After a decade of leadership roles in environmental chemistry laboratories, I thought I would take my education in biotechnology and chemistry to the next level by becoming an environmental attorney.
But in law school I found that I was driven by a passion and concern for health matters, and steeped myself in its myriad issues, from economic (e.g., insurance) to social (e.g, civil rights) to technical matters (e.g., practice standards & licensing regimes). I came to love policy analysis, especially in health matters, because we all have a stake. We're all included.
Upon graduation, this drive carried me to study medicine and treatments in myriad forms to inform policy more deeply on a technical level. I am searching for the answers to what we've done right and wrong in our current regime, and defining what options are available in medical systems as government policies have permitted on all levels.
With the analytical framework that law school gave me, I vetted programs that would teach me medicine thoroughly, and wouldn't artificially exclude ideas. I wanted an interdisciplinary approach that would teach me to have the mind of a doctor without presumptions or limits.
I found naturopathic medicine programs at Bastyr & NCNM provide the depth in medical study within a serious doctoral program while having the courage to present facts objectively, and not reject investigations into areas that have not been probed thoroughly. It has proven to be one of the most fascinating and edifying journeys that one could have.
Most recently, I've joined the joint effort between University California Hastings School of Law and University California San Francisco School of Medicine to become a Health Policy and Law scholar. I'll have much to share.