and Bellingham, Washington, and a Canadian gulf island before becoming a Portlander for the last 10 years. I hold undergraduate degrees in English and nursing, and have a master's degree in public health, as well as a master's degree in nursing from the University of Washington. I was a musician (pianist) before I started my nursing career. During the past two years I have become more involved in music again. Now I am learning violin and trying to keep up with my four grandchildren who are budding violinists. I view music and medicine as two sides of the same coin, and I feel very lucky to have both in my life.
I am very committed to my professional life as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. I chose to work in psychiatry because I am interested in people's lives and the sense they make of their lives. My best practice days are when people tell me they feel listened to, and when I feel I have made something a bit better for them. I have worked in a number of settings, including the Veteran's Administration in California and in community psychiatry in Seattle and the Portland area before coming to Kaiser Permanente 10 years ago. I have great interest in health care policy and before coming to Kaiser Permanente held associate medical director positions in community psychiatry. Here at Kaiser Permanente I am happy to come to work every day and provide clinical care to the many patients I have come to know and care about. I love working in an integrated practice of medical and mental health care because I believe this provides a holistic framework for health.
I am blessed to have a wonderful family of people and pets and I spend as much time with them as I can. Walking our two dogs with my daughter is my idea of a perfect time for all four of us! I begin my days with early swims and end them a good book. In between I practice violin in every spare moment.
