I’m a physician assistant in OHSU’s Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU). I care for patients recovering from heart and vascular surgeries and those facing serious heart conditions like heart failure, cardiogenic shock and arrhythmias.

My job focuses on post-surgical care, stabilizing critically ill patients and helping manage advanced therapies for heart failure.

I take a patient-centered approach to medicine, meaning I believe in working with my patients to make decisions that reflect their values and goals. I also have a strong interest in medical ethics and run a book club for healthcare professionals where we explore real-world ethical challenges in medicine. My background in psychology helps me support patients and families through difficult choices with compassion and clarity.

Before becoming a PA, I started my career in psychiatric research after earning my degree in psychology from SUNY Buffalo. I worked on the Suffolk County Mental Health Project at SUNY Stony Brook, where I interviewed patients with psychotic disorders. Later, I became a clinical supervisor in a research lab studying depression treatments, where I trained others and coordinated research reliability studies.

Eventually, I realized I wanted to work more directly with patients, which led me to PA school at South University in Savannah, Georgia. After graduating in 2019, I joined the ICU team at Salem Health Hospital. In 2022, I moved to Portland to work at OHSU in the CVICU, where I continue to focus on complex heart care.