My clinical practice is family medicine. What family physicians do best is provide medical care to individuals within the context of family and community. An examination room filled with family members poses a great opportunity: I believe that patient health can vastly improve if family support augments clinical advice. Most of my patient visits include not only the patient, but family members as well, e.g., a spouse, son, daughter or caregiver. Often, these family members are my patients, too, which allows me to understand the family and provide the best, most appropriate treatment. I have cared for as many as five generations in one family, and multigenerational care gives me great satisfaction.

My practice is focused on patients with complex medical conditions and on preventive care. I like to guide patients to embrace healthier lifestyles, and I have learned a great deal from patients who have lived to advanced ages--many in their 90s--who have led healthy and happy lives. They are the role models and inspiration for me as I care for younger patients.

In addition to practicing family medicine for nearly 30 years, I have conducted research in medical education. My focus has been creating a clinical skills course for first-year medical students and developing authentic evaluation strategies. I have presented these topics and led discussion on them at many national conferences. More recently, I was an advisor to family physicians practicing in the national health system in Crete, Greece who sought advanced academic skills.

I serve as assistant dean for student affairs, providing academic and career counseling for students during their four years of medical school. I work with a team of academic staff to create programs that help students advance through the developmental stages of medical school and prepare them for residency applications. These programs include peer mentoring and tutoring, community physician mentoring, academic guidance and career planning and coaching for students seeking their specialty match. I also meet with students individually when needed, to guide them through the personal and life challenges they might encounter during their medical education. My goal is to support students’ learning and growth within their individual learning styles and their search for fulfilling careers that match their interests and aspirations.