East coast kid living in the southwest. Family medicine physician, passionate about innovative, dignified healthcare, as well as addiction medicine, and the social determinants of health. Also passionate about models of care which integrate the best of western medicine with eastern, traditional, natural medicines.
Currently living in Las Vegas, NV, and serving as a Regional Medical Director of Iora Health, an organization that is transforming the way healthcare, specifically primary care, is delivered in America. Iora Health utilizes health coaches (who build strong relationships with patients and help them meet their own goals for health); removes co-pays and other barriers to healthcare; overturns traditional billing systems (overturns fee for service in general); implements sophisticated and easy to use IT systems; shares excellent customer service; and innovatives in other ways to fix the U.S. healthcare system.
As part of Regional Medical Director role, currently serving as Medical Director of the Culinary Extra Clinic, a clinic for Culinary Union Workers (Culinary local 226 — restaurant, hotel, casino, laundry workers) who have several chronic and sometimes severe medical conditions. Working to improve quality of care for these hardworking patients, decrease ER visits and hospitalizations, and work with patients to meet their own goals for their health.
Previously worked as the Medical Director for a an addiction medicine organization, splitting time among three clinics (one in Albuquerque, NM, one in rural Belen, and one at the county jail). Also worked a few shifts/month in the emergency room of an Indian Health Service hospital 2 hours west of Albuquerque in Navajo Nation. Also previously worked at Casa de Salud — a direct care, walk-in, integrative (western, eastern, traditional medicine) clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There ya go, full-spectrum family medicine.
Co-founded Cure This, online discussion space for health/healing justice, in 2007. Precursor to CureThis was to the teeth, created in December 2002.
Involved in national organizing efforts around healing justice and communications, including the US Social Forum Peoples Movement Assembly (PMA) on Healing Justice and Liberation, post-PMA regional organizing.
DJed monthly in NYC for several years as part of the Mutiny crew (electronic, world, drumnbass, jungle, grime, experimental music). Performed alongside co-resident DJs Zakhm, Navdeep, Rekha, Vivek, and an impessive roster of DJs, MCs and electronic musicians from around the world, including: Talvin Singh, State of Bengal, Asian Dub Foundation, Karsh Kale, DJ Spooky, Fun^Da^Mental, Joi, Badmarsh and Shri, DK/Omzone, DJ Mukul, Midival Punditz, Choque Hosein (Black Star Liner), Badawi, Mutamassik, Singe and Verb, TC Izlam, Mike Ladd, Andy Smith (Portishead), UK Apache, Ming & FS, Swingsett, Doomer, Tigi, Cheb i Sabbah, Janaka, Maneesh the Twister, DJ Sharaab and others.
DJed sporadically in LA, now making beats and DJing electronic, hiphop, drumnbass, world and all else in New Mexico.
Previously, human rights writer for LAist, the largest blog about Los Angeles (link to her posts). Founding member and previous member of the board of directors of the National Physicians Alliance. Previously (2003-2004), Jack Rutledge Fellow for Universal Health Care and Eliminating Health Disparities, for the American Medical Student Association.
Passionate about health/healing justice, the interwebs, politics, harm reduction and addiction medicine, anti-racism, mediocre mexican food, & beats.
And that’s enough babbling for now. Thanks for visiting the blog!
