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About Me

I was born in Evanston Illinois. I like to tell the story like this: My mom, who was a nurse was putting my dad through dental school. They had such a limited income that they lived in the basement of my grandmother's house where there was little heat and only one tiny window. Because of the small living quarters, there was no room for a crib. I had to sleep in a drawer. Now, there is a lot of truth to the story. However, I have been told that the drawer part is just a stretch of my imagination. I think my version better emphasizes the hard work, sacrifice and devotion my parent's had to each other and to their professions.

My parents moved to California when my dad graduated from dental school because my mom couldn't take stuffing three children into snow suits every morning, shoveling the car out of the driveway and slipping on the ice all the way to daycare and work while she was 8 months pregnant. OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration too. Anyway, after the age of three, I was raised in Danville California.

My parents were my motivation to enter the medical field. I knew that I didn't want to be a dentist (I spent many summers working in my dad's office) So, I became a nurse.

I graduated from Samuel Merritt and St. Mary's Intercollegiate program for nurses in 1986. I then worked in the pediatric intensive care at Children's Hospital Oakland as a staff nurse III, bridging the gap between clinical nursing and administration. I absolutely loved that position and held it for 7 years.

I decided to pursue an advanced nursing degree. I was drawn to anesthesia after spending just one afternoon with one of the cardiac anesthesiologists at Children's hospital. I was accepted to anesthesia school just a year later and moved to Pasadena to attend the Kaiser School of Anesthesia for Nurse Anesthetists. The 24 months that I spent in anesthesia school were some of the best times of my life. I loved what I was learning and all of the influential people that I met. I graduated in 1995.

I swore that the minute I graduated from anesthesia school I'd move back to Northern California, but as life (and, well...OK, LOVE) go, I found myself in San Diego for the next seven years. I worked at a number of Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Southern California and at UCSD Medical Center where I got a wealth of experience.

As luck would have it, I had an opportunity to move back to Northern California in 2002. I jumped at the chance to be ""back home"". I wound up in Santa Rosa where I was thankfully hired at Kaiser Permanente. I have been working part time (32 hours/week) ever since.

I have to say, that I am proud to be a member of the anesthesia care team at Santa Rosa. I have never worked with such an educated, talented and caring group of anesthesia providers. My colleagues are the best!

I feel very fortunate to live and work in such a beautiful area. Santa Rosa has so much to offer. What, when I think of the days that I peered out of my little drawer to see snow piling up on the window pane.

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