About Me

I grew up in a college town in Oregon as the oldest of four girls. My mother was a passionate natural childbirth teacher and a huge advocate for the La Leche League. When I headed off to college, I initially said that I wanted nothing to do with the medical field! Instead I earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Oregon State University in adult education, journalism, and communications and went into the corporate world in the Silicon Valley and Seattle, where I held a series of jobs in human resources and international marketing.

About my practice

My turning point occurred when a midwife provided my care during my first pregnancy. It was an amazingly cool experience, which gave me that “aha!” moment. I knew that I, too, wanted to help women and their families in this way. I began teaching natural childbirth classes and attending births as a doula, or labor coach. I then attended Oregon Health & Science University for both my nursing education and my master’s degree in nurse-midwifery, which I earned in 2005. After graduation, I worked at a large obstetrics-gynecology practice in the Portland area for 8 years, delivered over 750 babies to wonderful families, and provided gynecological care to more than 8,000 women. I have been working with childbearing families for almost 20 years now, and I love what I do! I also give presentations to high school classes and at health fairs, help train labor and delivery nurses, serve as a preceptor for midwifery students, and have published articles in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health. I regularly attend annual conferences and participate in on-line continuing education to stay current with medical research. Pregnancy, birth, and parenting are deeply personal events. I love educating women and their families about their choices and helping women navigate through all of their choices to make informed decisions. I am deeply committed to working with women of all ages to provide personalized care that respects their dignity, beliefs, and goals. One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is learning about my patients and their families and watching their children grow.

How I thrive

My husband and I have two handsome teenage sons and three beautiful poodles. I enjoy skiing, water sports, reading detective and spy thriller novels, and spending time with my family. Now that we are in Hawaii, we plan to spend more time outside hiking, walking on the beach, and just enjoying being in this sunny paradise!