Can you talk about your background and what inspired you to pursue OBGYN?
I grew up in an academic household, which shaped the way I see the world. My father was a college theology and philosophy professor at Berry College in Rome, GA, and my mother worked as a research librarian for the FBI Academy. This environment encouraged critical thinking and the Socratic method, allowing me to learn and view the world from a unique perspective. Initially, I entered college with the intention of pursuing psychology, inspired by my grandfather, who was a clinical psychologist. However, as I progressed through my science courses at the University of California, Santa Cruz, I found myself drawn to cellular biology and organic chemistry, which led me to switch to the pre-med track.
After graduating, I moved to Atlanta to study for the MCAT while helping my family care for my elderly grandmother. During that time, I worked at a pediatric dental office, where I discovered how rewarding it was to care for patients and their families.
When I started medical school, I wasn’t sure which specialty I wanted to pursue, so I approached each rotation with an open mind. I enjoyed seeing patients in clinic during my neurology rotation but found that reading brain MRIs wasn’t for me. I liked rounding on patients in internal medicine, but I missed seeing a broader range of ages and conditions, as most of our inpatients were elderly. I loved the hands-on nature of general surgery and working in the OR, but I wished for more continuity with patients beyond their postoperative visit.
Then came my OB/GYN rotation, and everything clicked. I realized that OB/GYN uniquely combines what I love most about medicine—continuity of care, hands-on procedures, and the privilege of supporting patients through some of the most meaningful moments of their lives. It offers the opportunity to care for a diverse group of patients, from adolescents navigating puberty to women in their reproductive years and beyond menopause. It’s one of the few specialties, outside of family medicine, that allows us to follow patients throughout their entire lives—in clinic, in the operating room, and on Labor & Delivery.
Where did you attend medical school?
I attended medical school at the University of Louisville. UofL is one of only two major medical schools in Kentucky, and as students, we were exposed to a large and diverse patient population from across Western Kentucky who were referred to the university’s academic medical center. Louisville is also designated as a “refugee city,” with a higher immigrant population than the rest of the state, which gave me valuable experience caring for patients from a wide range of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
From early on, I had an interest in OB/GYN, but it was during my third-year rotation that I truly fell in love with the specialty. I found the nights on labor and delivery exhilarating, loved assisting with hysterectomies in the OR, and enjoyed seeing expectant mothers in clinic. I also had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Resad Pasic, a world-renowned minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon, which sparked my passion for gynecologic surgery and the potential of minimally invasive techniques. These experiences solidified my decision to pursue an OB/GYN residency, where I ultimately matched.
Have you noticed a change in patient care or what patients are looking for?
Yes—and it’s largely driven by how patients gather information. Now, more than ever, younger patients turn to social media for medical knowledge. There are physician-influencers who share up-to-date, evidence-based guidance, which can be incredibly helpful. But there are also wellness influencers, holistic doctors, and chiropractors who disseminate misinformation or present poorly designed studies as if they were established facts. This abundance of mixed messaging can be confusing for patients, making it hard to know whom to trust—an individual physician or a social media account.
In my practice, I’ve found that patients often come in with concerns shaped by what they’ve seen online. They might question contraception options or birth plans for labor and delivery based on information they encountered on social media. When this happens, I try to meet them where they are: I listen, acknowledge the information they’ve encountered, and then help them evaluate the quality and safety of those sources. I encourage open dialogue and invite patients to bring their questions to me so we can assess the evidence together and make decisions aligned with their values and medical needs.
Were you ever worried that you chose the wrong field?
Not in the sense of doubt about medicine itself. What often gave me pause was whether I could truly handle the emotional and professional demands—and whether I could earn a family’s trust in moments of unimaginable stress. When I started residency after medical school, patient care consumed my days and nights. Yet the patients I met and the relationships I built kept me grounded and motivated.
One family in particular remains with me. They were from Guam and serving in the Navy. They presented to OB triage with concerns about premature rupture of membranes at 20 weeks’ gestation. They were distraught, miles away from home, in a hospital with doctors and a care system they didn’t know well. I cared for them during their admission, explaining the significance of each finding and discussing interventions, including the impact of antenatal steroids on an extremely preterm fetus.
Over the next few days, I earned their trust and demonstrated that I had their best interests at heart. Despite our efforts, the patient delivered at 22 weeks and 6 days. The odds were stacked against him—less than a 5% chance of survival. Sing defied those odds and was discharged from the NICU the day after Christmas, becoming the youngest baby to do so in our unit. A few months later, Sing’s parents invited me to lunch to thank me and share their plans to relocate to Utah to be closer to family. Hearing about Sing’s progress and their life after NICU reminded me that the impact of what I do goes beyond a single moment or outcome.
Experiences like these reaffirm why I chose this field: the long arc of care, the trust built with families, and the tangible difference these moments make in people’s lives. I would not trade that for anything, and it reassures me that I am on the right path.
What advice would you give to someone who's afraid to visit their OB/GYN or doesn't think it's a priority?
We only get one life, and it’s ultimately up to us to decide how we want to live it. Everyone deserves access to care and regular checkups, because a healthy body truly supports a happy, fulfilling life. Avoiding the doctor or living in denial about a health concern doesn’t make it go away—it often means it will surface later in more difficult ways.
As a female physician, my goal is never to judge, but to help patients navigate whatever they’re experiencing with understanding and compassion. Your OB/GYN is here to support you, to listen, and to help you take control of your health. The more honest and open you are with us, the better we can help you feel your best and live your life fully.
What's a personal fact you'd love your patients to know?
I was born in Louisville, so I grew up watching the Kentucky Derby every year. During medical school, I had the opportunity to attend the Derby for two years, which was an amazing experience. As part of the tradition, attendees receive a commemorative glass, and over time, I’ve developed a collection of Kentucky Derby glasses. I find them at yard sales and estate sales, picking up any years I don’t already have. It’s a fun way to connect with my hometown and with a piece of local history!
Dr. Garrison is seeing patients for obstetrics and gynecology. Schedule an appointment today by calling us at 850-877-7241.
