About

I am a board-certified Internist with a particular interest in Geriatrics (care of the elderly). I have worked for Palo Alto Medical Foundation since 1999. During that time I was Medical Director and on-site physician of Channing House, a Continuing Care Retirement Community, for nineteen years. I also served as Wellness Director of that community, developing Wellness Programs like Fall Prevention and Community Treatment of Depression. I was also the physician on site for The Sequoias of Portola Valley (post-hospital rehab unit, longterm care nursing center, assisted living, and dementia unit) for seven years and have worked in up to a dozen other skilled nursing facilities on an as-needed basis. I became a Certified Medical Director in 2020.

I am devoted to the care of our elders. They hold a special place in my heart, not just because they are vulnerable and need the care, but because they have lived long lives and deserve our respect and tenderness. Their physical needs are different from those of younger adults, and yet they have the same need for agency, purpose and meaning, along with needing kindness and comfort. 

I particularly want to offer my services to the families of people with dementia, because that condition can be heartbreaking, but it doesn’t need to be. And to the older people who are dying, and to their families, I can offer a picture of what comfort care truly is, with reassurance and witness to make the journey less frightening.

One of the things I do best is to explain medical realities in a way that people can understand. I can explain options and the likely outcome of each. I can ferret out the fears and understand the ambivalence that many patients feel. I have learned from my own experience what it’s like to be a patient, and I use that knowledge to better understand what people are going through.