What guided your decision to go into medicine and specifically, your chosen field?

I knew that I wanted to become a doctor when I was 8 years old, after a female pediatrician was a guest speaker at one of my Girl Scout troop’s meetings. When I started medical school I thought that I wanted to specialize in obstetrics (OB/GYN), but after completing my core OB/GYN rotation as a 3rd year medical student, and being present at the births of many premature babies, I knew that I was meant to become a neonatologist. Coincidentally, one of the top neonatal-perinatal fellowship programs in the U.S. was located minutes from where I grew up, so I was fortunate to be able to move home to Cleveland and live near my family during my training to become a NICU physician.

“One of my main goals is to form a true partnership with my patients’ parents. I have found that the stronger my relationship with parents, the better the care I am able to give their newborns.”

Have you ever been a patient, and if so, what did it teach you?

My first real experience as a patient was in 2011. I had a miscarriage at 10 weeks and my fetus had to be removed via D&C.  It was one of the saddest experiences of my life, and I was traumatized by a young nurse who repeatedly tried to draw blood from my arm over and over prior to the procedure. After 4-5 attempts I begged her to stop, but she continued to try to draw my blood another 4-5 times before having one of the more senior nurses step in. This more experienced nurse was able to successfully get the blood drawn from my vein within about 30 seconds. I felt like the young nurse did not treat me as a human and had no empathy – this experience taught me a lot about being able to put myself in the shoes of my patients (and their parents) and being able to incorporate emotional support and love into all of my patient encounters. 

What are the most important qualities for a doctor to have?

Patience, intelligence, persistence, resilience, empathy, compassion, flexibility, and humility. 

What can a patient expect when they have you as a doctor?

Since I am a neonatologist, I consider my patients’ parents to be my patients, as much as I do their babies. One of my main goals is to form a true partnership with my patients’ parents. I have found that the stronger my relationship with parents, the better the care I am able to give their newborns. This involves trust, respect, and a high level of communication. I make an effort to always take parents’ input and preferences into account in the medical care I provide for their children.

What makes you different from other doctors in your field? 

To my knowledge, I am the only board-certified neonatologist and international board-certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) in the US who has an independent home visiting medical practice. 

“Doctorpedia is a way to be able to easily share learning materials with our patients and their families, in an appealing and up-to-date format.”

What is your favorite activity outside of work?

Learning ballet. Prior to the pandemic I was a runner and loved to compete in 10Ks and half-marathons. After getting Covid in spring 2020 I had “long haul” symptoms, including heart inflammation, and was unable to resume running. I had never taken a ballet class in my life and enrolled in an adult beginner ballet class in Fall 2020. Since then I have been hooked and recently got my first pair of pointe shoes in my mid-40s.

You recently joined the Doctorpedia team as a Founding Medical Partner. What about Doctorpedia resonates with your personal and professional mission?

It has become increasingly difficult for patients and their families to find quality medical information on the internet. Every time I “google” a common neonatal diagnosis or problem, I find myself quickly going down a rabbit hole of information and get overwhelmed. I believe in Doctorpedia’s mission to make high quality medical information accessible and also very “digestible” in the sense that videos are short, but chock full of high-yield information.  Our patients deserve more than a one page printed handout on their medical condition, and through Doctorpedia they are easily able to access high quality, evidence-based, and unbiased information. 

If you could spend a day with any person in the world (dead or alive) – who would you choose?

St. Mary Magdalene – she was essentially written out of the Bible and I would love to hear her point of view about what actually took place during the time of Jesus.

What would you do for a living if you weren’t a doctor?

I love teaching so I am pretty sure I’d be a high school teacher or college professor – not sure if I would teach science, math, or something else though. I’d also love to be a yoga instructor too.

What problem do physicians face that Doctorpedia can help solve?

It has become increasingly hard to find quality online medical information that is in both video and print format. The current generation is accustomed to learning from videos, and as a whole, our medical profession has not “kept up with the times” in terms of how we educate and disseminate information. Doctorpedia is a way to be able to easily share learning materials with our patients and their families, in an appealing and up-to-date format.