Growing up in Colombia, I watched a loved one struggle with a complex neurological illness, an experience that sparked a lifelong desire in me to become a healer.

Working with patients, especially those from South American communities where cultural stigma often delays or prevents care, I’ve witnessed the harm that can result from fragmented, one-dimensional models of treatment, particularly for people who have felt overlooked or misunderstood.

I moved to the U.S. to pursue research and higher education. It wasn’t easy, I felt lonely and disconnected, experiencing the good, the bad, and everything in between. Through it all, I learned firsthand the challenges of loneliness, cultural adaptation, and the resilience it takes to navigate change.

During my postdoctoral research fellowship at MGH’s Center for Addiction Medicine, I studied the neuroscience, biological, behavioral, and social drivers of addiction, as well as treatment development and recovery models. This training deepened my understanding of behavioral patterns and maladaptive coping mechanisms beyond substance use disorders.

Although my current focus is not addiction medicine, I draw on that knowledge when supporting patients through emotional pain—because addiction is not always about substances. Many people experience similar inner struggles: overworking, perfectionism, people-pleasing, emotional eating, social media spirals, or controlling tendencies can all serve as coping mechanisms. Feelings of mom guilt, shame, and compulsive thought loops can mirror addictive cycles in their own way.

In my final year at UMASS Medical School’s Worcester Psychiatry Department, I served as Co-Chief Resident in Psychopharmacology. After graduation, I became an Assistant Professor and Attending Psychiatrist at the UMASS Psychiatry Department and Ambulatory Psychiatry Clinic. I taught medical students and junior residents about the workings of the mind and the complexities of our belief systems. I understand how our thoughts and beliefs shape mental health and how, when needed, medication can support healing as part of a thoughtful, whole person approach.

My path to motherhood started later in life. I delayed childbearing for medical school, psychiatry training, and career advancement. This is a choice many of my patients understand intimately.

When I was ready to become a mother, I faced infertility challenges that brought waves of self-doubt, guilt, shame, and quiet grief. After failed fertility treatments, I felt the weight of disappointment and the unspoken judgment that often comes with struggling to conceive. I questioned my body, my choices, and my worth.

I refused to give up. I began to turn inward, embracing mindset work, meditation, lifestyle changes, and the same integrative approaches I now offer my patients.

To the surprise of my fertility specialist, I became pregnant naturally. I welcomed my daughter into the world at 42. The journey didn’t just change my life, it transformed how I practice medicine.

Healing requires more than medical protocols. True healing requires hope, patience, self-compassion, and a belief in the body’s wisdom when given the right support.

As an experienced psychiatrist I bring the same combination of evidence-based medicine, holistic approach , and unwavering hope to every patient I support through fertility struggles, pregnancy, postpartum challenges, mom guilt, or transitions into motherhood.