Meet the Doctor

I practice what I like to call ‘Intersectional Medicine’, combining ancient wisdom with modern science, enabling you to be your best self, inside and out!

The facts: 

I was born in Washington D.C., but raised in the southern burbs. Mostly (& proudly), I grew up in Southern Maryland. I moved to Montgomery County in 2012, but have always kept my place in St. Mary’s County.  Now, I have the luxury and privilege to call both home! 

I received a bachelor’s degree in Religion and Philosophy (East Asian focused) at St. Mary’s College, then went to nursing school at the College of Southern Maryland. I started my nursing career at Washington Hospital Center in the cardiac ICU. Then nursing took me into the world of organ transplant, which I thoroughly fell in love with, and I devoted a decade to that work. I stumbled upon acupuncture as a patient in search of the elusive ‘late 30’s fertility’. What I found instead was a personal magnetism for Chinese Medicine. I found it to be a heart-centered and wise approach to whole-person wellness instead of a reactive disease-centered medicine typical of modern healthcare. As an insider in Western medicine, I knew firsthand that patients needed more. Acupuncture spoke to the part of my brain that had been primed by East Asian philosophy 20 years ago, and four long years later, I earned my Doctorate in Acupuncture from the Maryland University of Integrative Health. 

Since then, I’ve been with Rachel Brumberger, in Bethesda, MD as an acupuncturist in her private practice, and love with working with such an amazing friend and mentor. I remain connected to her, and her mission while devoting a majority of my time to my practice. I founded and opened Waterside Wellness in August 2023, in Hollywood, MD overlooking beautiful Cuckold Creek.

My philosophy on life and medicine:

Life is richer, and the world is made better, if every single person in it shows up fully and uniquely, as their most authentic selves. Illness, chronic disease, emotional suffering, and lack of confidence are common barriers that prevent us from fully showing up in life. This is where I focus my efforts; treating whatever is getting in the way of you feeling like your best, most well, and true self.