I care for a wide range of pediatric patients as a nurse practitioner in pediatric general surgery. My focus is on caring for children with gastrostomy tubes (G-tubes). It gives me great pleasure to teach and comfort families who are learning to care for a child with a feeding tube. I treat every patient and family as if they were part of my own family — with dignity, respect and compassion.

After becoming a registered nurse (RN), I went on to earn a bachelor’s degree, then a master’s degree to become a nurse practitioner. Finally, I earned a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree so that I could have a broader impact on improving the care of children.

As my career evolved, I took on more leadership responsibilities to become the advanced practice clinical director for the surgical divisions at Cincinnati Children’s. As a leader, I have more opportunity to influence and improve clinical care.

I recognize that many of my families are coming to me with a multitude of issues and may be experiencing fear, confusion and frustration. My goal is to put them at ease and to answer questions without judgement. I intend for each patient and family to leave their visit with me feeling more confident and with the knowledge, expertise and resources needed to care for their child. If I can solve a problem, give practical advice or make a mother, father or caregiver's life easier, then that is a good day for me, and I go home with a great sense of satisfaction.

I received a Quality Award from the Permanente Journal for a poster that I presented at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement international conference. This led to a journal publication about the improvement work our team had done in pediatric surgery. It was a very proud and exciting moment when the journal editors presented the award to my colleagues and me.

When I’m not at work, my husband and I love spending time with our grown sons and their families, and we are proud grandparents. We also enjoy swimming in our pool, camping and visiting the national parks whenever we can. Finally, we enjoy working in our yard and spending time in the treehouse we built!