Hello friends, family, former and future patients!

I’m so excited you’re here. If you’ve known me outside of medicine, you know that writing is one of my greatest loves, which is why I’m so thrilled for this day.

When I started my first blog in 2008 as a senior in college, I had no idea what I was doing. I wondered if it was vain for me to think that anyone would be interested in what I had to say. I certainly didn’t splurge on a domain name or a “premium” theme, so it basically looked like a fancy MySpace page and had no discernible theme or purpose. I will spare you the awful title. God bless those of you out there that actually read my LiveJournal-esque posts in those days…

As cringe-worthy as it was, that scrappy little blog helped me find my voice and taught me that people are interested in what I have to say – especially when it is thoughtful, informed, honest, authentic, vulnerable and/or amusing.

As a medical resident I launched a more polished blog (www.otherwiseunremarkable.com), which I am still deeply proud of but will admit I have been neglecting for the past few years as my focus has shifted towards patient care, motherhood and now launching Juniper Modern Primary Care.

As I work towards opening my solo practice, I am, in a way, designing a new professional life for myself (quite literally, a dream come true). While working for a large group, I felt the constant nag of wasted potential. I had a background in nutrition, but no time to counsel patients. I had ideas to improve efficiency and quality, but no power to change the system. I had this passion for writing and no place for it in my professional life. (What do you mean no one wants to read my 3-page exodus on reducing wait times in clinic??)

I see Juniper as an opportunity to serve my patients and my community creatively using all my skills and strengths. By launching this blog today, I am marrying my love of writing with my passion for primary care, and that is beyond exciting. I hope to share valuable information on navigating the healthcare system, evidence-based health tips, recipe ideas, book reviews and reflections on medicine, motherhood and my journey as a small business owner.  I can’t promise everything here will be “relevant” but it will all be real, and I hope it will help you, amuse you, inform you or delight you in one way or another.  Thank you so much for reading.