Lisa Pesce, RNP

	Joined Jul, 1997 Department: Obstetrics & Gynecology (OB/GYN) [Map] Title: Nurse Practitioner Degree: RNP Interests: Traditional Music, folk art, collecting textiles. Languages: Spanish Practitioner Homepage
Bio I began my career in 1977, working as a new RN in Obstetrics at Watsonville Community Hospital. I have maintained that focus on women's health care for most of my nursing career, adding experience in community clinics in both Santa Cruz and Sonoma counties. My practice philosophy is based on my conviction that all people have the right to health care. One of the great things about working at Kaiser is our commitment to providing patients with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their own health, and I see this as a primary aspect of my role as a nurse practitioner. I have always enjoyed working with women in the various phases of their lives, and I am fortunate to have worked for Kaiser since 1997. As a young child, I had always wanted to be a nurse: however, my decision to begin my education was a result of some of my early travels. At age 18, I undertook a year-long overland trip from Turkey to northern India (with the goal of studying Buddhism and other world religions). The courage, humor, and resourcefulness of the people I met on that trip, as well as the formidable difficulties they at times had to face, made an indelible impression on my mind. As a result, I redirected my goals toward a career in which I could directly help people on a fundamental level. As a nurse, I soon became grateful that I had spent 6 years in junior high and high school studying Spanish; although far from fluent, I have always treasured the opportunity to work with members of the Mexican and Mexican-American community, and this has enriched my experiences in the nursing profession. My continued interest in human cultures also led me, as a re-entry student, to complete a B.A. and M.A. in cultural anthropology: a second phase of my education that has proved invaluable for me in working with our culturally diverse group of patients. Although nursing has always been my primary focus, I also teach part-time in the Anthropology Department of Santa Rosa Junior College, and often have nursing students in my classes.
My Medical Specialty
More details about my specialty: I was originally drawn to Obstetrics (both labor and delivery and postpartum), because it provided a chance to work intensively with patients and their families undergoing a phenomenal life transition. I also love babies. Although it has been many years now since I 'caught' a baby, I get a great deal of satisfaction working with patients through their pregnancies and seeing them together with their babies. My specialty interests and affiliations within my field: I am a member of California Nurses' Association.
Interests
I was fortunate to have parents who filled our lives with music; my father played guitar, and my mother played classical piano. We grew up listening to folk music, and I started playing the Appalachian dulcimer when I was 13. It may seem strange that a Jewish/Italian girl from New York became obsessed with Old Time American and Irish music, but at age 22 I started playing the 5 string banjo (frailing style, not bluegrass). I've been playing fiddle for the last 23 years, and I might even get good some day .I love to sing Mexican corridos and Rancheras, and am now trying, at long last, to learn guitar. Currently reading: The Famished Road, by Ben Okri My favorite book or author: (How can I choose?) Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy, or Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, or Tess of the Durbervilles by Thomas Hardy, or the one I'm reading now. Great movie: (On CD) The Angel on the Right
Family & Friends
People in my life: I met my partner at a music camp 18 years ago; he is a brilliant scholar; he's done extensive fieldwork in ethnomusicology, teaches history and anthropology, and is not bad as a resident lutenist, either.
My pets: Mr Punch: a phenomenal American short-hair black and white cat with a wacky sense of humor and exotic tastes. He may be the only cat in Sonoma County who sleeps on a genuine Turkoman telpek (men's sheepskin hat).
Travel
An adventure I've had: Which one to choose? Trekking into an Akha village through fields of sorghum planted on mountain slopes in Northern Thailand? Climbing and swimming 2 km. into a cave in Belize to view a Mayan ceremonial site and skeletal remains covered by glistening quartz crystals? Seeing King Pakal's carved jade arcophagus in the depths of the Temple of the Inscriptions at the Mayan site of Palenque, in Chiapas, Mexico? Climbing down the switchback trail into the Mayan village of Tzintzuntzan, hearing three different ensembles playing traditional music in preparation for a fiesta? I'd better stop here. Favorite place in the world: The place I'm traveling to next is my favorite. For comfort, tranquility and beautiful gardens: the Tjampuhan Hotel, Ubud, Bali. For indulging my love for folk art and stuff from all over the world: The Victoria and Albert Museum, London. One of my recent trips: Bali, where I enjoyed seeing incredible performances of dance and gamelan (traditional Indonesian percussion orchestra), and got to see women weaving ikat fabric on huge backstrap looms.