I grew up in the northern Virginia area but also spent a lot of time with family in Maryland and Rural North Carolina. My great grandfather was a Black and Native traditional healer, and he worked closely with the Lumbee tribe of North Carolina. This was my first exposure to medicine and healing as a child and definitely left an impression on me for how holistic medicine can be.

I left northern Virginia for the Northeast to attend Mount Holyoke College. I studied English and economics, but it was not until I began working and living in San Francisco that I became interested in medicine. I was pulled into the field by seeing the limited healthcare that existed for the unhoused people I passed every day on my way to work. I became inspired by reading about the work Drs. Paul Farmer and Michelle Morse in Haiti and other parts of the world. It is ultimately what pushed me to want to pursue medicine. I moved to Boston to begin my journey to becoming a doctor, and I completed my premedical courses through the Harvard Extension program. I was fortunate to be able to return to my home state to attend medical school at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. My goal through my training is to have a large toolbox of healing modalities to meet all people and cultures with an open mind and awareness.

I am a fervent supporter for Native and Indigenous peoples’ rights, and I am proud to be working closely with the Piscataway Indigenous communities on issues that pertain to Indigenous health and traditions. I’m also a strong advocate and community activist, and I am blessed to be joining the Medstar Franklin Square Family Medicine team.