“Our close family friends had a son, a few years younger than me, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I watched him struggle through pricking his finger, getting shots, getting sick and just being ‘different.’ I loved him like a big sister and wanted so much to help him get better that I decided THEN that I would do pediatric medicine (not that I really knew what that meant).  My sweet friend died in his 40s and I watched him go through a lot. But I also watched him benefit from amazing advances…and I get to be a part of all of that. I know he’d be proud.”

“My older sister, Shelley — who lived with intractable epilepsy and intellectual disabilities — is My Why. Growing up as her sister, and as the daughter of two extraordinary advocates, shaped my identity and ultimately led me to my career in Developmental Pediatrics. … In addition to my clinical work, I have devoted myself to teaching — medical students, residents, nurses, allied health professionals, families, and community partners — sharing what I’ve learned about child development, early intervention, behavior, family centered care, access to services, the medical home model, and advocacy.”

“I am a medical geneticist and have come to love the field of pediatric genetics as it truly shows me the breadth of the human condition. In a world where gene therapy and cures are unfolding at an unprecedented rate, I continue to find importance in understanding the value of the person; not the cure, not the treatment, not the ‘fixing’ — but the child, and what disability and normalcy and ableism means for families and societies and all of us who work toward a better tomorrow.”

“I believe pediatrics is the most holistic, preventative field in all of medicine. … Preventative care, especially through vaccination, lets us protect children before they become sick. I love working with families who are often willing to make meaningful changes for their children, knowing those efforts can have a lifelong impact.”  

“There are few things more terrible than a child in distress, and few things more joyful than a child thriving. As a pediatrician, I choose to take on the hardship of suffering so I can walk alongside children and their parents through illness and, hopefully, reach the other side where families heal and children flourish. When that path does not lead where we hoped, my role is to be a steady companion, to share my whole self, and to ease pain through presence, honesty, and care.”

“I did not enter medical school with the preconceived idea that I would pursue a career in pediatrics, yet nearly 40 years after making that decision, I am reminded regularly that I made a good one. … Without a doubt, it was the kids — the babies, toddlers, school-aged children and teenagers — who drew me in. Their parents, foster parents and guardians were influential as well. I remember early on realizing how much trust families place in their pediatrician, often in moments of fear or uncertainty, and how meaningful it felt to be invited into those moments.”