As a thoracic surgeon, I have devoted my clinical practice to diagnosing and treating patients with lung cancer, esophageal cancer and other cancers of the chest. I am particularly passionate about minimally invasive, organ sparing surgery (video assisted thoracoscopic surgery VATS and robotic surgery) as it minimizes patient’s discomfort, improves patient outcomes, and expedites return to full recovery after surgery.

My practice centers around the patient experience, and I strive to treat each patient as a whole person not limited to one body part or a condition. Taking a patient-first philosophy, I believe in shared decision making and advocate for patients every step of the way from diagnosis, treatment, recovery and surveillance. Working at Kaiser Permanente allows for seamless and efficient collaboration across multiple specialties. Committed to providing excellence in surgical expertise, I work with an expert team of oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, pulmonologists, and physician assistants to provide personalized, high quality care for all our Kaiser members.

My calling to cardiothoracic surgery started when I was in high school as a volunteer in the surgery department in my hometown of Aurora, CO. Ever since I set foot in the operating room, I have pursued my passion for surgery vigorously. My training began with undergraduate degree from the University of Denver. After college, I spent a year as a researcher at the National Institutes of Health in the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland. From there I went to the University of Colorado School of Medicine for a degree in medicine followed by general surgery training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. During my surgery residency, I had the opportunity to do 3 additional years of Cardiothoracic research at Brown Medical School. After surgery residency, I completed specialty training in cardiothoracic surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Cornell University, New York City, New York. I am double board certified in both general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery. When I am not caring for patients, I enjoy exploring the outdoors with my husband and our three kids.