Biography
Growing up in a medical family strongly influenced my decision to pursue a career in medicine. My father was an OB/GYN, and my mother was a nurse who also participated in a great deal of volunteer efforts as a public health nurse in the community. As a child, I spent a lot of time with my mother during her volunteer activities. In college, I participated in a community outreach course, and while in medical school I was involved in the Urban Health Project. These collective experiences, which immersed me in the community, led to my interest in working with underserved populations.
In addition to my work as a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati Department of Pediatrics, I am a general pediatrician at Cincinnati Children’s. I care for children with many different chronic health conditions, including mental and behavioral health issues. I also provide preventative care with predominately underserved patient populations.
Many care disparities exist for my underserved patients. My academic pursuits align with the development of mechanisms to address these disparities in care and outcomes for children and families living in poverty or experiencing negative social determinants of health.
My current research focuses on:
- Developing family-centered models of care
- Fostering better connections to the medical home
- Improving access to preventative services to decrease rates of future morbidity
- Minimizing inappropriate healthcare utilization
- Preparing children to enter kindergarten
- Providing equitable access to quality healthcare
- Reducing the cost of medical care
My typical research activities have been integrated into my role as an operational leader and center around new models of care, redesigning health systems, and population and community health. I have directed several large quality-improvement efforts, including an asthma population health initiative that led to a significant reduction of asthma-related emergency department visits and hospital admissions for Medicaid-insured children in Hamilton County.
My other improvement activities are related to school-based healthcare, primary care redesign, care management models for medically complex children, community connected models of primary care, and accountable or value-based care.
As a result of my efforts, I received the Clinical Care Achievement Award for senior faculty members at Cincinnati Children’s in 2015. My colleagues presented this award in recognition of the contributions I made to our community and organization. It is truly humbling to be recognized by my own peers for work leading a number of incredibly committed individuals.
Academic Affiliation
Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Clinical Divisions
General and Community Pediatrics, Primary Care