Background in Western Medicine
Jessica has a broad and diversified clinical background. In 2005, she graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a Bachelor of Science degree in Women’s Health & Psychology. For several years, she worked as an Assistant Program Coordinator for physically, mentally, and emotionally challenged women in the beautiful Pioneer Valley.
In 2009, Jessica returned to the University of Massachusetts Amherst for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree graduating at the top of her class with magna cum laude. Currently, she is a practicing Registered Nurse working in both an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (recovering post-operative patients) in a hospital in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California.
Jessica’s extensive experience in the medical field has developed a deep passion within her for preventative medicine. While continuing her work as a bedside nurse, she is also working towards obtaining her doctorate degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She is near completion of her required clinical rotations and will soon be studying for the Board Exam. After the exam, she will do her residency and specialize in either Psychiatric/Mental Health or Adult-Gerontology.
A Circle of Vaidyas
Background in Eastern Medicine
In Jessica’s experience with Western Medicine, she has come to realize that holistic care is required in order for individuals to sustain optimal health across the lifespan.
This understanding is what led her to explore Āyurveda. She began an independent study of this comprehensive Indian medical system in 2011. Two years later, Jessica decided to enroll in Āyurveda school. She was granted scholarship from 'Organic India' and completed a ten-month Āyurvedic Herbal Apprenticeship program.
Jessica is trained in classical Āyurveda and is taught directly from the traditional texts: Caraka, Suśruta, and Aṣṭāñga Hṛdayam. Presently, she is pursuing to be an Āyurvedic Physician through Ārogya Center. This program is taught by a lineage-based educated Vaidya.
Also, Jessica is a certified Jyotishi. Her teachings are derived from the lineage of Śri Achyutānanda das of Odisha, india. This knowledge draws heavily upon the Bṛhat Parāśara Horā Śāstra - which is the most comprehensive extant śāstra on Jyotish - estimated to have been written around 600 CE.