What is your current position on the BOD?
CANA President
Have you served on any other committees (CANA or AANA) or another BOD position?
I served as CANA’s Federal Political Director from 2013-2016, BOD Trustee from 2014-2015 and President Elect from 2015-2016
What/Where is your full-time job?
I am a private contractor and the majority of my clinical time is spent at Southern California Orthopedic Institute in Bakersfield. If I am not there, I maintain a very busy practice in a variety of settings from plastic surgery to eye surgery.
How do you balance and manage the stress of your full-time job, BOD position, and family life?
There isn’t a steady balance, but we are teetering well enough. A supportive family is what I am blessed with and we all have a vested interest in maintaining that certain special “balance” that fits our individual needs and personalities. We are very respectful of one another and life just works perfectly for us! The other tools that I use and do not mind sharing are wine and yoga!
What is your favorite anesthesia specialty?
I would have to say Orthopedics because my patients are usually those warriors who got injured playing a sport or doing something active. Other patients could have been injured on the job and those stories are always also so interesting! It is very gratifying to help out a star high school football or soccer player, and it is even more special to be able to be part of a moment that helps a person get back on the job. The other reason is that I just really enjoy being able to do extremity blocks all day long!
Is there any research, thesis, practice projects, missions, or other anesthesia related work you would like to share with our community?
Thus far, my research endeavors have not gone beyond my 2012 doctoral thesis on massive transfusion ratios and the use of Recombinant Factor VIIa. Research is something I would very much like to set my sights on in the future, maybe in the area of healthcare policy. We can only wait and see! CANA has a way of keeping me busy these days, and that’s the way I like it!