Approach to Care

I founded Redwood Osteopathic Family Medicine because I believe healthcare should feel like a conversation, not a transaction — one where you're known as a whole person, not just a chart number. That means timely visits with room to talk, care built around your life, and a doctor who empowers you to be a partner in your own health journey.

I practice osteopathic medicine, treating the body as an interconnected whole, so a thorough visit looks beyond the symptom in front of me to how the rest of the body, and your life circumstances, might be contributing to it. As an extension of this philosophy, I am trained and have a vested interest in osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), a hands-on approach used to evaluate and address restrictions in the muscles, joints, fascia, and connective tissue, helping relieve pain, restore mobility, and support your body's natural capacity to heal.

I combine this with lifestyle medicine: using nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, relationships, and habits as evidence-based tools to prevent and even reverse chronic disease alongside medication when indicated.

My time living and working abroad has also shaped how I practice. When appropriate, I draw upon integrative approaches, including Reiki and other healing traditions I’ve encountered and learned from along the way. I combine evidence-based medicine with a whole-person approach that considers not only symptoms and diagnoses, but also the lifestyle, environment, and individual circumstances that influence health and well-being.

I also follow a plant-based lifestyle myself, which gives me firsthand insight when helping patients navigate nutrition and lifestyle changes whether you're plant-curious, fully plant-based, or just looking to make a few shifts in what fuels you.

Finally, I am fully committed to sustainability and environmental stewardship in my life and practice, and I will always work to minimize waste and prioritize eco-friendly, cruelty-free tools and supplies in patient care.

Hablo español y disfruto atender a pacientes que prefieren citas en español.

A Winding Path to Family Medicine

My path to medicine wasn't a straight line, and I think that's made me a better doctor. I started in nursing, earning dual degrees in Spanish and Nursing from the University of Illinois, which gave me both a clinical foundation and firsthand experience at a patient's bedside before medical school even began.

I then worked in a cardiac intensive care unit caring for patients at the end of their lives, an experience that turned my focus toward preventing the health issues that brought them there in the first place. After a few years of community health work in Uganda and Peru, I completed a pre-medicine certificate at Northwestern University, earned my medical degree from Des Moines University of Osteopathic Medicine, and finished a four-year Family Medicine residency at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.

I’m now board certified in both Family Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine (DipABLM — Diplomate of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine), and I teach medical students and resident physicians about principles of lifestyle medicine and osteopathic manipulative treatment, training the next generation of doctors to ask why people get sick, not just how to treat it.

Outside of Clinic

I enjoy spending time with my husband and adopted cat, taking care of my garden full of native plants, advocacy work to protect the environment and access to health care, cooking plant-based food, amateur DJing, and hiking. 

These interests reflect many of the values I bring to my medical practice: curiosity, connection, sustainability, and a belief that health is inseparable from the communities and environments in which we live.