About my practice

As a single parent, my mother often had two jobs, and she instilled in me values of perseverance and determination. I’m thankful for the example she set and for her commitment to providing me a quality education. She once took me to a symposium where I had the opportunity to meet a world-renowned neurosurgeon. I was inspired by the impact he was making on his patients’ lives, and I told my mom in my early teenage years that I was going to be a physician. During my medical training I realized that I was most interested in taking care of very ill patients with complex medical conditions, and so I chose internal medicine as my specialty. This field is intellectually demanding, stimulating, and rewarding. My other professional interests include medical education, developing systems and processes to improve care delivery, and health care policy.

I was co-author of two award-winning posters presented at a meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine, one focused on a rare type of neck pain and the other addressing facial, neck, and throat swelling. I’ve coauthored three research papers—one on insulin in HIV infection published in AIDS Research Human Retroviruses, one on improving patient experience in emergency care published in Emergency Medicine International, and one on hernia published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. At an American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting my research summarizing residents' beliefs about cancer prognoses was featured and published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Awards I’ve been honored to receive include: Ambulatory Medicine Intern and Resident of the Year and the Golden Crab Award for excellence in oncology research.

To stay current in my field, I subscribe to The New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and The Annals of Internal Medicine. In addition, I use online professional resources such as DynaMed and UpToDate. My membership in the American College of Physicians also gives me access to current developments in medicine.

Serving as chief resident for the Kaiser Permanente Hawaii Internal Medicine Residency Program has allowed me to be part of a dynamic team dedicated to tackling difficult medical, social, and societal issues while delivering high-quality care.

My approach to care is patient-centered. I learn so much from my patients by hearing about their life experiences, and I strive to create treatment plans that are tailored to their specific needs and cultural expectations.

How I thrive

I love spending time with my family and binge-watching streaming television. My other hobbies include arts and crafts, calligraphy, scrapbooking, creating photo books, cooking, and participating in the Papakolea Ohana Health Fair. To stay in good physical shape, I enjoy walking, hiking, and spinning.