In the medical profession there is a national program that matches newly graduated doctors and medical professionals to their residency programs. Each year Match Day is the day new doctors find out where they will spend their next four years. Sean, a graduate of UC San Diego and Western University of Health Sciences, and Kate, a graduate of University of San Diego and San Francisco’s California School of Professional Psychology, were both sent to Philadelphia on Match Day 2009.
Sean trained in emergency and internal medicine at Jefferson Health, and Kate went to train at a forensic mental health agency. They didn’t know it yet, but another match was in store for the two west coast transplants. Even though they had both attended college in San Diego, it took the move to Philadelphia and little help from Match.com to find each other. They explored the city of Philadelphia and the East Coast together, dating for three years. They returned to San Diego to get married closer to family and friends. When their residencies were finished, they knew they wanted to settle in the Bay Area, a good middle spot between Sean’s family in southern California and Kate’s family in Oregon.
Sean began his career at Sutter Delta in Antioch, then moved to John Muir Hospital, working at both the Concord and Walnut Creek emergency rooms. He also leads wellness initiatives for emergency physicians.
Kate specialized as a forensic psychologist, advising local and state governments in strategies to de-institutionalize people with mental illness and develop community-based programs to support people as they re-enter communities from institutions. Upon returning to California, Kate was a clinical leader for a local county behavioral health system, improving behavioral health programs for people in extreme poverty. Now, Kate is a senior clinical leader at Two Chairs, a mental health start-up offering individual therapy.
The Grammys have two children: Hayden (6) and Bella (4). Hayden loves anything involving running and superheroes. He is an active guy, playing soccer, riding his bike, and planning activities with his kindergarten buddies. Bella is in pre-school, and as Kate says, “she’s most interested in being as fancy as possible, including having a jewelry-making party when she turned 4.” She also loves ballet and takes classes at The Ballet School. Collins, the Golden Retriever, is a bundle of love, “always looking for an idle hand to give him a rub.”
During the Covid pandemic Sean and Kate had to stay very isolated due to their in-person work among potentially sick people. They used the time together to work on a project. They wrote a book called SMART Parents: The parents’ guide medical guide. Kate says, “Sean was inspired to help parents who were coming into the ER for non-emergent issues, causing unnecessary stress. Parenting doesn’t come with a handbook, and, when we were new parents, we often relied on our clinical training to guide our decisions. Inspired to help other parents navigate the challenges of parenthood, we put our heads together to write SMART Parents: The parents’ medical guide. After several years of writing, editing, designing, and publishing in the slivers of time we weren’t working or with our kids, we are so excited to have our book out in the world! Empowering parents with knowledge and confidence to raise thriving children is something we are really proud of and excited to share.” The book offers advice on nutrition, sleep habits, behavioral issues, and safety, as well as a guide to symptoms and what to do. Their future goals include working with county agencies to get the book to low-income families and to have it translated into Spanish. It’s available on Amazon or their website: smartparents.us.
The Grammys also love to travel. “We like to get up and go,” says Kate. “Even when the kids were little.” Each summer they spend a week in Oregon where Kate’s parents still live. The kids enjoy “cousin camp” with their two cousins, living like country kids on the large property where they can enjoy the freedom of running in pastures, playing in the river, and scavenger hunts. And when Covid eased they took the kids to Tulum, Mexico. “It was an amazing place to share another culture with the kids and also get some quality downtime at the beach. It is really important to us that our children experience the world outside of California to have an understanding of other people’s beliefs, experiences, histories and customs.”
The Grammys are happy to call Northgate home. They have found many families that they’ve become friends with, sharing barbeques and kids’ birthday parties together. The dads enjoy golf together, and the moms get together for walks and happy hours. “We love the community of Northgate! We have made great friends here and love the family-focus of the neighborhood with so many walkable activities, parks, and friends; it really does feel like home.”
Do you know a neighbor who has a story to share? Nominate your neighbor to be featured in one of our upcoming issues! Contact us at knavolio@bestversionmedia.com.
By Kara Navolio, Resident since 1991
Photos provided by the Grammy family