What are your gender pronouns?
She/her/hers
Where are you from?
A small town in Connecticut.
What’s your specialty or area of expertise?
I am a pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine.
What first inspired you to become a doctor?
I always thought about going into medicine. The experience that solidified the decision for me was being a doula. I loved helping people through a stressful event and easing suffering during a painful experience. Being a doctor is not just about memorizing an infinite number of facts (although it feels like that at times); rather, it is about using your knowledge to improve the lives of others.
What story about one of your patients most sticks with you?
My patients inspire me every day with their strength to get through even the toughest of circumstances. However, there are certainly a few that stick out. I have a patient who has an intellectual disability and had an abortion because she didn’t feel that she could take care of a baby at that time. She came back a few months later and was pregnant again. She refused to have another abortion due to the way her father practically disowned her after the first time. I think this highlights the importance of confidentiality in reproductive health care because this patient was forced to make a decision based on the desires of others and not based on her own needs and goals.
What current policy issue especially motivates you to be an advocate?
Any policy that contributes to our country’s systemic health disparities makes me truly upset and motivated to take action. I did my residency in a hospital located in a neighborhood where people were really struggling to make ends meet. When I think about policies that would make the lives of those patients even more difficult, I feel it is my obligation to speak out.
Who is your social justice hero?
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford became my hero when she stood up for what was right even though it was extremely difficult and dangerous for her to do so. I have many patients who are survivors of sexual assault and I think it is important that they see that they can still be strong and powerful even with a difficult past.