My journey to medicine began at the age of ten, when I fell two stories out of a tree and sustained a severe injury to my right elbow. It was through this injury that my eyes were open to the world of medicine. Since no one in my family had graduated college, let alone medical school, I had never thought that I could possibly be a physician. It was not until my orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Michelle James, at Shriners Hospital in Sacramento, was the first person to say that I was smart enough to be a physician. Since that day, I headed down the path to become a physician and never looked back.

My first job in the field of medicine was at Kaiser Permanente in San Rafael where I worked as a Medical Assistant. I then attended undergrad at UC Berkeley where I studied Integrative Biology and Theatre, Dance, and Performance studies (Go Bears!). I then graduated from UCSF’s Post-Baccalaureate Program for the Disadvantaged and Underserved which helped me to gain acceptance into medical school at Michigan State University. I then attended UC Irvine for residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. At UC Irvine, I served as Chief Resident and was awarded Outstanding Resident of the Year. I finished my training at UC Davis with a fellowship in Sports Medicine which is where I trained prior to joining Kaiser Permanente. This fellowship gave me a chance to gain additional training in musculoskeletal ultrasound, a unique tool that aids my diagnosis and treatment abilities.

I have additional sub-specialty expertise in dance and performing arts medicine. As a lifelong dancer, I understand the goals and passions of performing artists. When treating a dancer or performing artists, I aim to understand their needs, treat their injury, all while enabling them to continue performing. I am currently actively involved in local, national, and international dance organizations.

I chose to practice medicine at Kaiser Permanente because I believe in their dedication to high-quality evidenced based medicine. My philosophy on care is to provide a multi-disciplinary team approach that is centered around patient education and empowerment to make informed decisions. My goal is to get you back to doing the things you love to do!