I was born and raised in Foster City on the Peninsula. After my father underwent heart bypass surgery when I was in the 4th grade, I became intrigued by medicine and specifically the field of cardiology. Upon completion of my undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley, I attended medical school at Emory University in Atlanta (where the first balloon angioplasty was performed in 1977). My love for the field of cardiology grows as our knowledge of medications, devices and lifestyle rapidly advances. Diseases that were a death sentence 40 years ago have become highly treatable and I now have many patients that continue to thrive well into their 90s. Open surgery is becoming replaced by less invasive procedures including coronary artery stents and endovascular valve repair and replacement. And of course, when a patient’s disease continues to progress, the gift of a new heart from a donor can add many years of quality life to an otherwise terminal patient.
I met Denise Redeker when I spoke at a woman’s heart disease fundraiser. Her personal story and movement inspired me. I did not realize the often prohibitive costs that patients accrue while living near the major transplant hospitals in San Francisco and Palo Alto. It was an honor to join the board of the Heartfelt Help Foundation. In my spare time, I enjoy being outdoors and staying active, trying new restaurants and running after my 2 year old nephew.