About Me

Thanks for reading my profile. I am a board certified general surgeon, a surgical graduate of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. The word "general" in general surgery often confuses people, as it sounds like "general practice." In actuality, general surgery is a surgical specialty requiring five or more years of surgical training after medical school. I am a specialist in surgery of the digestive organs, the breast, and the endocrine system, as well as operations for hernias, soft tissue tumors, and skin cancers.

Biography

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and moved to Southern California in the early 1980s to attend UCLA School of Medicine. Being a physician runs in my family: my maternal grandfather was an old-fashioned general practitioner, my mother was a pediatrician, and my father was an Ob/Gyn specialist. I came to medicine a little late—I was a high school teacher for several years before starting medical school. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching but decided to become a physician both for the added challenge and the opportunity to help others.

About my practice

I've been a Kaiser Permanente surgeon since 1990, and it has been a great career. I cannot begin to tell you how much I value my colleagues here in San Diego. I am especially proud that we pioneered advanced laparoscopy in San Diego and that we are a center of excellence for minimally invasive operations. It still amazes me the number of operations we can now do with this technology, resulting in much shorter lengths of stay and quicker recovery times. I enjoy the constant work that goes into striving to ensure that Kaiser Permanente members receive high-quality care. I was chief of surgery from 2003 through 2007; my current administrative role is physician director of the surgical services.

How I thrive

I try to maintain a balance between work, family, personal fulfillment, and taking care of my own health. In the long run, that actually gives me more energy to get through the day. Staying healthy and thriving is all about choices. For fun, I enjoy bicycling, mountain climbing, skiing, and backpacking. I frequently travel to our family home in Stockholm, Sweden, to visit friends, relatives, and professional colleagues, and I am comfortable speaking Swedish with you if you would prefer.