Growing up internationally in culturally blended families, I came to understand that there's no single path to a fulfilling life, and that even the practice of medicine is culture-bound. At university, alongside my academic pursuits, I developed my own meditation and yoga practice, and experienced firsthand how powerful these can be in calming the mind and finding ground. After college, I worked in international health in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, where I also continued my exploration of culture, psyche, and health. Returning to the Bay Area, I studied the impact of socioeconomic change on women's concepts of happiness in Vietnam.
After residency, I joined the faculty at UCSF. There, I led the Women's Mental Health Clinic and the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy program, taught residents and medical students, and consulted to Women's Health Primary Care and the Gender Affirming Health Program. I also cared for inmates at the Santa Rosa jail.
This tapestry of experiences informs my approach to psychiatry. I bring a culturally sensitive lens to my work, recognizing the unique perspectives of individuals from diverse backgrounds. While I have trained at premier academic medical centers, I take a holistic and integrative approach to health. I look beyond the status quo, and immerse myself in cutting-edge research and new treatment frontiers. I have thus pursued additional training in integrative and functional psychiatry, which is now the focus of my practice.
EDUCATION:
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF): Doctor of Medicine (MD)
University of California, Berkeley: Masters in Health and Medical Sciences (MS), cognitive anthropology
University of California, Berkeley: Bachelor of Arts, cognitive science and philosophy of mind, with honors, Phi Beta Kappa
POST-GRADUATE TRAINING:
UCSF: Internship and Residency in Adult Psychiatry
Area of Distinction in Women’s Mental Health
Chief Resident of Intensive Services
Laughlin Award for Excellence in Clinical Care
Elected President of Residents Association
FURTHER TRAINING:
San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis: Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training Program
Psychiatry Redefined: Integrative and Functional Psychiatry Fellowship
Additional psychotherapy training: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Jungian, Infant-Parent Psychotherapy Program (San Francisco General Hospital), and intergenerational psychotherapies. I also have training in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy (IPT), emotionally-focused therapy (EFT).
LICENSURE:
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Board Certification
Licensed by Medical Board of California
Growing up internationally in culturally blended families, I came to understand that there's no single path to a fulfilling life, and that even the practice of medicine is culture-bound. At university, alongside my academic pursuits, I developed my own meditation and yoga practice, and experienced firsthand how powerful these can be in calming the mind and finding ground. After college, I worked in international health in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, where I also continued my exploration of culture, psyche, and health. Returning to the Bay Area, I studied the impact of socioeconomic change on women's concepts of happiness in Vietnam.
After residency, I joined the faculty at UCSF. There, I led the Women's Mental Health Clinic and the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy program, taught residents and medical students, and consulted to Women's Health Primary Care and the Gender Affirming Health Program. I also cared for inmates at the Santa Rosa jail.
This tapestry of experiences informs my approach to psychiatry. I bring a culturally sensitive lens to my work, recognizing the unique perspectives of individuals from diverse backgrounds. While I have trained at premier academic medical centers, I take a holistic and integrative approach to health. I look beyond the status quo, and immerse myself in cutting-edge research and new treatment frontiers. I have thus pursued additional training in integrative and functional psychiatry, which is now the focus of my practice.