I was born in Alaska and grew up in the small town of Anderson--a place so small that I literally knew everyone who lived there.  I have always loved that Alaskan life is best spent outdoors.  In summers my siblings and I were let loose to wander the woods, swim in gravel pits, build forts and pick berries.  If you ever make it to Anderson in the summer, there is a secret abandoned train car in the woods--how it got there I have no idea and you'll have to ask a longtime local how to get to it!  In the winter time I went ice skating, built snow forts and drove our sled dog team (but not once I was a teenager, because it was so uncool of course).  My favorite school memories are going to Denali National Park for field trips and basketball games (as any rural Alaskan knows, our small towns live and breathe basketball in the winter).

For college and medical school I headed to the opposite temperature extreme of Alaska-- Arizona.  I earned my medical school degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson.  During medical school I participated in a rural health program, completing some of my rotations in smaller towns, including in Flagstaff at Native Americans for Community Action Family Health Clinic.  After medical school, I completed a residency in Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Banner University Phoenix and Phoenix Children's Hospital.  I am grateful for the excellent training I received, ranging from specialty rotations at tertiary health centers, to the county hospital, to mobile pediatric clinics serving the inner city and families in transitional housing.

My first job after graduating from residency was outpatient primary care in rural Arizona.  I saw all ages from newborns in the hospital nursery to grandparents in their 90s.  While I enjoyed seeing all ages, my favorite appointments were always preventative checks with my pediatric patients that I got to see change and grow over the course of years.  After working in clinic for a few years, I transitioned to hospital medicine at the Carl T. Hayden VA in Phoenix.  Caring for veterans was quite the change, but getting to hear many stories of some of the last living World War II veterans was an incredible experience.  During this time I also became an Assistant Professor with the University of Arizona and taught medical students and residents.  After having children, I moved from hospital medicine to urgent care and was excited to be seeing pediatric patients again!  

When our family began looking to relocate from Arizona, Alaska was high on the list.  However, I did not want to return to winters -45F (or worse) and after a trip to Anchorage during a beautiful August, we decided this would be our home.  After returning to Alaska, I initially practiced telemedicine while homeschooling my children for a few years.  I loved curating their curriculum, taking the classroom outside and making learning as handson as possible.  Like any parent, after our move, I was a little anxious about finding a new pediatrician.  I made appointments with TCC and was impressed from the first visit.  Everyone from the front desk staff, to the nurses and MAs was so friendly and I could tell that the expertise of the physicians was excellent.  I am excited to now be part of the TCC team!

I Wish I Had This Superpower:

 ~ Needing minimal sleep (I could get so much more done if I had another 4 hours in my day!)

My Favorite Childhood Show:

 ~ Saved by the Bell (Yikes, I'm dating myself!)  

My Least Favorite Food:

 ~ Barbecue Sauce