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In my own practice, I discovered that medications alone weren't always enough. Despite using what I'd learned in med school, some patients still had pain, anxiety, depression, GI problems, insomnia, and tons of unrelieved stress. I found that when I added more evidence-supported, complementary treatment tools to my toolbox, my patients got better. 

I taught some of my patients to meditate and use relaxation breathing. I sent others for acupuncture, massage, or myofascial treatments. I taught my patients positive psychology techniques and cognitive behavioral skills, and helped them integrate guided imagery and exercise into their lives.

As my patients practiced their wellbeing skills, I practiced mine too  and I got as much benefit as they did!

This spurred my interest in evidence-supported integrative medicine and I spent more than a decade as Associate Director, and Director of Education, for the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Center for Integrative Medicine.  Combining my love for integrative medicine and palliative medicine, I then served as Division Chief of Integrative Palliative Medicine at a Baltimore community hospital.

I founded the Integrative Palliative Institute to teach and support physicians, clinicians, hospice and palliative medicine leaders, and caregivers who yearn for a more innovative, transformational and effective way to deliver care to people with serious illness or age-related decline.

As a palliative care physician, I personally experienced the fatigue and frustration that can come with caring so intensely for others, especially in a challenging healthcare environment. I am passionate about helping physicians and clinicians reconnect with the joy of practicing medicine and expand their treatment toolbox, so they can have happier patients, happier lives, and strategically differentiate their practice. 

As a person who has been a caregiver, I am passionate about helping families who are caring for an ill or aging loved one to regain the time and energy for what matters most.

My programs combine evidence-supported integrative symptom management with authentic wellbeing strategies, to create balanced clinicians and caregivers and better patient outcomes.

Caring for people with serious illness is soul work. 

Care whole-heartedly for your patients or loved ones, and 

care whole-heartedly for yourself.