From childhood I have always had a desire to work in a “helping” profession. I have a strong family history of diabetes and heart disease, which fueled my interest in proper nutrition for prevention of these diseases and others. My main focus is on diabetes prevention, education and management. I have a passion for working with individuals on a variety of nutrition-related diagnoses, but I do have special training and expertise in the area of diabetes. I credit every patient I have worked with for contributing to who I am as a provider today. I have learned as much from my patients as they have learned from me, and I value the relationships that are built as we work together toward the same goal(s). Patient care requires team work with the patient being the center of that team. I am here to encourage and assist each individual in accordance with their individual needs and concerns. When someone first comes to see me, they should expect an hour long appointment. The first thing we will do is an assessment of nutrition-related habits. A meal plan will then be created, based on the assessment, for whatever health concern the individual is having, and written materials will be provided to refer to at home. We will work together to set behavior change goals and develop a plan for future follow up. I encourage patients to keep a detailed food journal for 3 to 7 days to bring to the first visit, as this will help me to understand your usual eating habits, and from this we can work together to develop realistic goals for you. If you have diabetes, bring your blood glucose meter and/or log book to each appointment."