Marlee Recker, MSW, LSW

As a self-management and transition coordinator in the Division off Gastroenterology, my focus is on patients who have irritable bowel disease (IBD). I assist patients with transition to adult care after their time at Cincinnati Children’s. This is very fulfilling for me because I am able to help them start a new chapter in their lives.

I have IBD myself and having amazing social workers when I was a patient at Cincinnati Children's inspired me to become a social worker. Growing up, I always enjoyed working with children. I worked at summer camp, babysat very often, helped lead my sister’s girl scout troop and had children-focused internships at Big Brothers Big Sisters and Catholic Charities. I have a commitment and passion to deliver high quality, compassionate healthcare to children and families in need.

Caring for patients is very rewarding to me and I enjoy getting to know the families and watching my patients become adults. I know how hard having IBD can be. Having a high level of empathy and understanding of what others experience truly improves patient outcomes in a social work practice.

I value building and maintaining strong relationships with my patients over time, as well as helping them to become independent in managing their care, so they feel confident making the transition into the adult world.

In my free time, I enjoy traveling to new places with my husband and family. I love camping, hiking and exploring museums. My favorite trip was to Rome, Italy. I would love to travel to Japan to meet my husband’s mother.

My patients may be interested to know that I graduated college with a minor in deaf studies, so I love practicing sign language. I also like anything sweet and my favorite treats are cheesecake and s'mores.