I help adults and family caregivers manage care that involves multiple specialists, complicated medical histories, and persistent concerns that need clearer communication and follow-through. I am especially well positioned to support Black/African American patients, women navigating midlife health changes, older adults, and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias.

As a Board-Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA), Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), and Community Health Worker (CHW), I bring professional experience in academic health systems, health plan education, community-based healthcare, public health, and clinical and community-engaged research. My background includes work at Old Dominion University/Eastern Virginia Medical School, Optima Health, community health centers, and Navy/Department of Defense health promotion programs.

My experience and focused interests include:

- **Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and caregiver needs.** I help families organize concerns about memory and daily functioning, prepare for specialty appointments, and identify caregiver and community support resources.

- **Women’s health and perimenopause.** I help women document symptom patterns, describe changes affecting daily life, and prepare questions for primary care and women’s health providers.

- **Complex cardiovascular care.** I am familiar with patient-facing discussions involving echocardiograms, ejection fraction, blood pressure, heart rate, palpitations, and shortness of breath. I help clients organize results and symptom logs and prepare questions for their treating clinicians.

- **Thyroid concerns and overlapping symptoms.** My own healthcare experience has required navigating thyroid dysfunction, medication changes, hospitalization, and recovery. I understand the importance of tracking thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), T3 and T4 results alongside medication doses, symptoms, and dates. I help clients assemble that information and request clear explanations from their healthcare team.

- **Neurological and autonomic concerns.** I have a particular interest in supporting people experiencing dizziness, difficulty tolerating standing, fatigue, and fluctuating blood pressure or heart rate. I help organize symptom patterns and their effects on daily activities, prepare referral questions, and track recommendations across providers.

I help clients navigate the practical connections among primary care offices, specialty practices, hospital discharge teams, health plan member services, community health centers, research teams, and community resource organizations. This includes tracking referrals, requesting records, preparing second-opinion materials, organizing discharge instructions, and identifying whom to contact when the next step is unclear.

I also understand how medical needs intersect with everyday realities: using a walker, needing help at home, managing fatigue, arranging transportation, balancing work with recovery, and sharing caregiving responsibilities. My experience caring for both my maternal and paternal grandmothers further informs how I support families preparing appointment updates, organizing care information, and communicating changes in a loved one’s needs.

For clients considering research participation, I can help clients prepare questions about consent, study visits, participant responsibilities, and how research participation fits alongside their usual care.

My approach combines professional knowledge with practical caregiving and lived experience. I help clients ask informed questions and bring organized information to clinical discussions; I do not interpret diagnostic tests, determine diagnoses, recommend treatment, or replace licensed healthcare professionals.