What is your job title/your role at Scottish Rite for Children?
I am a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Scottish Rite and direct the Developmental-Behavioral Clinic of the Pediatric Developmental Disabilities Department. Also, I care for children and adolescents in the Interdisciplinary Pediatric Spina Bifida Clinic. Another part of my job is being the program director for the University of Texas Southwestern/Scottish Rite for Children Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship.
Why did you want to become a doctor? Have you always wanted to work in pediatrics?
I became drawn to being a doctor when I was about 15 years old. My parents subscribed to Maryknoll Magazine, and I was captivated by reading the stories of the medical service carried out by Catholic missionaries to people in need around the world. At the same time, I loved biology and decided that becoming a doctor would be the best way to combine my passion for helping other human beings with the study of science. I have always wanted to work in pediatrics!
What led you to Scottish Rite for Children?
After completing medical school in New York City and residency and fellowships in Southern California, I conducted a national job search. I had an initial phone call with Dr. Richard Adams, and then visited Scottish Rite, which gave me the opportunity to meet him as well as his team and some of their patients. The comprehensive level of care they provided to children and families impressed me deeply. When something is “right” for me, I sense music around me. I felt like dancing from the very beginning and that melody has lasted for more than 10 years now.
What types of patients does your clinic see?
My clinic takes care of patients ranging from infants to young adults who have developmental and behavioral differences in addition to orthopedic conditions.
What are some of the common conditions seen in our PDD Clinics?
Our Pediatric Developmental Disabilities Clinics see children and adolescents with diverse diagnoses, including cerebral palsy, myelomeningocele, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, ADHD and genetic syndromes.
What makes our PDD Department unique?
Our department is unique in that it offers comprehensive, interdisciplinary care to children from infancy to young adulthood. We work as a team, and we collaborate with everyone who works at Scottish Rite for Children to best meet the needs of the children.
How do you help your patients feel comfortable and confident?
I celebrate their strengths and the unique aspects of their personalities and their families. I share my knowledge with them and show them that I am human, too. I let them know that they and their families are experts about their conditions, as they are living with them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I invite them to teach me all that they know.
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is meeting all the wonderful children, adolescents and their families and partnering with them to develop a long-term care plan that will help them reach their fullest potential. They are all different, and they all change me for the better.
What was your first job?
My first job was at Broadway, a Macy’s-like store, when I turned 16. I worked in the gift-wrapping department and really enjoyed helping to make people’s gifts look beautiful.
Tell us something that might surprise us about you:
It might surprise you that I have a true love for art history and can spend hours in museums.
What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
When I am not working, I am happiest spending time with my family and pets, reading, looking at art and taking long, meditative walks.
