Since 2013, I have been a Physician Anesthesiologist, leader, and patient advocate at Tri-City Medical Center. During my time at TCMC, I have served as Chairperson of the Anesthesiology Department, Blood Utilization Committee Chair, and Quality Review Committee. I am a vocal patient advocate and have utilized my administrative positions to advocate for patient safety and wellness.
During my tenure as Chair of the Anesthesiology Department, I helped solidify an emergency communication algorithm to ensure Labor and Delivery emergencies are promptly responded to by a multidisciplinary care team. I also led a successful initiative for operating room equipment upgrades to ensure the highest level of patient safety matched and made certain an Anesthesiologist will be available for pre-operative assessments--leading to a decrease in surgical delays/cancellations and increased patient satisfaction. In keeping with the conversion of paper medical records to electronic records I converted key medical documents to an electronic form leading to easier review of patient's medical history.
I also Chaired the Blood Utilization committee, and championed the creation of a streamlined blood transfusion protocol to guarantee patients receive the life-saving products needed during emergency surgery. Additionally, I led the effort to educate other staff members in blood product ordering, which eliminated waste and enabled the hospital to reallocate spending to other critical need areas.
I am heavily involved with philanthropic work locally and abroad. My spare time is spent volunteering for a local animal rescue group called The Rescued Dog and I am an active foster and fundraiser for animals in need. I also volunteers and serve on the fundraising committee with Mercy Outreach Surgical Team, and have participated in 7 pediatric surgical missions to different towns in Mexico. I am active in local community causes like the Agua Hedionda lagoon foundation and San Diego Humane Society and have been heavily involved in fundraising for Tri-City Hospital, whether it’s making sure my physician colleagues provided gala sponsorships or walking in the Fashion that Heals fundraisers raising money for life-saving equipment.
I was born and raised in San Diego to Lebanese immigrants who escaped the violence and corruption to come here and lead a better life. Having undergone a spine fusion as a teenager, I developed an acute appreciation of medicine and caregivers at an early age, and committed to medicine as my vocation of choice before entering Rancho Bernardo High School. I went on to attend the University of California, San Diego as a premed major in pursuit of a Bachelor’s degree in Biology. During my time at UCSD I volunteered in the campus student clinic, served as secretary of Alpha Epsilon Delta Medical Fraternity and did clinical research on protein C deficiencies at Scripps Research. I went on to attend medical school at New York Medical College where I fell in love with the practice of Anesthesia. Following my internship year in internal medicine in Long Island, NY, I completed my Anesthesiology residency in Brooklyn, NY. I decided to return home to San Diego to be closer to my family and subsequently met my husband of now 8 years.