How old are your kids and how long have you lived in Westport? My kids are 11 and 15 – I have officially entered the world of teens and tweens! We have been living in Westport for almost 5 years.
What has been the most difficult age with your children to date? What helped you overcome the challenges at that time? Maybe the under 2-year-old age? I think I blocked it out due to extreme sleep deprivation.
What is your favorite family activity to do in Westport or the surrounding towns? We love walking our 2 Golden Doodles – Hudson and Tuuka – along Compo Beach, and eating gelato at Gelatissimo in New Canaan.
What was your most memorable family vacation and why? I would say our most memorable family vacation was the Maya Riviera in Mexico. It was an action-packed time of swimming with dolphins, sea turtles, and visiting ruins, plus the food was incredible!
What is the best white lie you have told your kids? Of course there are no vegetables in your mac and cheese.
What is your proudest mommy moment? I think there are so many of them it’s hard to choose. Any time my kids display kindness to others and try their best, they make me proud.
What’s your favorite app right now- for you- and for your kids? Probably Waze so we don’t get lost (which I do often).
What’s your can’t live without beauty product? Soap and water.
What’s your favorite restaurant in town for a family dinner? A night out with friends? Our favorite restaurant is Tequila Mockingbird in New Canaan. That’s our go to for Sunday night dinners – the best guacamole hands down or Kawa Ni when it’s cold and rainy. We love the Cottage for a night out with friends.
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you? I raise chickens (although not always successfully). Then again, that might not be so surprising. I’ve run 3 NYC marathons and my favorite food is mac and cheese.
If you had 24 hours to do whatever you wanted – what would you do? Go to Malibu and do yoga on the beach, hang out with my husband, kids and pets.
What is your most marked characteristic? I’m very determined and stubborn.
What do you most value in your friends? Their sense of humor and willingness to listen to me.
What is your greatest regret? Not moving to Westport sooner.
What is one piece of advice you would pass along to other moms? I would say relax and enjoy your kids in the moment. They grow up really quickly!
How did you end up where you are now in terms of your job, or whatever passion project it is you might be doing? Right now, I have a few passion projects. As a pediatric ER doctor and a mom, keeping kids healthy and safe is number one. I have worked to champion children’s health locally and through my work with the American College of Emergency Physicians where we are trying to improve guidelines for kids seen in non-pediatric settings such as urgent care centers and non-pediatric emergency departments. I have just launched my website kidserdoc.com that features up to date information on kids’ health. I am the medical director for MedExcel CT which includes Westport Urgent Care and Stamford MedExcel. Through my work as medical director, we are standardizing medical care in both facilities and making them great for kids and adults!
Along similar lines, I am also the founder and medical director of Advanced Concussion Solutions (formerly Heads Up Westport Concussion Center). I founded Heads Up Westport over one year ago after I noticed that parents and kids were getting confusing and conflicting advice on how to manage concussions. As a hockey goalie parent who has dealt with her share of concussions, I understand and can relate to the frustration and concern that parents go through when their child experiences a concussion. Through my work, I aim to provide evidence based and up-to-date care for kids and young adults with concussions.
Advanced Concussion Solutions has partnered with Grey Matters to offer state of the art, evidence based concussion diagnosis and treatment solutions. We offer comprehensive baseline exams and treat patients with acute concussion, post-concussion syndrome as well as patients with whiplash associated disorder. Concussion is commonly mismanaged with patients often suffering unnecessarily for months before obtaining proper treatment. At Advanced Concussion Solutions we provide individualized, multifaceted assessments and recovery plans because concussions are like snowflakes – no two are alike.
