A doctor for teens who can still be their doctor when they grow up.
Family medicine gives teenagers something useful: a medical home that can grow with them as they gradually take more responsibility for their own health.
The teen years deserve their own kind of visit.
Adolescence brings questions about sleep, mood, school, sports, nutrition, skin, periods, sexual health, substances, identity, family relationships, and the ordinary illnesses and injuries of growing up.
I like when a teen starts talking to me when they need another trusted adult. I like when their parent trusts that I have everyone’s back. Over time, I also want young people to become comfortable understanding their own health and asking for help when they need it.
Preventive care
Growth, development, immunizations, sports and activity, sleep, nutrition, and age-appropriate screening.
Mental health
Stress, mood, anxiety, attention, sleep, school pressures, relationships, and knowing when more support is needed.
Growing independence
Helping teens learn their medications, history, health decisions, and how to communicate with clinicians.
I know the family, too.
Knowing the family gives me context. Knowing the teenager as their own person gives them room to build a relationship with a doctor they can trust. Those relationships can coexist.
Because I also care for adults, the relationship does not have to end at eighteen.
Looking for a doctor for your teenager in San Francisco?
Tell us what you are looking for and whether you are interested in care for one person or more of the family.
Become a patientDo I see teenagers as a primary care doctor?
Yes. I provide primary care for teenagers and adolescents as part of family medicine. I also care for children and adults, which means I often know the family as well as the teenager.