About Anna

I'm a proud Northwest native originally from Seattle.  I grew up in the University District in the 70's and 80's giving me early first hand experience of the personal and community harms of neglecting the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors.  Mental illness, addiction and poverty were the realities I grew up with, not something that only happened to other people; experience that colors my world view, lifestyle and the professional choices I've made. 

My professional career started in the late 90's coordinating health programs for homeless teens and young adults in Portland Oregon. Later I earned a Master of Public Health degree and moved to the Oregon Department of Health as the Harm Reduction Specialist for the HIV/STD/TB prevention program.  As an administrator I realized I missed working with people one on one and eventual returned to school earning a Master of Nursing degree in Psychiatry from Oregon Health and Science University School of Nursing in 2007. 

As a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner since 2007 I have worked in Oregon, California and Washington, primarily with chronically mentally ill individuals in community mental health and correctional settings.  I settled in Bellingham in 2015 and in 2020  opened my own private practice. 

My treatment philosophy is "less is more" when prescribing psychiatric medications -  focusing on maximizing the benefits of evidence based psychopharmacology  in combination with other interventions such as exercise, mindfulness practice and a healthy diet. I am qualified and comfortable treating a wide spectrum of mental health problems in adults.   I also have extensive experience and training in use of medications in treating substance use disorder and the safe and comfortable reduction or discontinuation of benzodiazepines and opioids. 

On a personal note, I was drawn to Bellingham by proximity to family and the outdoors and appreciate the kindness Bellingham exudes.  I have a passion for travel and animals which I combine by volunteering internationally with animal welfare groups during vacations. This has taken me to diverse parts of the word including Thailand, the jungles of Guatemala and the Chernobyl exclusion zone, among others.