Bio

I took a nonlinear path to becoming a physician assistant. After completing my undergraduate education at Western Michigan University, I spent a month in India living at an Ashram and learning to teach yoga. Next, I moved to Portland and enrolled in a massage therapy program. For the next decade, I worked as a yoga teacher and massage therapist with a focus on structural integration and injury rehabilitation. As time passed, I craved more education — I wanted to expand my ability to help people and to treat more complex conditions. So, I went back to school at Oregon Health & Science University, where I completed my master’s degree in physician assistant studies.

I am drawn to internal medicine by the variety of care and by the emphasis on building strong relationships with patients. I aim to evaluate, diagnose, treat and manage what I can, and to coordinate referrals and specialty care as needed. I share decision-making with my patients and provide education and resources along the way. I have worked in specialty medicine, where I treated pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence, and in urgent care, where I provided care for a broad scope of issues. I draw on all of these experiences in my practice today.

Born and raised in Michigan, I have been fortunate to call Portland my home since 2008. Outside of the clinic, you might find me hiking a trail with my dog, surfing waves with my daughter, ski-touring in the mountains, or swimming and paddle boarding in an alpine lake. In addition, I coach my daughter’s soccer team in the fall and spring; I’m an avid bike commuter; and I’m always planning my next house project or adventure.

Please note: As a physician assistant, Kathryn sees same-day/overflow patients for other Downtown Clinic physicians. Patients can’t choose Kathryn as their primary care provider.