It’s an amazing gift to be part of a child’s journey from birth through childhood, adolescence and into young adulthood. I love working with children and families of all ages and developmental stages. My approach to practicing medicine involves listening and working together with families to solve problems as they raise their children to be healthy, resilient, independent young adults.

I grew up in a small rural community in Wisconsin. I’ve always loved being outside and having adventures. My summers were spent biking around town with my friends in the days before cell phones. We knew it was time to get home when the stress lights would turn on. Like most teenagers, when I started college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I liked science, math and people. Mid-way through college, I decided medicine was what I wanted to do. While in college, I swam on our college swim team. The experience of being part of a team taught me the value of a collective group of people working hard together for a common goal. I attended medical school at The University of Wisconsin. During my pediatric rotation, I found my calling!

My husband and I moved to Oregon for my pediatric residency. Both of us love the outdoors and adventure; we fell in love with the state immediately. I now have two teenage children who also love the outdoors. We are all addicted to kitesurfing; my favorite days are when we are all on the water together. Last summer, we competed as a relay team in Kiteboard for Cancer. I also love to swim, run, and bike, and I’ve competed in triathlons. While I now consider myself an Oregonian, I still cheer for the Packers.

I have a shared practice with Dr. Sarah Tycast, who also enjoys working with families and kids of all ages, especially the complexities of teenagers. We both like to work with families to provide the best care for each situation. I never worry about the care my patients receive when Sarah is around.