Background
In every role I serve, I hope to strengthen relationships by connecting people to community resources, to each other, and to the world around them.
As a physician, I strive to listen carefully to my patients and to translate medical terms into accessible language for the families I serve. Even while I help manage complex medical situations, I hope to empower individuals by teaching them to be their own best advocates as we work together.
As a writer, I seek to unearth the deeper lessons nestled within challenges and choices faced by ordinary people. My greatest privilege is to bear witness. As I help shape each story into its most compelling narrative, I see myself as a curator, committed to preserving the voice of the individual. As chapters come together into something so much greater than the sum of their parts, I am honored to help build communities through storytelling.
As a parent, I love to help other families navigate the intricacies of daily life and to bring friends together to spend time outdoors. I try to raise my children to be citizens of the world, aware of our context and of the larger communities we inhabit and travel through. I try to live with intention, mindful of prioritizing experiences over things and holding time as our most valuable commodity.
And I try to remember all of these ideals when the kids are shouting at each other, the pasta water is boiling over, the phone is ringing with a request for a consult, and two days’ worth of dishes are piled up in the sink.
Because our truest connections are revealed when we allow ourselves to be imperfect.
Inspiration & resources
STORYTELLING, READING, LITERACY
Portland-area public libraries: Multnomah County; Washington County; Clackamas County
Powell's City of Books, the world's largest independent bookstore and a local Portland treasure
Two other favorite local bookstores: Broadway Books and Annie Bloom's
NARRATIVE MEDICINE
The origins of narrative medicine: Rita Charon, MD, PhD
Lifework of my undergraduate mentor, Arthur Kleinman
Stanford Pegasus Physician Writers
Huffington Post article about the healing power of storytelling
PARENTHOOD & FAMILY LIFE
Connecting kids to the natural world
A few standout podcasts and radio programs that often include compelling stories about the complexities of parenthood and family life: The Moth, Terrible, Thanks for Asking, Mom & Dad Are Fighting, This American Life
How to Raise An Adult, by Julie Lythcott-Haims
Books to inspire kids, written by Portland based-writer Michelle Roehm McCann (including Girls Who Rocked the World, More Girls Who Rocked the World, and Boys Who Rocked the World)
Portland-area family magazines and organizations: PDX Parent; NW Kids Magazine
One of my biggest inspirations lately: If You Want to See a Whale, a beautifully simple children's book about singularity of focus and putting first things first
What kinds of resources would you like to see more of here? Please send me a suggestion!