Kristen A. Copeland, MD

My clinical specialty is general pediatrics. I care for patients from birth to age 18. I am especially interested in early childhood behavior and development, child nutrition and physical activity. I have additional training in narrative medicine, the quality of early learning environments, physical activity and dietary measurement, and promoting healthy lifestyles. I love hearing about families’ life stories. I listen carefully to parents and patients with my eyes, ears and whole body. This approach to listening leads me to the heart of the issue or diagnosis, supporting better patient outcomes and physician-patient relationships. Parents have said it was the first time they felt heard and seen.

I have always been drawn to pediatrics for its opportunities to prevent injury and promote health and well-being. Parents are children’s first and most important teachers. A parent’s role and influence are crucial, but there are not many resources to support parents. I support families by answering their questions, providing reassurance and supporting them through difficult journeys. It is a privilege to be invited along families’ journeys.

Over the last 20 years, my research has focused on healthy child growth and development. I partner with community members and organizations to research topics that interest them and affect their daily lives. This has included research with early educators, parents of color and low incomes to understand the barriers some families face to enrolling in early childhood education (such as Head Start, preschool and childcare).

With families and early educators, we co-designed solutions to overcome these difficulties. One of the top-rated solutions was a coach or early childhood navigator who could help parents find the best educational fit. Thanks to generous donors and Community Action Agency funding, Cincinnati Children’s primary care clinics offer this navigation for all families of patients under five.

I also partnered with the Fisher Center and Cincinnati Public Schools to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s early development. I wanted to understand children’s school readiness as well, which can be identified in well-child visits. This work helped create ongoing partnerships with Cincinnati Public Schools, dozens of other local school districts, Head Start and other community partners.

In my free time, I enjoy hiking, traveling, reading and practicing French and Spanish by watching foreign movies and TV shows with subtitles. (I was a French major in college and studied Spanish in high school.) My husband (a city planner) and I have two daughters in college. In the summers, we like to travel with them to explore new hikes, cities and cultures.