I became interested in medicine in high school. I started pre-med in college, but after a personal tragedy, I felt I was not able to continue that path. I obtained my B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy, and I did what many Bachelor of Arts students do; I got a job in a completely unrelated field, insurance! After 5 years and 2 very special women mentors, I threw myself back into school and proceeded to work my way toward medical school. My inspiration to keep moving forward during this challenging time came from my grandfather. He was an Osteopath who completed medical school in his 40's during WWII. He had lost both eyes to Tuberculosis prior to medical school. My mantra was, "If he can do it without sight, surely, I can." Although my grandfather passed when I was 12, my grandmother was able came to my first white coat ceremony but also passed within the next year.
A New Chapter Begins: I spent time working after residency in the field of Rheumatology for about 9 months. This gave me some of the skills to help Rheumatology patients who have little access to care in our region. After spending the last 14 years in Primary Care Clinical Medicine, while also managing some Rheumatology patients, I decided to pursue this special interest in Rheumatology and was selected to train in a Rheumatology Fellowship at UAMS in Little Rock. It's an honor to be selected and I'm excited to have the opportunity to expand my skill set to help develop better access to care in NWA. After 2 years in Little Rock, I hope to return to practice in NWA. While I'm in LR, some limited telemedicine options may be available, see above for details.