How many years have you been practicing and where did you graduate from?

I graduated from the nursing school at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and specialized in women's health from the beginning, knowing that I didn't want to do family. I knew the only patients that I wanted to be trained to take care of were for women; I've been practicing for seven years now.

What do you enjoy most about serving Appalachian Mountain Health patients here in Western NC?

I feel like our services are really needed in this region, so I really love that we are filling a void. You know, it’s not like when I first graduated, I was practicing outside of Nashville, and my patients could pick one of ten OBGYNs to go see. There were many options available for women’s health, but here we are where patients go and I like the fact that they trust me with that healthcare. I’ve been in my role for three and a half years and I’m still having patients say oh, I had no idea we had women’s health services in Robbinsville. I really like that we can fill that need.

What is your approach to patient care?

There are a lot of conditions that are very specific to women that impact their well-being and their ability to perform at a high level in their lives. My approach is really how do we help our patients to achieve their goals and how do I give them good high quality patient-centered education and care; so my philosophy there would be the approach in how we help women achieve and live their most productive lives.

What is one piece of health advice you find challenging to follow yourself?

I really like sweets! So, I probably don’t avoid sweets as much as I should.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

The Snowbird Mountain Lodge in Robbinsville.

Do you have any special interests?

I’m a certified menopause practitioner and do spend a lot of time talking about menopause, thinking about menopause. I also love to hike, run, road cycle, craft, crochet, knit, and I quilt and cross stitch. I also spend a lot of time in the Smoky Mountains; I’m working on hiking all 900 miles of trails in the park!

What languages are you fluent in?

English.