I was called a nontraditional medical student because I started at the age of 30 instead of 22. I referred to myself as a student who had gone out into the real world and took the time to decide what I really wanted to do with my life. I’m grateful I took the time to discover what was important in life, to me. Those experiences created a different physician compared to me entering medical school directly following my undergraduate degree.

I am from a small town of 5,000 people in the middle of Illinois. I was fortunate to watch my grandfather take care of a town of 1,100 as that small town’s only physician and my father was the veterinarian of our town. This taught me that the only reason to become a physician is the patients. This was not about myself or money, I knew that I would be able to have self-respect and be able to provide for me and my family. Being able to help others through difficult times provides rewards and gratitude that money will never bring.

I went to medical school at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Carbondale and Springfield, IL. I then trained as an internal medicine physician at the Eastern Virginia School of Medicine in Norfolk, VA. I had developed an interest in hospice and palliative care during my training so I completed a fellowship in the field in San Diego, CA. I have been out of training for about 11 years and have worked in hospice/palliative care, internal medicine and addiction. I have been working in the field of addiction for the past 8 years part time and full time for the past year.

Why addiction medicine? It’s because of how I have been impacted by addiction, I now have insight and a better understanding of the disease. I’m able to offer up my experiences. I truly enjoy coming to work and witnessing the difference we can make in a well-run clinic. It takes a team to do this work and the doctor is not always the most important, especially in the field of addiction. I don’t mind this because it’s not about me, it’s about the patient. I had a mentor tell me that when it came to running a clinic, “it’s simple, with every decision made just ask yourself, ‘is this best for the patient?”