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Special Interests
While I the enjoy the science and the diagnostic challenges of practicing medicine, it is the relationships that I build with patients that are the most rewarding. I find it fulfilling to work with my patients and their families to help them adopt a healthier lifestyle and to better manage their chronic diseases. I believe it is important to quit smoking and maintain a healthy weight through good nutrition and exercise and will help support you in on your road to good health. I realize that this can be a challenge for us while we are busy with our jobs, children, and other responsibilities. There is far more professional pride for me in helping a patient to avoid a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes than in diagnosing it. I also hold extra certification in the management of acute and chronic wounds which I enjoy using on a daily basis.
Acute and chronic wound care, women's health, and care of the diabetic foot
Personal Interests
Medicine has always fascinated me. My mother went back to school to become a nurse when I was 11 and I would often sit with her at the kitchen table when she would study. The complexity of the human body captured my imagination and I became her study partner. At the University of Oregon I studied theater and psychology and those became my majors, but to pay for it all I worked at the local hospital in the physical therapy department. When I graduated from college and Broadway never called, I continued to work in physical therapy and found that helping patients was what I truly wanted to do for a career. In 1996 I went to night school to finish my science prerequisites and was then accepted into the Physician Assistant program at OHSU in 1999. When I graduated I took a position with Northwest Primary Care, where I had worked with Dr. David Maslen as a PA student. I continue to work in internal medicine with the wonderful team at Dwyer Clinic to this day.
I currently work three days a week, giving me the time to be involved in my two son’s schools. My husband and I often take the boys and our dog Poppi for treks through the rainy wilderness of Oregon. We are also avid gardeners, growing a wide variety of native flowers and shrubs in our certified backyard habitat as well as large amounts of vegetables, berries, and other edibles. Our brood of chickens eat what we don't and always keep us, and our neighbors, supplied with eggs. Tap dancing, reading, and discussing books with friends help me to keep both mind and body active.
Live long and prosper!
