The Doctor Is In.
A licensed physician, ready to provide a well-organized, compassionate approach to investigating the unexpected.
Why I Am Running
The Shelby County coroner is responsible for investigating sudden, suspicious, unnatural, or unattended deaths within the county. Their primary duties are to identify the deceased, secure personal property, and officially determine both the cause and manner of death. The coroner must not be influenced by anything but the evidence obtained in the course of an investigation.
In addition, the coroner is the liaison between families and the system. Families need a coroner who is responsive, empathetic, truthful in all circumstances, and unpressured by any presumptions of cause of death before the investigation is concluded.
I am running because I believe I can be an impartial investigator and a compassionate communicator with families and with the public. My focus will be on doing my job and caring for the people within my influence.
My Story
I’m from a small town in rural Oregon, and I’m the first woman in my family to graduate from medical school. I traveled across the country to Indiana to follow my dream of being a pediatrician, a caregiver to children and their families. My move to Alabama in 1991 further expanded my dream, as I became a professor in the UAB Department of Pediatrics and the director of the Adolescent Health Center at Children’s of Alabama. There I taught, cared for families, and learned about what it takes to live a complex life with a multitude of caregiving roles: physician, professor, mother, wife, friend, and ally to many children and families who felt like the system was not listening to them and was leaving them behind.
When I retired from UAB in 2017, I had no idea what lay ahead in my retirement. My children were grown, my medical career was ostensibly complete, but I found a new passion in organizing the Shelby County Democratic Party, and ultimately running for office. I ran for county commissioner in 2022, learning much about campaigning and about interacting with people in my district who just wanted to be heard and seen. I will bring what I’ve learned through these life experiences to the role of coroner. I believe that my education, skills, and experiences make me the best qualified candidate for the position of Shelby County coroner.
Follow My Campaign
I want my campaign to be personal and face-to-face. I’ll be posting each local county event that I’ll be attending on this section of my webpage. Also, please be looking out for me in your neighborhood. I’ll be knocking on doors later this summer and fall, weather permitting. You can also sign up for my campaign e-newsletter!
EVENTS
May 21 Shelby County Dems Meeting
