Born in Boston and chased a dream to Chicago! What started out as a desire to go to nursing school in a new city, turned into a Masters and a subsequent doctorate degree from Rush University! Chicago is now my permanent home! What initially drew me to nursing was the thousand directions a career can take you. I loved the research and science, I enjoyed the people, and I craved the potential to one day be able to teach future generations of nurses. My career thus far has allowed me to dabble into all of these things! I was a nurse on a transplant surgical floor. Learning the lines, the drains, the wounds, and the medications. Above all, learning the skills of empathy and the power of deep conversations with patients and families during vulnerable times. During my time as a nurse , I had the opportunity to travel abroad providing health care and assisting with surgeries for patients living in remote underserved communities. As a nurse practitioner, I worked in numerous settings providing primary care to older adults: Skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, sub acute rehab, telemedicine, and outpatient primary care. I landed with Oak Street Health during the peak of the CoVid-19 pandemic. What a time to be working in healthcare! It was fast paced, unpredictable, and nationally, under resourced. Oak Street Health gave me the opportunity to serve my community and practice value based care all while providing education to patients and communities amidst a pandemic. In 2023, I took on a faculty position with the nurse practitioner fellowship program! I wanted to make an impact not only with the patients I served, but also with new-to-practice nurse practitioners I’m privileged to call my colleagues!