One of the most exciting aspects of being a pediatrician is seeing babies, children, and adolescents at all different stages of development. It has been a wonderful experience to watch babies grow into toddlers, school age children become siblings, and high-schoolers head off into the world.
My interest in pediatrics began when I was in college. I attended Duke University and was a biomedical engineering major. This is where my interest in medicine blossomed (in between watching numerous basketball games with the 1991 and 1992 NCAA Championship teams!!!!) While I was at Duke, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the hospital in several different disciplines. I knew that pediatrics was for me when I was able to volunteer on the pediatrics ward on Halloween. Surrounded by witches, fairies, and superheroes, I was able to see the need for compassionate, caring physicians who really appreciate children for who they are.
My passion for science led me to a summer fellowship program at the Duke University Medical Center where I began a medical research program. The physician whom I met at the time became my mentor. She was truly a role model for me and I followed in her footsteps by attending the same medical school she had attended, New York University School of Medicine.
My training continued after medical school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. My experience there was extraordinary. It was truly a privilege to train at one of the top Children’s Hospitals in the country. As a referral center for most of Western Pennsylvania, Children’s hospital was able to offer me the opportunity to learn and grow as a physician by taking care of numerous children with multiple medical problems. It was there that I learned to take care of critically ill children. It was also there in 2001 that my daughter was born and I learned firsthand what it was like to be a parent.
I truly understand how it feels to be up all night with a sick child. I also know what it feels like to worry about a child’s development and what really is considered normal.
Special interests include nutrition, adolescent medicine, and developmental concerns.