I am a physician, an engineer, a teacher, an entrepreneur, and a community builder. I spend some of my time seeing patients through my practice with Frontier Psychiatry which serves primarily Montana. Most of my time is spent working with health technology companies to advance patient care, striving to make it easier to access, more affordable, less invasive, and more individualized. I also continue to teach post-graduate medical residents, medical, PhD, Masters, and Undergraduate students at the University of Washington via a number of projects.
My path to medicine was roundabout, and by many considered "non-traditional." During my undergraduate years, I studied electrical and computer engineering and computer science in a rigorous program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which unfortunately did not leave much room for fun outside of the classroom. After graduation, I worked in systems engineering for the US Navy, during which time my experience as a patient with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma soon led me to look further. I found further interest in basic science and medical imaging research, eventually leading to a graduate degree in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins. I went on to do a research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital with the radiology department's Metabolic Imaging Core where I enjoyed an active and supportive research environment. I developed a novel device to measure metabolism of the lower leg muscles during exercise with MRI which continues to be an offered service for researchers. I credit this project to unearthing my passion for solving medical problems with an engineering approach. During that fellowship, I also supported several clinical studies, and began to experience the doctor-patient relationship I had not only read about, but experienced from the patient side. I decided by going to medical school and becoming a physician engineer, I could feed my appetite for solving technical and systems problems while also maintaining close contact with those I serve.
During my time at UMass Medical School, in Worcester, MA, I dedicated time to organizing and improving the local free clinics by establishing the Worcester Free Clinics Coalition. I worked with VecnaCares to design, test, and implement an electronic health record within the free clinics, allowing me to stay involved at the intersection of technology and medicine. I also enjoyed teaching yoga and other integrative medicine modalities for patients at the cancer center, supporting a child with cancer through the UMASS Sidekicks program, reading for pleasure, and writing.
I decided on psychiatry residency training while in medical school for several reasons, but the choice was fundamentally rooted in my fascination with the mind and brain. I spent 4 years in general psychiatry residency at University of Washington, and subsequently entered a Movement Disorder fellowship with a focus on Behavioral Neurology through the University of Washington's Memory, Brain, and Wellness Center and the Seattle Veterans Administration Movement Disorder Clinic. This was an avenue for me to pursue my long time passion for caring for patients with neurodegenerative disorders. Specifically, I sought out training to become an expert in diagnosing and treating patients with atypical or rare presentations that require a more intensive approach to understand and correctly diagnose, such as those with early-onset Alzheimer's Disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, Parkinson's Disease, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, and Corticobasal Degeneration, among many others. I worked on building a memory focused program at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland, WA before transitioning my full effort to Frontier Psychiatry in Montana.
Now in post-training life, outside of my clinical and health technology work, I spend my time trying to strike balance between my work, self-care, and building my community. I am involved with local organic farming and forestry work by maintaining a large vegetable garden and chicken coop, and restoring the wildlife habitat and native plant species along the Burke-Gilman Trail, running, and climbing. I am dedicated to expanding my understanding of wellness through nutrition and cooking, social engagement, travel, exercise, reading, and meditation; including activities which combine all of these elements such as my time at Kripalu.
I ultimately strive to give myself the time and space to relearn some old lessons and learn some new ones. I enjoy bringing laughter to both patients and colleagues. I often will highlight behavior in myself and others lightheartedly as means of safely connecting while also gaining attention in our increasingly distracting world. I use humor to create a safe space and often bring some levity to difficult conversations, demonstrating even in the face of what may be most concerning, there can be reason to smile.
My path to medicine was roundabout, and by many considered "non-traditional." During my undergraduate years, I studied electrical and computer engineering and computer science in a rigorous program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which unfortunately did not leave much room for fun outside of the classroom. After graduation, I worked in systems engineering for the US Navy, during which time my experience as a patient with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma soon led me to look further. I found further interest in basic science and medical imaging research, eventually leading to a graduate degree in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins. I went on to do a research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital with the radiology department's Metabolic Imaging Core where I enjoyed an active and supportive research environment. I developed a novel device to measure metabolism of the lower leg muscles during exercise with MRI which continues to be an offered service for researchers. I credit this project to unearthing my passion for solving medical problems with an engineering approach. During that fellowship, I also supported several clinical studies, and began to experience the doctor-patient relationship I had not only read about, but experienced from the patient side. I decided by going to medical school and becoming a physician engineer, I could feed my appetite for solving technical and systems problems while also maintaining close contact with those I serve.
During my time at UMass Medical School, in Worcester, MA, I dedicated time to organizing and improving the local free clinics by establishing the Worcester Free Clinics Coalition. I worked with VecnaCares to design, test, and implement an electronic health record within the free clinics, allowing me to stay involved at the intersection of technology and medicine. I also enjoyed teaching yoga and other integrative medicine modalities for patients at the cancer center, supporting a child with cancer through the UMASS Sidekicks program, reading for pleasure, and writing.
I decided on psychiatry residency training while in medical school for several reasons, but the choice was fundamentally rooted in my fascination with the mind and brain. I spent 4 years in general psychiatry residency at University of Washington, and subsequently entered a Movement Disorder fellowship with a focus on Behavioral Neurology through the University of Washington's Memory, Brain, and Wellness Center and the Seattle Veterans Administration Movement Disorder Clinic. This was an avenue for me to pursue my long time passion for caring for patients with neurodegenerative disorders. Specifically, I sought out training to become an expert in diagnosing and treating patients with atypical or rare presentations that require a more intensive approach to understand and correctly diagnose, such as those with early-onset Alzheimer's Disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, Parkinson's Disease, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, and Corticobasal Degeneration, among many others. I worked on building a memory focused program at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland, WA before transitioning my full effort to Frontier Psychiatry in Montana.
Now in post-training life, outside of my clinical and health technology work, I spend my time trying to strike balance between my work, self-care, and building my community. I am involved with local organic farming and forestry work by maintaining a large vegetable garden and chicken coop, and restoring the wildlife habitat and native plant species along the Burke-Gilman Trail, running, and climbing. I am dedicated to expanding my understanding of wellness through nutrition and cooking, social engagement, travel, exercise, reading, and meditation; including activities which combine all of these elements such as my time at Kripalu.
I ultimately strive to give myself the time and space to relearn some old lessons and learn some new ones. I enjoy bringing laughter to both patients and colleagues. I often will highlight behavior in myself and others lightheartedly as means of safely connecting while also gaining attention in our increasingly distracting world. I use humor to create a safe space and often bring some levity to difficult conversations, demonstrating even in the face of what may be most concerning, there can be reason to smile.
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and endless plans: That the moment one definitely commits oneself then providence moves, too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never have otherwise occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it! Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe