Note from the Author

American healthcare is broken.  What has long been known by healthcare professionals is increasingly acknowledged in the popular press and emerging into the consciousness of the general population.  Doctors experience moral injury, unable to follow the Hippocratic Oath due to healthcare corporation policies. 

The Pink Tree Collective is an introductory short story about a group of physicians and their associates improving the world one secret charitable deed at a time. The reader meets the main characters and learns about their unique work sites, setting the stage for future domestic and global adventures.

A focal point of my background is a master’s degree in Hospital and Healthcare Administration from The University of Iowa, with a specialty interest in Global Healthcare.

Prior to that, I obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Drew University, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Economics. I participated in Drew University’s Semester in London, England and semester in Washington, D.C. both focused on Political Science.

I graduated with a Master of Arts degree from Temple University with a specialization in International Relations and Comparative Government. While there I completed the course work for a PhD, adding Public Administration and American Government to my specialties.

On a personal note, I understand both the joys and tremendous stress physicians experience given my 52-year marriage to a medical doctor.  John, my husband, and I watched one of our daughters navigate similar challenges and accomplishments as an Infectious Disease physician.  Patient experiences in my family as a daughter, a wife and a mother have revealed deep fractures in the healthcare system.  As a community member, I have participated in hospital based medical ethics and charitable work.

In a lifetime observing healthcare environments, I believe there is room for kindness and life changing events in the world.  Large and small happenings can create chain reactions of service and growth for the givers, as well as the receivers.