I am a family practice physician (MD) who has dedicated a large part of my training and professional practice to the care of patients with substance use disorder (SUD). I completed a surgical internship at the University of Utah in 2006. I left medicine to raise my small children, returning to a family medicine residency at St. Mark's Family Medicine in Salt Lake City in 2010. I took care of many patients with SUD during my residency and realized that this was going to be an important part of my professional life moving forward.

I opened Heron Medical in 2017, providing a broad range of medical services and SUD care working within the insurance model. At the same time, I was introduced to functional medicine and began my training with the Institute for Functional Medicine. I completed my certification in Functional Medicine in 2021. I completed a fellowship in Addiction Medicine at the University of Utah in 2021, and am board certified in Addiction Medicine by the American Board of Preventative Medicine.

As I continued to gain education and experience, working within an insurance-based model of care became increasingly frustrating as I was unable to spend the time I needed to address what I believed were the root causes of an individual's behavioral health, physical health, and addiction diagnoses.

My practice has evolved over the years to become a new entity, Heron Wellness. My practice involves two focus areas, which may seem vastly different, but in fact overlap in many ways, for many individuals. I offer preventative health and wellness for individuals who desire a small, concierge-style practice focusing on a patient-centered, holistic approach to health care. This includes preventative care for men as well as full-spectrum women's health, excluding obstetrics. In addition to prevention, individuals receive education and guidance on changing lifestyle behaviors, as well as specialized testing, nutraceuticals, and hormone optimization as needed. I also offer behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment for individuals who desire a wide-lens approach to their care, utilizing lifestyle education and modification as well as hormone optimization as needed. This care model, in a cash-based format, allows me to keep my practice small, individualized, and patient-centered.

I have experience in residential behavioral health and substance use disorder environments, having served as medical director for a number of organizations. I spent 2021-2022 working with a psychedelic medicine research organization where I received training in the administration of ketamine for the treatment of depression, psilocybin for major depression clinical research, and ketamine and Mindfulness Recovery Enhancement for opioid use disorder. I am continuing my education in the application of ketamine and psychedelics to the treatment of SUD and behavioral health disorders through the Polaris Institute and working with colleagues to develop a group model for the delivery of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. I have designed and implemented group visit models to educate individuals and organizations about the importance of nutrition, sleep, movement, and stress management in their recovery from chronic health conditions including behavioral health and SUD diagnoses.

My colleague Dr. Beth Howell and I created Utah Acudetox to facilitate training, advocacy, and community acudetox throughout the state, and one day, beyond.

It is my vision that all patients and families suffering from chronic disease and disability, including behavioral health conditions and substance use disorder, will be able to access care that addresses their diagnoses with a comprehensive approach addressing the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual components of their illness in order to guide them through the healing process with integrity. I am committed to providing my care at what I believe is an accessible cost despite being unable at this time to utilize the insurance-based system of care. I will always welcome conversations with individuals and families to find a way for us to work together.

It will only be through education, the development of novel approaches to the delivery of care like the group visit model, and advocacy at the state and national level for access to patient-centered, whole-person care for all people, that we will begin to heal ourselves, our families and our communities from the physical, emotional, and mental suffering that seems to be all around us.

My commitment to care through my work here at Heron Wellness and Utah Acudetox as well as providing education through presentations and service to organizations both locally and nationally will help to bring about the change I envision.

I hope that I will have the opportunity to work with you or your family member to provide the care and compassion needed to heal.

If you are an individual or organization looking to learn more about the delivery of preventative wellness or integrative behavioral health and substance use disorder care

I am available for speaking engagements and consultations.

I am the current president of the Utah Society of Addiction Medicine. I have served as the advocacy chair for the last 2 years, working to guide and create legislative efforts to support people who use drugs and people in recovery in Utah.

I am a member of the California Society of Addiction Medicine and serve on both the education and conference planning committees of that organization. I am the alternate regional director of Region VIII of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

I am certified in the 5-Needle-Protocol (5NP), an ear acupuncture intervention that reduces suffering and empowers individuals with trauma, stress, and addiction to heal their lives. In 2022 I became a trainer of the 5NP for the People's Organization of Community Acupuncture and created a working group that resulted in the passing of House Bill 195. The bill expanded the ability to be trained in the 5NP from just physicians and chiropractors to all licensed healthcare workers, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and psychologists.

As a result of this expansion, I was awarded a $100,000 grant by the Utah Department of Health to deliver training in the 5NP free of cost to licensed providers in Utah in the hopes of delivering this powerful complementary intervention to as many Utahns as possible. 

My colleague Dr. Beth Howell and I created Utah Acudetox to facilitate training, advocacy, and community acudetox throughout the state, and one day, beyond.

It is my vision that all patients and families suffering from chronic disease and disability, including behavioral health conditions and substance use disorder, will be able to access care that addresses their diagnoses with a comprehensive approach addressing the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual components of their illness to guide them through the healing process with integrity. I am committed to providing my care at what I believe is an accessible cost despite being unable at this time to utilize the insurance-based system of care. I will always welcome conversations with individuals and families to find a way for us to work together.

It will only be through education, the development of novel approaches to the delivery of care like the group visit model, and advocacy at the state and national level for access to patient-centered, whole-person care for all people, that we will begin to heal ourselves, our families and our communities from the physical, emotional, and mental suffering that seems to be all around us.

My commitment to care through my work here at Heron Wellness and Utah Acudetox as well as providing education through presentations and service to organizations both locally and nationally will help to bring about the change I envision.

I hope that I will have the opportunity to work with you or your family member to provide the care and compassion needed to heal.

If you are an individual or organization looking to learn more about the delivery of preventative wellness or integrative behavioral health and substance use disorder care

I am available for speaking engagements and consultations.