Human Immunodeficiency Virus HIV near Monroe, NC

Biography: Becoming a physician has been a very natural path for me. As a child, I preferred to admit all of my stuffed animals into my personal hospital with various ailments. My parents would come by to observe and correct their wristbands from "Numonya" to "Pneumonia" and "A Pendasidus" to "Appendicitis." \n I'd have done anything to get to be a hospital patient. I put paper clips on my teeth to mimic braces and tried to make an arm cast out of papier mache in middle-school art class. I desperately wanted appendicitis because I had heard somewhere that post operatively you got all the ice cream you could eat for weeks. Plus, I'd get to see the Operating Room... and so my fascination with medicine began. \n Both my parents were postdoctoral fellows in chemistry, so biochemistry seemed a natural choice for my undergraduate studies. Afterward, I began medical school in my hometown of Cincinnati. That's when I fell in love with the practice of caring for women. \n I completed my residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Living in Nashville introduced me to country music and to my amazing spouse, Lewis, who was a fellow resident in internal medicine. I joke that our meeting was a very dialed down version of the popular series, Grey's Anatomy. \n After marrying in Alabama, we moved to Washington, D.C., where I taught medical students and residents at The George Washington University Medical Center. We had our first child there before moving back to the South to raise our family, which includes a son and two daughters. \n Having practiced as an OB/GYN for over 20 years, I've learned a great deal about providing personalized care. I think it starts with being an excellent listener. Women have tremendous knowledge and intuition about our bodies. That is a key concept I incorporate into my practice and instill in young professionals preparing for a career in medicine. \n Over the years, I've been a teacher and mentor and have enjoyed volunteering in the indigent care setting as well as practicing medicine. The field of medicine is always advancing. I continue to challenge myself to learn and grow with the latest practice advisories and new surgical techniques. It is an honor and a privilege to work in healthcare and a blessing to take care of others.