There’s a special place in heaven reserved for physicians who treat children, day in and day out. After all, it’s only the most talented physicians who can understand what’s ailing a child and be able to offer a cure, all while keeping the parents calm and reassured.
Suburban Life has partnered with Best Doctors Inc., a leading third-party provider of medical information based in Aiken, S.C., as a way to introduce you to some truly outstanding local physicians in all areas of pediatric medicine—from cardiology and immunology to psychiatry and critical care.
Lucky for us, some of the many exceptional doctors on this year’s list carved time out of their busy schedules to share stories about their lives and professions … and also offer the best advice possible without you having to make an appointment.
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What drew you to your particular area of expertise?
I love the variety, and the continuity of caring for people from birth to grave. I love the breadth of the specialty, and I believe in both primary care and preventive care.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your work?
By far it’s the long-term treatment of all kinds of families. Some patients I’ve been caring for [for] 30 years. In some cases I’m treating the second generation of families, where I’ve taken care of the parents and now I’m taking care of their kids. At one point I was treating a family who had everyone from a newborn to a 104-year-old great-grandmother.
I’m also part of a group of doctors and dentists in Somos Amigos (Spanish for “We are friends”), where we’ve adopted a small mountainous community in the Dominican Republic. We provide primary medical and dental care to these people who live two hours from a city. To get there we have to travel over nothing but dirt roads, but it’s very rewarding for all of us.
What’s your fondest memory from childhood?
Growing up in a very happy and supportive household in Washington, D.C.; I grew up with four brothers and sisters in a large and loving family.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be as a grown-up?
Initially I wanted to be a high school teacher or a basketball coach. I didn’t get into medicine until the end of high school or the beginning of college. I have an added degree in sports medicine, so I also do sports medicine work at Springfield High School and La Salle University, so I get to take care of athletes of all ages.
What’s the most memorable thing that has happened to you in your years of practice?
I guess it’s the satisfaction and gratification of caring for people over a number of years. You’re being entrusted with their health, and you also form relationships and friendships through the years that you never forget.
What’s the best piece of free advice you can share with kids and parents?
Focus on staying healthy, leading a healthy lifestyle and exercising. I’m a really big proponent of exercise. There are so many diversions with computers and cell phones that it’s lessened the time we spend on outdoor activities and exercise.
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Why did you decide to become a pediatric doctor?
When I was in medical school, or beginning medical school, I was very interested in immunology—how the body defends itself. Originally I thought I would be a transplant surgeon. … Plus, I have an affinity for kids; they make me happy.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your work?
You’re seeing children get better and parents begin to understand how to self manage and feel safe. Every parent wants to have a sense of control over their children’s fate; in the end, that’s all any parent wants—to have their children feeling healthy and safe. I work hard to provide that for families with asthma, food allergies, whatever it may be.
What’s the most challenging aspect of your work?
Probably the most difficult part of the day is establishing effective communication for the family. And in clinical medicine, it can be frustrating not knowing the answers to certain things. People who practice medicine are interested in knowing how things work—getting under the hood, so to speak.
What’s your fondest memory from childhood?
I had a great sports career playing basketball and football, but I liked building things and taking things apart—a lot of model airplanes and radios. … There was also a time when my goal was to build a go-kart, because we didn’t have the means to buy it; it was just a bunch of planks with wheels on it. I took it up a hill and rode it down. The only way to stop it was to crash it.
How would you describe yourself as a child?
Inquisitive and bold. I have a lot of scars.
What’s the best piece of free advice you can share with kids and parents?
I think kids need to have as much free time as they can to explore their own passions and learn to be creative. In our culture, I fear we’re trying to make decisions for our children and lead them into the careers we envision for them. … I think children should be able to play long and hard, and find something they enjoy doing to get them out of doors and in excellent physical condition; children who are in good shape in their youth tend to maintain good cardiovascular function in their later years.
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Why did you choose your particular field of expertise?
As a hand surgeon, you get to work with everyone; you might be reconstructing the hands of children born with missing thumbs or fingers or working with people in their old age who have arthritis. You get a little taste of everything.
What’s the most gratifying part of your work?
With children, it’s watching them use their hands where otherwise they might not have been able to. I’ve been around long enough to see children born with distorted fingers who become musicians or who are able to manipulate keyboards and become reporters, so it’s the fact that their hands are not holding them back at all. … We’re able now to do a number of procedures less invasively, through arthroscopy and endoscopy, so we’re able to manipulate tissues and create things without as much scarring as in the past.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be as a grown-up?
I come from a large family of physicians, so that was always high on the list. I also went to Yale and majored in photography. So the combination of my interest in photography and people, with the hand being the most human part of the body, sent me on my way of going into hand surgery.
How would you describe yourself as a kid?
Usually getting into some kind of trouble—the usual kinds of things, hanging around with the terrors of the neighborhood.
