There's a peculiar vulnerability that comes with being both a physician and a parent.
We carry the burden of medical knowledge and awareness of what can go wrong; yet, we remain just as susceptible to life's unpredictability as any other parent.
My story begins at home. Despite being a Yale-trained gastroenterologist, I was unprepared when my second child developed severe food allergies and eczema as an infant. Trained protocols - avoidance, topical steroids, epinephrine - managed symptoms but offered no root-cause solutions. Watching my child worsen despite following guidelines, I asked: What am I missing? That question led me to research early immune development and the emerging evidence pointing to one key factor: the developing gut microbiome.
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I'm a board-certified gastroenterologist with over 20 years of experience supporting women's digestive health at Yale, Duke, UVA Health, and other major health systems. My approach combines traditional endoscopy and GI care with cutting-edge microbiome research and integrative medicine - helping thousands of patients address chronic gut conditions through evidence-based, whole-person strategies.
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My research background includes NIH-funded work at Yale on autoimmune diseases in women and serving on the NIH Clinical Research Network for metabolic liver disease as a Duke University professor. As a study physician for industry, I've also partnered with Ubiome and Salveo Diagnostics to pioneer microbiome laboratory testing in clinical gastroenterology - translating emerging science into practical diagnostic tools.
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I founded two digestive wellness centers in Virginia featuring an innovative farm-to-table treatment model that combines traditional gastroenterology with hospital farms, nutrition therapy, culinary medicine, and lifestyle interventions. The approach earned cover story recognition in the American College of Gastroenterology Magazine (Fall 2022), reaching gastroenterologists worldwide.
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I’ve served medically underserved communities as a locum tenens physician, providing critical GI services in rural Southwest Virginia with a focus on colon cancer screening for patients lacking access to preventive care. I’ve also delivered essential endoscopy and clinic services to active military personnel in Virginia Beach, addressing healthcare gaps for service members without easy access to specialized gastroenterology care.
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I regularly present on lifestyle medicine, microbiome science, nutrition, and gut health across diverse venues. I served on the faculty at Deloitte Consulting's wellness conference in 2022 on gut microbiome and health, featuring a live cooking demonstration. I’ve also been featured as a trusted medical voice in The New York Times and New York Magazine on gut health, bloating, IBS and nutrition. I have blogged for KevinMD, a leading platform for physician leaders and was featured on the podcast for innovative careers in medicine.
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I’ve served as a medical consultant with national reach in microbiome research and supplement development, partnering with industry leaders at Standard Process and Salveo Diagnostics to develop lab applications and clinical modules on functional GI medicine for global practitioner use.
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I have served as a leader within national GI societies, including the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Gastroenterological Association. I have acted as a course director for major conference offerings, worked alongside editors of high-impact GI journals as a member of the publications committee, and participated in leadership programs focused on building the future of medicine. Earlier in my career, I was elected national chair of the American Medical Association’s Medical Student Section, representing more than 50,000 medical students nationwide.
My educational background includes a degree in English Literature and Biochemistry from Brown University. I attended medical school at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, completed my internal medicine training with a chief residency at Georgetown University in Washington, DC., and completed my gastroenterology training at Yale.
My husband, Sameer, and I are raising two beautiful children together. Living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, we’re creating a life plan set in nature, surrounded by fresh air, clean water, healthy soil, farms, and whole foods to help build a diverse microbiome that can bring health, happiness, and vitality to our family.
The first 1000 days of life are a critical window for developing a healthy gut microbiome that will influence your child’s health for decades to come.
Studies show early gut bacteria teach the immune system to tell friend from foe. Disruptions can cause immune disregulation like my child’s.
To help, I redesigned my practice: microbiome testing, personalized nutrition, environmental assessments, and digestive programs addressing microbial imbalance. I also founded a "Clinic to Farm to Table" model linking patients to farms, gardens, and whole-food kitchens—born from my child’s needs and others’ lack of guidance.
This knowledge gap is what ultimately inspired me to write "First 1000 Days." Because while medicine slowly integrates emerging microbiome science into clinical practice, parents need guidance now.
