Cheryl is an Air Force veteran, retired from active duty in July, 2018 after a 33-year Air Force journey. She enlisted in law enforcement before transitioning to the Uniformed Services University for medical school. She is fortunate to have served as a family physician, flight surgeon, and finally the Deputy Director responsible for clinical and operational medicine, readiness and research across 76 military healthcare facilities. She has provided medical care on all seven continents. Notable experiences in her career include leading a response team following the terrorist attacks of Sept 11, 2001, deployments, stabilization and evacuation of ill/injured from Operation Enduring Freedom and Antarctica, and conducting high altitude research.
Cheryl’s most meaningful assignment was commanding a Special Operations medical unit serving 30,000 beneficiaries and a high ops tempo mission. She has a passion for healing fellow Veterans who have selflessly prioritized “mission first” ahead of their own physical and mental health. She believes that current psychiatric treatment modalities are not suitable for everyone, and that even people who feel mentally and physically strong can benefit from non-pharmacological treatments that enhance empathy, compassion, neuroplasticity and human performance. Cheryl is currently studying transpersonal psychology and psychedelic-assisted therapy to enhance pathways to wholeness for people for whom traditional medications are insufficient. Cheryl believes in using individualized, multi-modal experiential treatments combined with appropriate set and setting, to encourage the inner healer in every seeker.
Cheryl has been dedicated to medical education for decades. She pioneered CPR/first responder training for Air Force Law Enforcement personnel across Europe in the 1980s, creating an early video-based training platform. She developed curriculum and led Aerospace Medicine residencies at the US Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine and University of Texas Medical Branch, training future NASA flight surgeons and military flight surgeons. Cheryl chairs the Diploma in Diving and Marine Medicine for the Wilderness Medical Society, developing and delivering wilderness medical training materials. She is founder of the Kinetic Group, specializing in aviation medicine, austere medical training, and operational medicine support in austere environments. She represented Aerospace Medicine for ten years as a Director on the American Board of Preventive Medicine, and remains on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, defining specialty training and proficiency standards nationwide.
Cheryl is an avid outdoor enthusiast and loves teaching and sharing new experiences with people. She enjoys running, hiking, sailing, climbing, scuba diving and being outdoors in general. She is a certified scuba diving and sailing instructor, and is happiest providing medical care in operational settings.
