I wanted to become a doctor for as long as I can remember. I think I first said it when I was 3 years old. In medical school, pediatrics just felt right, and my favorite rotation was emergency medicine. I loved the pace, the diversity and the fact that patients came in with a variety of immediate concerns that I got to diagnose and address. Pediatric emergency medicine is perfect for people like me, who enjoy working with several irons in the fire.

My first love is and always has been clinical care. I love taking care of patients. As an emergency medicine doctor, I provide care to patients and their families when they need it most. I try to determine exactly what brings people to the emergency department (ED), and then I address their specific concerns. I love being able to diagnose and treat patients, and sometimes I even get to save a life. Every time I am in the emergency department, I learn something new, even though I’ve been a doctor for more than 25 years. That keeps me humble.

Though I most enjoy caring for patients, I also work in advocacy, education and research related to pediatric emergency medicine. My research, education, and advocacy work focus on injury prevention. Injuries are the No. 1 killer of children age 1 year and older, and most injuries are preventable. I provide community-based interventions and education addressing poison prevention as well as child safety in automobiles, at home and on the playground. I also study concussions, falls and disparities in injuries.

I am honored to have received several awards. In 2018, the Injury Free Coalition for Kids, a national injury prevention organization, named me Principal Investigator of the Year. In 2012, I received the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Community Advocacy Award for my work to prevent childhood injuries.

In my free time, I love to travel. A few favorite and out-of-the-way places I’ve visited include Krakow, Poland; Nagano, Japan; Papua New Guinea; and Tikehau, French Polynesia. Locally, my family and I have walked all 78 miles of trails in the Hamilton County Parks.