Board-certified pediatrician
I’ve always approached life, and medicine, like a group project. A community effort. The sense of belonging to and contributing to a community has been a theme throughout my life and continues to be today.
I grew up in Albany, New York but fell in love with New England when I spent 4 years at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. For me, college was full of friendships, volleyball and challenging classes but I still wasn’t settled on a career path. So, when I graduated in 2001, I moved to Boston where I spent 2 years working as clinical study coordinator for Brigham and Woman’s Hospital. During that time, I met some wonderful people and solidified my journey toward medicine.
In 2003, I moved to St. Louis to attend St. Louis University School of Medicine and the minute I saw the arch I knew I made the right choice. St. Louis is an amazing city with a terrible humidity problem but it was always a lot of fun! During medical school I met my husband, a proud St. Louis native. We ended up staying in St. Louis for residency which I completed at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. I loved my years at Cardinal Glennon, it’s a really special place; kind of like the child’s hospital version of a hug. It’s a wonderful, caring and safe place for kids and I truly feel like they train empathetic and kind physicians. I’m so grateful to have been trained as a physician in that environment and feel it has shaped the doctor I am today. It’s the Glennon way and I continue to practice medicine with those values.
After graduation from residency my husband and I decided to move further south to be closer to my brother and his family who, at the time, were living in Joplin, Missouri. Just a few months after we moved, the city of Joplin was decimated by a devastating tornado. In the aftermath of the tornado, we really felt like our family and my job were an Integral part of the community as we rebuilt and there we stayed for the next 13 years. During that time, my husband and I had two amazing, rowdy, boys, I became the medical collaborator for three local child abuse advocacy centers as a SAFE care provider and member of the Missouri SAFE care team, I worked as a volunteer at a free community based clinic for children without insurance and started the southwest Missouri arm of the Missouri Moms Demand Action Chapter before moving into state leadership a few years later.
Eventually, the travel to visit family back east was getting more difficult and I was seeing my family and friends on the east coast much less due to my increasingly busy schedule. We moved to Northampton to be closer to them and are so excited to be part of this community.
I truly believe that every child deserves the best chance to live a healthy, safe and happy life and I hope I can help you build that foundation of support for your children. I hope your child will always feel valued during their visits at NAP and you’ll let me be part of your care team!
Education
- Undergraduate: Bates College, B.S., Lewiston, ME, 2001
- Medical School: St. Louis University School of Medicine, M.D., St. Louis, MO, 2007
- Residency: Pediatrics, Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO 2007-2010
Memberships and Certifications
Interests
- Medical: Child Abuse Prevention, Gun Violence Prevention
- Non-medical: Social Activism, Sports, Books, Travel, Food, Social Media (don’t judge!). I’m also trying to learn Italian though I’m not so great at it!