For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by the mind-body connection: the many ways that our thinking, moods, and behavior influence our physical health, and on the other hand, the impact of chronic medical conditions on our mental health and psychological well being.
My first health-care job was in college, when I started working as a unit secretary on an inpatient gynecological surgery unit. Later, I worked my way up to inner-city ERs and ICUs, where I continued to provide support services to unit operations. I loved the fast pace and life-and-death nature of these settings, but my true calling became apparent when I finally landed my first job working with cancer patients.
At the time, Fred Hutchinson in Seattle was doing two-thirds of the world's bone marrow transplants. It was an exciting time to be involved with cutting edge research, but a scary and uncertain time for patients because the treatments were so new. My role involved meeting daily with cancer patients who were enrolled in various studies. I realized at that time that I had a knack for connecting with people who were dealing with pain and illness, and that moreover I really loved this kind of work.
My professional training enabled me to develop true expertise in this area. I obtained a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Vermont, where I researched the psychological impact of cancer on patients and their families and worked directly with those affected by cancer. I then completed a clinical internship and post-doctoral fellowship at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, where I received additional specialized training in health psychology, with a focus on the management of chronic pain. Throughout my training, I worked closely and collaboratively with physicians and other health-care providers and learned how to be a team player in integrated health-care settings.
After completing my post-doctoral training, I accepted a position at the World Health Organization's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. In this setting, I was able to apply my expertise at the global level. I worked as part of a mental health policy and service development team, and then led WHO's initiative on improving health care for chronic conditions, with a particular focus on promoting new models of integrated, comprehensive, and patient-centered care. Later, I was a senior adviser for chronic diseases and health promotion. I returned from Geneva to Seattle in 2008, and I continued to be actively engaged with WHO on various projects through 2017.
As much as I loved my global public health work, I very much missed interacting directly with patients. It is for that reason that I decided to return to clinical practice. After working several years at Associates In Behavioral Health in downtown Seattle, I moved to Victoria, BC in 2021 to join Tall Tree Integrated Health Centre's growing team. I continue to provide integrated and comprehensive services that are grounded by science and compassion.