What led you to medicine, and family medicine specifically?

While I was in Boy Scouts, I was able to teach the first aid merit badge and provide medical care while working at a local scout camp. I loved that I had the ability to teach others about medicine and provide the training they needed; and we had fun doing it! While exploring the many career paths through medicine, I had several opportunities to shadow and explore other specialties. I found with family medicine I really got to develop a strong doctor-patient relationship. I fell in love with family medicine because it allowed me to be part of families whole care rather than just one part of it.  

Why did you choose to go into family care at JCMG?

In my medical journey/training, I have seen various models of providing patient care. The majority of models provided good and appropriate care to patients; however, I found that when physicians were not hindered by broad corporate policies and bottom lines, excellent results came from strong patient relationships and great medical care. I was fortunate to train at one of the few physician owned hospitals in the nation for residency, while also training in the same area at hospitals controlled by bigger corporations and entities. The care was unsurpassed where I trained. When I was looking to join a practice back in Missouri, I looked around Central Missouri to be close home. I fell in love with the values of JCMG being a physician lead group. After interviewing with JCMG, I knew I had found a place where I could make a career and set down roots. The group has provided me opportunities to make a difference in the community near where I grew up and where I look forward to raising a family in the future.  

What questions do you wish your patients would ask you?

Most importantly, I hope that my patients would ask honest questions. I really enjoy encouraging my patients to learn how to take control of their health and want to learn more about how they can improve the quality of their lives. My patients find that I have a strong love for preventive care. In my own personal life, I have really striven to learn how to cook healthy meals and find healthy activities I can show my patients. Education is probably my favorite part about being a physician.

What’s the most reliable online source for heath information? What’s the least reliable?

For patients, I always recommend that they go to trusted resources like the familydoctor.org, CDC, university websites, etc… My first clue if a website is reliable is that its information is cited by medical journals and is consistent with several other websites. The least reliable websites are ones that are solely based off opinions and statements not backed by peer reviewed journals or guidelines. It’s always a great idea to share any articles you find with your physician and discuss ways that it may be helpful to your lifestyle, or how you can avoid poorly written articles that don’t have your best interests at heart.

Is there a silver bullet for a healthy lifestyle? What’s the best way to make a permanent change?

Although there’s not a magic pill for a healthy lifestyle, my best advice is to eat with a whole foods based approach with little to no ingredient list, consistent weight bearing and aerobic exercise,.  Do things you enjoy doing, not what society tells you to. We need to take time limit our stress and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us. Most importantly try something new each day that challenges us to grow and learn. Volunteer once a week to help someone or an organization in need. Permanent change can only happen by consistently trying to develop actions into habits. Habits take months to develop, and it’s never a straight path. People will always fail or fall down at least once, or many times, while trying to make a change. Having a strong accountability partner or group will help to push and keep you motivated.  

Describe yourself in three words.  

Loyal, diligent, and gregarious 

What’s the best part so far about life in Jefferson City?

Gosh, there are lot of great things about Jeff City that I found so far. Every day is a new adventure. I really love the history of the city. I’m excited to find new healthy activities in the area. Just the other day, I was on a part of the Katy Trail I’ve never been on before. Most importantly, I love being back in the Midwest with great people in a great community here in Central Missouri.