I became interested in medicine at an early age. My brother, who was born with a cleft lip and palate, required extensive medical care and therapies. Even as a young child, I was fascinated by what was happening to him and always wanted to be part of his care.

I attended Yale University as an undergraduate and then returned to my hometown of Rochester, New York, for medical school at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. The school is widely known as the birthplace of the biopsychosocial model of medicine, treating the whole person rather than just the disease. That approach has guided my medical practice from the beginning and remains central to my work today.

After residency training at the University of Virginia, I practiced in central Virginia, Charleston and Columbia before moving to Asheville, where I have spent the past 25 years practicing Internal Medicine.

Internal Medicine is adult general practice. It is the most highly sought but often maligned practice of caring for the whole person. It is endlessly interesting as patients may arrive with concerns involving any part of the body and the continuity of care allows physicians to truly know their patients. Over more than two decades, I cared for individuals alongside their children and even grandchildren, becoming invested in their lives as well as their health.

When I arrived in Asheville, seven months pregnant with my first child, I joined Carolina Internal Medicine part-time, sharing a full-time position with a senior partner. I remained with the practice through multiple job-share partners, two children, schedule changes, the fire at the 445 Biltmore building, and our eventual move to offices in the old Biltmore School. I retired from traditional practice in 2022.

Throughout my career, my focus has been helping people become the healthiest version of themselves. For some, that means managing chronic disease or treating acute illness, but for most it involves addressing habits and steadily encouraging healthier choices. Most people want to be healthy, even when the obstacles feel overwhelming.

During the pandemic, I completed board certification in Lifestyle Medicine. Although relatively new as a specialty, Lifestyle Medicine draws on longstanding principles. Its six pillars include nutrition, exercise, avoidance of risky substances, sleep, community, and stress management. While these concepts are familiar, the scientific evidence supporting them is remarkable.

Being a physician has taught me many lessons, but the most important is that while health isn’t everything, without health everything is nothing. Prioritizing healthy lifestyles helps maximize our health span the years we remain active and well.

Maintaining balance has been an important part of that lesson for my family and me. Medicine is what I do, not who I am.

My husband is a wonderful cook, and we enjoy healthy vegetarian meals at home. I take high intensity interval training (HIIT) classes six days a week and am an avid walker. Biltmore Park makes that easy. I can walk to the grocery store (backpack included), the post office, library, school where I volunteer as a math and science tutor, the bookstore, restaurants and the YMCA. The walking trails are a perfect diversion on warm winter days.

My husband Brian and I moved to Biltmore Park in 2001, where our sons Henry and Jacob were born. Henry is now a graduate student in physical therapy at Emory University, and Jacob is an undergraduate at Davidson College. Brian retired from Asheville Cardiology Associates in 2020 and now practices lifestyle medicine in various forms.

After becoming empty nesters in 2023, I looked for additional ways to serve the community. I had noticed the monthly invitations in Stroll to visit the Rotary Club of Asheville South and decided to attend a meeting. I enjoyed the camaraderie and the opportunity to learn about local nonprofits and service projects, and in 2024 I officially joined.

In 2025, I participated in a Rotary Friendship Exchange and hosted a Nigerian Rotarian. The experience broadened my understanding of Rotary’s global impact and deepened my appreciation for opportunities to serve both locally and internationally.