About

I have been on both sides of the bed, as a patient and also a doctor. My journey into healthcare began in college when I  was diagnosed with stage IV Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, receiving two years of chemotherapy to successfully treat it. I knew then that I wanted to jump right in to healthcare and help others, and went to Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine, followed by a residency in pediatrics at the University of Chicago. I practiced as a pediatrician for 10 years. While on the faculty of the University of Chicago, I focused heavily on medical education, especially how to teach professionalism to young medical students. After a few years of increasing frustration with the way modern medicine must be practiced, I left medicine altogether in 2012 to pursue a different career.

Since that time, I've been back in the patient role several times, receiving treatment for both heart failure and breast cancer.

​With all that behind me, I'm launching the Dr. Patient podcast because I've learned first hand how important the relationship between a patient and their provider is, and how it informs the way that medical care is both delivered and received.

- Heather