Kathleen (she/her) is from Nova Scotia, Canada, but she spent most of her childhood in Naperville, Illinois. 

Kathleen has always felt drawn to nursing, but she cites a 4th-grade performance in which she played Florence Nightingale as a moment of distinction. 

As a University of Illinois at Chicago student, she learned more deeply about the determinants of health and making healthcare more accessible to specific communities. Some of her first nursing jobs were at a home birth practice and in a Level 3 Maternal Care system here in Chicago. These two experiences helped Kathleen understand her passion for out-of-hospital birth and the state of Chicago's maternal health care system. A birth center feels 'just right' to her, and she feels fortunate to be a part of this growing and deeply caring team. 

Kathleen likes to think out loud, and she appreciates the number of labels and checklists in the Birth Center. Processes and organization give her a lot of joy. 

Kathleen wants clients to know she sees each client as an entity/family. She lives vicariously through her care until she has a wee one of her own. 

When not at BCC, Kathleen loves to spoil her nephew, who lives a few blocks away. She also tries to get to Nova Scotia to see her parents and swim in the salt water. She recharges by taking her dog, Peanut, on walks and to the dog beach. In the winter, she loves to binge-watch TV shows, practice the piano, and try out new dinner recipes.