Specialty Emergency Medicine Facility San Francisco Medical Center Emergency Department Address 2425 Geary Blvd. 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94115 Map & Directions Telephone Main: 415-833-3300 Injury Center: 415-833-2291 Emergencies: 911 Non-urgent voicemails: 415-833-6953 E-mail your doctor View your preventive services

Please note that my office hours may be different from my department’s hours of operation.

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My Biography

Kaiser Permanente San Francisco is a special place. I feel a sense of community here, not only in regards to the patients, but also the physicians and staff. We feel as if we are part of a family. The spirit that permeates this organization is one of “doing the right thing,” for the improvement of those around you. I have worked in many hospital settings in the Bay Area, and this level of commitment to patients is something unique to Kaiser.

I was drawn to emergency medicine for many reasons. It is the best specialty available, in my opinion. One reason I feel this way is because I get to see tangible, immediate effects of what I do in the emergency department. I am there when the patient’s own primary care physician cannot be there for them, when patients are at their most vulnerable and feel the most anxious. I might be the first to tell someone he has cancer, the first to see a baby as I deliver it, or the last person someone sees as she expires. How often can someone come home from work and say, “Wow, I saved someone’s life today.”

Our department treats a variety of patients that walk through our doors: old, young, men, women, homeless, disabled, pregnant, or intoxicated. We sometimes treat patients who would otherwise have no access to care. I find that I must draw upon my creative expertise when I encounter issues that don’t fit the textbooks. Every day is different, unpredictable, and therefore, interesting! I am constantly learning from my patients and their disease processes. I love my job and am excited to be doing it here at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco! I also enjoy the teaching aspect of my job. The best part of my day is talking to patients and their families, explaining their disease process, engaging them in a discussion about diagnostic and treatment options. I believe in treating every patient as though they were my family member. I support a compassionate advocacy approach to care.

I try to exercise regularly, and I enjoy knitting, karaoke, reading non-medical books, watching independent films, and traveling. I am hoping to resume piano playing, which I did for 21 years before starting medical school.

I have been happily married for 12 years to my college sweetheart; we met in chemistry class in college, and the rest is history. We recently gave birth to our son at Kaiser Permanente and are learning the ropes of parenthood! He’s joining our other two feline “babies,” Gyoza and Toby, who are Siamese mixes.

Other Languages: Conversational Spanish, Mandarin
Undergraduate Education: BS in Neuroscience, University of Florida
Professional Affiliations: American College of Emergency Physicians; American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM); California Chapter of AAEM – President 2009-2010
Other Kaiser Facilities: Redwood City (since September 2004); Santa Clara (since July 2005); South San Francisco (since July 2006)
Titles: Assistant Clinical Professor, Emergency Medicine, UCSF; Chief, Continuing Medical Education, Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center; Residency Site Director, UCSF-SFGH Emergency Medicine Residency Program
Began Practice: 2005
Joined Kaiser Permanente: 2006

My Credentials

Medical school	Northwestern University School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Residency	Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Board certification	Emergency Medicine, American Board of Emergency Medicine

Disclaimer
If you think you have a MEDICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY or go to the nearest hospital. DO NOT attempt to access emergency care through this web site. An emergency medical condition is a medical or psychiatric condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in any of the following: serious jeopardy to your health, serious impairment to your bodily functions, or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part. An emergency medical condition is also "active labor," which means a labor when there is inadequate time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery or if a transfer poses a threat to the health of the member or unborn child.

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