I am a first-generation college graduate, and I was determined to become a doctor from a young age. Most of my family have careers in service-related fields, such as nursing, teaching and law enforcement; therefore, it was a natural choice to continue down that path. I have always worked with children, have a natural rapport with them and enjoy the fast-paced environment of pediatric emergency medicine.

My research focus is on adolescent reproductive healthcare in the emergency department (ED) setting. I’m trying to reach high-risk adolescents who may otherwise not obtain primary healthcare by offering more preventive care in the ED, including sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening, contraceptive initiation and expedited partner therapy. Women's health has always been an interest of mine, so this is a perfect way to address the high-risk adolescent population that I see every day in the ED.

I've had a federally funded research career, including funding from a previous Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) National Institutes of Health (NIH) K12 grant and an NIH K23 career development grant. I also was awarded an NIH National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) R01 multicenter Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) supported grant to improve adolescent sexual healthcare in the ED setting. Through PECARN, I created an adolescent sexual health working group to bring ED sexual health researchers together for natural collaboration on future research.

I am board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics (October 2001) and by the American Board of Pediatrics Subspecialty Board in Pediatric Emergency Medicine (November 2006).

My research has been published in respected journals, such as Pediatrics, Annals of Emergency Medicine, Journal of Adolescent Health and JAMA Pediatrics.