Empathy
As a primary care physician, I have the fulfillment of developing long-term relationships with patients. I teach physicians and medical students communication skills and how to bring empathy and compassion into the exam room. My husband is from Tibet, and living within this community constantly inspires me.
I look a bit like my great grandmother, who journeyed to Oregon from Finland as a young woman. I inherit from my family an adventurous spirit, a creative drive and desire to be of service.
My philosophy and mission
In medicine, I believe in providing treatment that is the most effective while minimizing risk. That means being guided by high quality scientific evidence.
We are infinitely complex and unique individuals however–the art of medicine is then taking the very best information and working with each individual to create a treatment plan.
Medical knowledge is vast and growing exponentially. I am grateful for specialists and sub-specialists. But it can feel like the person gets lost in this.
In family medicine, I specialize in you, connecting the medical world with how you live your life. Medications are important, but a connected community and a sense of purpose may be the best treatment of all.
I value the profound relief from suffering modern medicine has brought. Yet the culture of medicine–I was taught that the “standard patient” is a 70 kg Male (white, of course)–has unsurprisingly made a medical system designed for that standard. It is my mission to continually question the biases and assumptions that got us here.
This same culture of medicine limits how physicians feel they can connect with their patients, and with themselves. This contributes to the burnout crisis our clinicians are facing today.
In the broader medical community, my mission is to expand the space for physicians to be human and authentic in our professional lives. When we are able to connect with our patients, each other, and our purpose, we flourish, as do our patients.
I graduated from Smith College, in Massachusetts. My Women’s Studies major is a valuable asset! I came back to Oregon to study at Oregon Health and Science University. While enrolled, I spent a year in India, and met my future husband. Our eldest was born in Wisconsin, where I did my residency. Our youngest was born right here in Vancouver. We are a Cougar family, with both boys studying at WSU, and me serving on the College of Medicine Faculty. I love traveling and hanging out with my boys. Taekwondo helps me keep in shape.
