Kara grew in up in Escondido and after many years away, feels fortunate to be back in her hometown helping to care for her community.  She attended UC Davis where she completed her bachelor’s degree in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior and graduated magna cum laude. She went on to get her medical degree from New York Medical College and is thankful to have a brother that still lives near NYC so she can visit as much as time allows!

Kara completed her residency at Children’s Hospital Oakland, after which she stayed and worked as a Pediatric Hospitalist. Not only did she enjoy hospital medicine, she also appreciated the opportunity to teach and train the incoming pediatric residents. She returned to San Diego in 2010, in part to follow her husband who took a head coaching position at Cal State University San Marcos. Go Cougars! She worked as a hospitalist for Rady Children’s Hospital until 2015, and then decided to move into primary care in the San Diego community.

Kara enjoys developing close relationships with her patients and believes family-centered care is key. She loves newborns – and their first time parents – and has special interests in child development, nutrition, and adolescent medicine. She is excited to work with Coast Families and have the opportunity to develop these relationships in a fresh new setting.

Kara has lived in Mexico and Costa Rica and also enjoys using her Spanish when needed.  In her free time, Kara likes gardening, taking on house projects, walking her dog and raising two teenage daughters (it’s true!). She also loves the arts and is so thankful that her family enjoys concerts and Broadway musicals as much as she does!