Originally from Seattle, I grew up in Ontario, Canada but made my way back to Washington state for college and beyond. My undergraduate degree was from the College of Architecture & Urban Planning at UW—go Dawgs!
I moved on to receive my Doctor of Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine followed by my residency in Internal Medicine at UW Department of Medicine, finishing up as Chief Resident in the Department of Medical Education at Swedish Medical Center.
I worked full-time in private practice from 1996 to 2021. Along the way I served as Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine in the UW Department of Medicine and also chaired a number of professional committees in Integrative Medicine, Technology, Quality Management and Peer Review.
Parallel to my 25 years in clinical practice I developed a weight management and wellness program, Menu for Change, which successfully ran from 2012 to 2019. This was one of the many stepping stones that led to my MenopauseMenu website, which started as my “passion project” during the pandemic year 2020.
MenopauseMenu remains free for everyone—a community hub for all people to find physical and emotional support on the journey toward, into and beyond menopause. This site offers science-based health information balanced with a holistic focus on personal well-being. All are invited to improve individual empowerment, reinforce sustainable life balance, and build nourishing paths to feeling healthy and well.
2021 heralded a new chapter as I stepped away from direct patient care and started working on a new business model to continue serving people using my medical experience and expertise. Parapluie Partners, LLC was conceived and finally launched as myMDadvocate in early 2022.
I now help patients in WA state as their virtual physician advocate, guide, partner, coach, resource, navigator and educator. Common topics include aging with intent, preventive care, menopause, chronic diseases, autoimmune conditions, weight management, behavioral health, cancer and survivorship support, caregiver stress, coping with chronic pain, and referral advocacy.
I also serve as an ally to primary care and specialty physicians and surgeons by helping to “offload” more thorough and deep-dive discussions with patients on medical issues and navigational concerns, a service that our current strained healthcare system often cannot support in a timely manner.
In late 2023 I published my first book, The Menopause Menu—an all-in-one giftbook, medical guide and recipe book for navigating menopause.