I am a Family Medicine Physician Assistant (PA) at Charles River Community Health. Being a PA is my second career. My first career was teaching elementary school. I taught 1st and 3rd grade in Atlanta Public Schools. After that I moved on to becoming a school administrator with my best friend. We worked together to start a school specifically for gifted learners in Atlanta called Midtown International School (MIS).
I worked there for a few years, but throughout my time, I could not stop thinking about studying medicine. In 2016, I left MIS and started pre-medical studies at Wash U. in St. Louis. In 2020, I moved to Boston to continue my education in PA studies at MGH Institute for Health Professions. My passion has always been community health, and I am so fortunate that I found my way to Charles River. Several months ago, I was promoted to Lead Advance Practice Provider at the Brighton Site.
The best part of my work are my patients. I love my patients! I love talking with them and helping them. They make my job meaningful and bring me joy every day. It can sometimes be frustrating to not have enough time to do everything my patients need, but our team at CRCH does everything we can to provide the best care our patients need and deserve.
For example, I saw a patient last year for the first time. He came in with unilateral leg swelling and had not seen a medical provider in years. I spent hours working with mentors and on the phone with Boston Medical Center (BMC) to get him STAT imaging and biopsies. Long story short, within 6 days this patient was diagnosed with prostate cancer and was being seen and treated by the oncology team at BMC. He is still undergoing treatment and doing well. This is my favorite story because he came to see me with zero resources or previous healthcare. I was able to call on other medical personnel for help and get him (almost) immediate medical care which likely improved his overall outcome. Medicine can be incredible.
The team of medical providers I work with are a huge part of why I am so happy in my job. The leadership and support are phenomenal. They are paramount to satisfaction and happiness at CRCH. My family is also important to me. I have a 2-year-old son named Zion and a sweet Chihuahua named Lady.