As a college student, majoring in English Literature, I volunteered in the local hospital, visiting patients who were alone. I realized then that I wanted to be able to do more for the people I visited, and decided to become a doctor. In medical school, working with children and their parents seemed a natural fit for me, so I went into pediatrics. Every day, I get to see kids of all ages and am reminded that I made the right choice! After completing my pediatric residency in Texas, I came home to Denver and joined the Kaiser Permanente, Arapahoe Medical Offices, where I have been happily working since 1989.

Working with children and their families is the great joy of my life. I see myself as a partner with parents—we work together to help their children grow up healthy and happy, and to help them become interesting and talented young adults. As I approach my 20th year of practicing medicine, I'm humbled to see the children of parents I took care of when they were younger. I really enjoy taking care of children of all ages and am particularly interested in pediatric sports medicine and international adoption. Half my time presently involves practicing pediatrics, with the remainder devoted to working with HealthConnect, our electronic medical record system. It's exciting to be part of the team that ensures all our staff have the information we need when we're caring for people. I am especially proud of bringing My Health Manager to our members via kp.org, so they can see their own medical information online and use e-mail as an additional way to connect with their doctors.

I volunteer in the Pediatric Clinic at the Samaritan House shelter, and am an Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Because it's so important that every person receive care in a way that is respectful and comfortable for them, I'm involved in Diversity Education at Kaiser Permanente.