About Me
My Bio
I received my B.A. and M.D. at Brown University and completed residency and chief residency at Yale School of Medicine. I am a practicing physician in the VA healthcare system, an instructor at Harvard Medical School and Boston University School of Medicine, and an internationally recognized expert in trauma-informed care (TIC), a strategic framework for supporting survivors of physical, sexual, psychological, and structural trauma. I create evidence-based platforms to train professionals in trauma-informed practices.
My Story
Over the past 17 years, I have cared for thousands of patients with a trauma history. My patients taught me that there is a need for a universal, trauma-informed approach to care. In order to help meet this need, I read extensively about TIC and created a novel framework to enhance patient safety during medical appointments. I am considered the premier expert on trauma-informed physical examination; my award-winning curriculum on this subject is now taught at medical schools across the U.S.. I have since applied TIC to help organizations within and outside healthcare.
My Experience
I am the co-founder of the National Veterans Health Administration TIC Collaborative, a member of the Trauma Informed Health Care, Education and Research (TIHCHER) collaborative, and a member of the Harvard Medical School TIC Steering Committee. I am invited to speak about TIC for broad audiences including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), disaster relief organizations, and health officials in developing nations. I have been named an Ambassador of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation.
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is invited to speak at Harvard Medical School’s Lifestyle Medicine Course.
“Compassion is the key to healing ourselves from difficult experiences and helping others to do the same.”