In 2020, I co-founded and became Chief Medical Officer of Bluerock Care, an early stage startup providing integrated primary care for individuals in underinvested areas in Washington, DC. Here, I am the medical lead for the primary care that our (small but mighty) team delivers. I oversee hiring, develop medical policies and procedures, oversee all activities that lead to care delivery.

I find it very important to incorporate my passions into my work, and lifestyle medicine is a major example. I work to bring lifestyle medicine into the foundation of health care, by incorporating it at its heart – primary care. The highlights of my daily work include one-on-one visits with my patients, leading shared medical appointments with my patients, and watching our team care for our underinvested population in Washington, DC.

I am also Chief Medical Officer of a direct contracting entity, one of CMMI’s most recent models. During the last 2 years, I have gained a deep understanding of value-based care, and the pitfalls that organizations often encounter. I am still learning in this arena, and hope to collaborate with other medical leaders to improve the effectiveness and efficiency when caring for Americans.

From 2015 – 2020, I conceptualized, developed, and launched the Integrative Health and Wellbeing Program at NYP-Weill Cornell in New York City. I was co-founder & Medical Director of the program. During this time, I hired and oversaw an interdisciplinary team of professionals, including registered dietitians, fitness instructors, a clinical psychologist, a mind-body instructor, and others. I worked to integrate this and care teams across NYP Hospital and Weill Cornell, collaborating with primary care physicians and specialists to increase access to these often missing disciplines to patients when and where they needed it.

While at Cornell, I represented the new center to the CEO and executive staff at NYP Hospital and to the Dean’s Board of Trustees. I also launched a clinical fellowship program to train already practicing physicians, and developed innovative programming such as a 12-week Lifestyle Change Program for patients.