Who wants to know?

I'm a 2-time Olympic athlete, board-certified physiatrist (a physician specializing in problems involving the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, joints, ligaments, muscles and tendons), and student in the Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership program at the University of Washington.

In the 90’s, before medical school, I was a competitive rower, training for my second Olympic team. Working low-paying temp jobs, I depended on the Washington Basic Health plan for health insurance. Things were OK – until I broke my shoulder. My PCP referred me to an orthopedic specialist, who ordered an MRI my insurance didn’t cover and PT I couldn’t afford. I knew my competitive career would be over without treatment, but worried constantly about paying for it. At one point, my training and medical debts became so huge, I could no longer afford to compete.

Over my career as a physician, I've cared for many patients with tough physical jobs. For them, just showing up for work increases their risk of new injuries and of exacerbating old ones. But where musculoskeletal problems in folks with sedentary jobs minimally impact work, the same injury in someone with a physically demanding job may pose an existential threat to career, financial independence and stability. Increasingly, things like inflexible work hours, lack of sick leave and concerns about out of pocket costs force many patients with tough physical jobs to forego treatments or wait until it's too late to get care. As a former injured athlete, I recognized the stress and implications of their choices, but as their physician, I was powerless to eliminate the barriers to care that they faced.

That's why, in 2022, I enrolled in the Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership program at the University of Washington. I want to find an economically viable solution that eliminates those barriers, so people with tough physical jobs can enjoy longer, healthier and more stable careers.