Hello, I'm Kayla, and thank you for wanting to learn more about me. You may be wondering how I bring a different perspective from any other designer who says the same thing. So let me tell you:

The road to medical communications did not begin in my design studio, rather it began in an emergency room. Twenty years ago, after breaking my femur at age nine, I became what I call a "hospital kid." Over the next ten years following that event I underwent several complicated procedures, spending countless hours observing the medical field from the patient's point of view. That experience gave me a deep, lifelong desire to be part of the care team.

At first, I aimed to become a nurse, but the process of recovery turned my ambitions on its head. Rather than become a clinician I shifted my focus toward support roles, where I found a love for photography and, eventually, graphic design. At one point, I feared that I would have to choose either my artistic passion or the medical one. However, I soon learned that I did not need to make such a choice.

I started my career working in newborn photography doing fresh 48 photos on Labor and Delivery, getting to speak with patients and document everyday life in the hospital for some of the cutest patients imaginable, as well as create designs for childhood cancer non-profit organizations which helped me find my place. 

These experiences paved the way for my current role with the Anesthesiology Department with WashU Medicine. 

If you could learn one thing about me it is that I choose not just to design for medicine, but with it.