Julie Rosenbaum, MD

I studied medical ethics before I became a physician, and that shaped how I practiced — as a primary care doctor, as an educator teaching medical students and residents how to navigate hard conversations, and later as Chief of Internal Medicine at Yale Health.

If there's one thing that my career taught me, it's this: patients who understand their situation and are genuinely part of their decision-making do better. Not just feel better about their care — they get better outcomes.

Over the years, I kept coming back to the same questions: What does it actually mean to earn a patient's trust? How do we make sure people are informed enough to make their own decisions, not just told what to do?

Along the way, I supported aging parents and sick family members. One day while sitting at a family member’s bedside in the hospital, I realized that, given how complex and difficult the health system had become, I could be more valuable as a dedicated, independent advocate for people facing serious and complex illness than as a doctor seeing patients for 15-minute visits.  The system had changed over my career. It was time for my role to change too.

Now I bring that experience directly to individuals and families, working through the communication, navigation, and logistical tangles that make health care difficult — the parts no one really trains you for. My background gives me both the clinical depth to understand what's actually going on medically, and the broader view to help you see the forest, not just the trees, when it's time to make a decision. I speak the language and will help you ask the right questions.  I will be your steady partner through your journey.