Facility San Jose Medical Center Department of Hospital Based Medicine Address 250 Hospital Parkway Main Hospital San Jose CA 95119 Map & Directions Telephone Office: (408) 972-7412 E-mail your doctor View your preventive services

Welcome to my Homepage

Aloha! Please feel free to browse my homepage, as it will make it easier for you to work together to take care of your healthcare needs. I chose to practice hospital-based medicine because it is rewarding, as I feel I can make a great impact in a short amount of time. I find great intellectual challenge in the practice of medicine as it is constantly changing, and I enjoy figuring out diagnoses and thinking about my patients.

Background

I chose to practice medicine at Kaiser Permanente because of its unique integrated system where all the health information is shared among different providers using an electronic medical record, and the focus on prevention, health education and chronic care management.

I grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, and attended the University of Southern California as an undergraduate student, and later studied at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. My internal medicine training was completed at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, California. During my residency training, I was in the hospitalist medicine pathway, which gave me additional training in hospital-system based competencies such as initiating quality improvement projects, and experience in palliative medicine, as well as provided the tools to succeed in a team environment to improve patient care and manage acute medical conditions. I also had the opportunity to serve on the Pharmacy and Therapeutics committee and the Medication Safety Subcommittee that reviewed medication errors.

The best part of my day is talking with patients and their families, and my philosophy is to care for my patients as I would my own family. Being in the hospital can be overwhelming, and I hope to be able to guide my patients and their loved ones through the difficult parts. My professional interests include gastroenterology, hepatology, and preventative medicine.

Hobbies and Interests

When I am not in the hospital, I enjoy taking Turbo Kickboxing, Yoga, and Zumba classes, doing arts and crafts such as scrapbooking and beadwork, watching movies, travelling back to visit my family in Hawaii, and trying new restaurants with friends. I also studied hula dance since the age of seven, and enjoy teaching hula dancing.

A book I enjoyed reading in College during my pre-medicine days was “Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science” by Atul Gawande. I found this book to be very honest about the imperfections of the medical profession, but also found it to explore the “humanism” in medicine ~ medicine doesn’t always work as it should; doctors are only human and can make mistakes. As physicians we should be dedicated to provide the best care possible to our patients, and we must make the best decisions possible given the limitations of our knowledge.

Recommendations

I encourage patients to be involved in their healthcare, and to bring their medications (or a list of their current medications) with them to the emergency room. It is ok to ask questions and request further information from your doctor if needed, and make sure all of your concerns are addressed. I want you to feel informed and comfortable with your care. I will also contact your primary care doctor so he or she will know how to manage your medical problems after you are discharged home and before you seen for your follow-up appointment.

I think we should all seek to find balance in our lives, and make time to exercise, eat healthy, and take time out to relax from our busy, fast-paced lives.

My Credentials

Medical school	John A Burns School of Medicine University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
Residency	Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, CA
Board certification	Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal 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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