I  am curious  about  nearly  everything ,  which  has led  me  down  some  beautiful  paths,  the  most  important  to  my  heart  being  getting  to  watch  my  four  kids  grow  up , with  my  husband  beside  me. 

Some  interesting  bits  about  me:  

* I  spent  5  years  dancing flamenco  under  the  mentorship  of  Celina  Zambon  —  who  danced  alongside  Dustin  Hoffman  in  Little  Fockers.

* I‘ve  eaten  Jiffy  peanut  butter  while  promoting  peace  in  the USSR  (now  Ukraine  and  Russia).

* I  decided  to apply  to  medical  school  while  walking  on  a  beach  in  Honduras —  where  I  volunteered  at  a remote  village  hospital.

*  One  of  my  strangest  experiences  has  been watching  the  Ms.  Universe  pageant  (not  by  choice...)  while  riding  on  a  bus  through  the  Malaysian  rainforest. 

*  I  love discovering  new  music  to  listen  to,  and  find  some  of  the  best  poetry  in  song  lyrics. 

*  Singing  and  dancing ( all  art,  really)  are  a  daily  medicine  I  can’t  live  without.

*  I  will rarely  turn  down  a  hot  cup  of  tea  or  chocolate-covered  strawberries. 

I write poetry and create stories and  art  to compel and foster the health and human connections needed to create a better world. 

I  write  books  for  young  people of  all  ages.  I’ve  found  that  the  best  children’s  literature  is  vital  for  everyone,  that  it  can  be  profound  and  transformative.  

My poems have been presented in journals, gallery exhibits and live story-telling events. Some of them are calls to action on what needs to change in modern health care. One such poem, Dear Medicine, was included in a groundbreaking 2019 report by the National Academy of  Medicine, Taking Action Against Clinician Burnout. 

My feature length documentary film, American Rhythms, is a film love letter to the power of music and rhythm in child health. You  can  watch it here.

I care for patients as a primary care physician at Stanford University, where I focus on adolescent, college, and young adult health.  I am an Associate  Professor in Stanford’s  Department of Medicine. 

I  have  been  Faculty in  Stanford’s  Medical  Humanities  and  Arts  Program since  2016, leading  and  mentoring  in  both  film  and  writing . I  serve  on  the  Editorial  Board  of the  medical  humanities  journal The  Pharos.  I  am  an  inaugural  Stanford  University  artsCatalyst  Fellow.

I’m a product of a Peace Studies Bachelors Degree at UC  Berkeley and a  Child and Family Public Health Leadership  Fellowship, with a  storytelling for health impact focus, at UCLA — both infuse my art and doctoring work. 

I  believe  that  story  and  art  have  the  power  to  nurture  and  better  us  all,  and  that  our  health  care  efforts  need  to value  that  power.