Professional background
I received my bachelor’s degree from Drake University in 1999, my doctorate in osteopathic medicine from DMU in 2003 and my master’s in public health from DMU in 2007. I completed my residency at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, IA, my first surgical research fellowship with DMU and Mercy and a critical care fellowship at the University of Minnesota. I am a surgical intensivist and cover general surgery, the surgical ICU and trauma in the Minneapolis area. In addition, I am an assistant professor in critical and acute care surgery at the University of Minnesota.
Best part of my job
The best part of my job is combining cutting-edge medical therapies and procedures with education and compassion as we take critically-ill patients through the process. I try to give patients and families accurate information so they can make the best decisions possible, especially as they face the end of their lives.
Advice to those just starting out in the profession
Three pieces of advice: find a field that you love and enjoy so you look forward to going to work every day; earning the trust of a patient is a privilege based on the gifts and talents with which we have been blessed, don’t take it for granted; and don’t just look for financial rewards – acknowledge simple gestures as signs of appreciation.
Hobbies
Biking, yoga, dance, reading and learning about new subjects, global health and traveling abroad.
