What initially sparked your interest in your current field or industry?
I started my medical career as a hospitalist, helping care for some of the sickest individuals in the community when they were at their most vulnerable. I met patients in the ER and took care of them until they were well enough to leave the hospital. The average length of stay for a person in the hospital is around 3-4 days, and in that short time, I wasn’t able to see them get back to their full potential, get back to their life. Transitioning to rehabilitation medicine has allowed me to work with people for weeks or months to watch many of them thrive before returning home. Meeting someone who is in a coma or has a disorder of consciousness and then watching them improve enough to walk out of our facility, is incredibly rewarding.

What does a typical day – or a great day – look like in your role?
A typical day and a great day look very similar. So much of my day is strategic planning, developing policies, and supporting the excellent clinical team at On With Life. What makes it a great day is when I’m able to get out of my office and share lunch with a person served or to see someone in the therapy gym succeeding at something that felt like only a dream a month earlier. Being able to witness the real-life impact of the work we do at On With Life brings joy and purpose to what I do.

I’m reminded of a patient I cared for while working in Alaska who sustained a severe traumatic brain injury and spent months in the hospital with a lot of struggles. This week, I received a picture of him on a snow machine enjoying his life on a pristine Alaskan winter day. Having the privilege to be part of stories like that makes this work so meaningful.

What are you most excited about in the next 12-18 months?
I’m excited to get to know the On With Life organization better and help it continue to grow. We’re launching a new medical clinic and working to build a long-term care ventilator unit to serve some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Building resources for Iowans that were previously sparse or nonexistent is both meaningful and exciting.

What kind of advice would you offer someone earlier in their leadership journey?
I often describe medical school as the most expensive self-study course you can sign up for. It shapes physicians into strong, independent thinkers who are able to function largely on their own – and that’s one of the reasons I love working with them. However, it can also create a reluctance to ask for help when it’s needed. Learning how and when to ask for help, when to lean on others in the medical community for support and how to be vulnerable when appropriate is something I wish I had learned much earlier.