About Me

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I’ve called Eden Prairie home for the past 10 years, where my husband and I are raising our children and building our lives in this community we care deeply about.

I actually decided I wanted to become a doctor before I was eight years old. Even then, what drew me to medicine was the chance to help people and care for my community. My first step into healthcare came as a teenager, when I completed certified nursing assistant training at Fox Valley Technical College. That experience confirmed what I already felt—that caring for others was the work I wanted to dedicate my life to.

I went on to attend Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota. While I was there, I learned about the idea of servant leadership—that leadership is really about serving others. That lesson stayed with me. During my freshman year, the attacks of September 11th happened. Like many young people at the time, I felt a strong pull to serve my country and even tried to enlist in the Marines. Because I was 17, the recruiter asked about my plans and encouraged me to continue pursuing medicine, reminding me there are many ways to serve. I carried that lesson with me and continued serving through volunteer work, and as a resident assistant and hall manager.

After graduating, I returned to Wisconsin to attend the Medical College of Wisconsin. I married my husband after my first year of medical school, and together we began building the life and family we had always hoped for. I later completed my OB-GYN residency through GRMEP/Michigan State University in Grand Rapids. During my chief year of residency, we welcomed our first child into the world—a moment that made the importance of family and community even more real to me. Not long after, we moved back to Minnesota to be closer to family.

Less than two years later our daughter was born, and we bought our home here in Eden Prairie. When we were deciding where to raise our family, we knew we wanted to live somewhere that truly cared about community. It was important to us that our children grow up in a place that values education, inclusion, and opportunity. That’s how we found District 49, and it’s been home ever since. Our children attend Eden Prairie Public Schools, and this community has become a central part of our lives.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I saw firsthand how damaging misinformation could be for families trying to make important decisions about their health. As a physician, it was incredibly frustrating—but it also motivated me to step up and help people find clear, accurate information.

Around the same time, when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away, I began to think deeply about how access to healthcare, reproductive care, and basic rights could be affected in the future. I realized that to advocate for patients and my community as effectively as possible, I needed to better understand the legal system as well. So I applied to Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and earned a Master of Science in Law while continuing to work full-time as a physician.

During this time, my husband also became the CEO of a consulting firm, and together we took on the challenge of becoming small business owners.

Throughout the years, I’ve served on boards and volunteered my time whenever I could to support and protect the rights and wellbeing of people in our community. My experience in healthcare and law has given me a unique perspective on many of the challenges families face today.

But at the heart of it, my work has always been about the same thing: listening to people, solving problems, and making sure people feel safe and cared for.

This moment in our history calls for people who are willing to step up and do what’s right for their community. I’ve spent my life helping people through some of the most important and vulnerable moments in their lives. I’m running because I want to continue that work—serving, listening, and advocating for the people of District 49.

Northwestern Law School recognized my pro bono and advocacy work, and I graduated with honors while continuing to practice medicine full time. I was also named a Rising Star Physician by Minneapolis–St. Paul Magazine for three years.

But the recognition that matters most to me is the trust people place in me when they share their stories and concerns. That trust is what motivates me to serve.

-Image by Kelsey Alto