Welcome

Care Philosophy

We believe that our practice offers parents the opportunity to have all your concerns listened to and addressed, and to participate in medical decision-making whenever possible. The job of raising children is the toughest (and the very best) job of all. We therefore honor and respect parent's ideas, opinions, and perceptions of their kids. Our staff all have strong communication skills and experience which enable us to develop a rapport with children and parents. This makes us very effective and is the basis for the high level of medical care we provide kids.The fact that we are a small office with one pediatrician makes for a more personal and gratifying experience for all involved. Kids who come here always see the same physician, and never see a "physician extender" (nurse practioner or physician's assistant). We take our responsibility very seriously, but we also try to make things fun and as low-key as possible. Providing comfort, pain control, and reducing anxiety around immunizations and other procedures is a high priority with us. We want kids and parents to have positive experiences with us and we try hard to make that happen. We also know that none of us, especially children, exist in a vacuum. That is, we live in a context of family, community, school, church, etc. Problems or significant changes in the child's environment may have a negative impact on him/her, which may manifest as illness, behavior disturbance, diminished appetite, problems sleeping, etc. Knowing what's going on in a kid's life often provides us with useful insight into their illnesses and helps us come up with ideas and solutions for families. Our families appreciate this "holistic" approach; they know that we respect their individuality and humanity. Special Interests Although my training was in the broad range of general pediatrics, it did include a great deal of time working in neonatology (the care of well and sick newborns) which has always been a special interest of mine. Over the years, I've also developed interests in asthma, recurrent otitis media (ear infections) in young children, and gastro-esophageal reflux in infants. My current goal is to become more proficient in pediatric sports medicine. In addition, over the years I've come to appreciate how readily and quickly children reflect what's going on in their environment, be it home, school, or larger community. When there are signigicant events, changes, or problems in any of these areas, there may be negative effects on apetite, sleep, behavior, school performance, or health. Therefore, I'm very interested in looking at children as individuals, each with unique traits, living in a context of family, community, neighborhood,etc. that consists of interdependent parts. As a parent myself, and knowing how becoming one affected me, it's interesting for me to see how others are changed by having children; and how we as adults continue to "form" and mature as responsible people at the same time our kids are developing into individuals. This is especially interesting in those of us who first became parents at a little older age - as I did. Announcements Our office has moved (we lost our lease). Our new office is at 3065 Porter St, Suite 104, in the Paper Mill Plaza in Soquel. We're across from La Cabana Tacqueria (formerly Surf City Cafe) and the library about 1 block up from Soquel Drive going towards Blue Ball Park and Soquel High School. Swine flu vaccine is coming; the exact date isn't known presently, but sometime in October is probable. We've put in our order, so watch this space for an announcement. For more info on swine flu, look below to the left under "Frequently Asked Questions" or go to the CDC's information page for swine flu: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm New reasearch shows that toddlers (between ages 12-24 months) are 5 times safer in a rear-facing carseat than in a forward-facing one. Head and neck injuries are much more common in the forward-facing position during an auto accident. The recommendation therefore is the rear-facing position up to age 2 years as long as the child's size doesn't exceed the weight limit of the of the carseat (consult the manufacturer's manual, website, or label on the seat). During the last year, there have been 10 cases of "invasive" HiB disease in children in Pennsylvania and Minnesota. One of these kids died from HiB meningitis. All these kids were either unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated for HiB. One of the worst things for a pediatrician is having to do a spinal tap on a sick child and pus drip out the end of the needle. I've personally had this happen in my career more than once, so please immunize your children! Parents, when was your last tetanus shot? Tetanus shots are recommended every 10 years throughout adulthood. These days, "Tdap"is the preferred immunization for individuals from 11-66 years of age. Tdap is actually tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis. Your immunization status is important because pertussis(whooping cough)is fairly common in adults and is very contagious within households. In addition, whooping cough is often much more serious in young infants. Although we do vaccinate infants with DaPT at 2,4,and 6 months, immunity is incomplete until after the 3rd dose, so they're most vulnerable durning the first 6 months of life. Antibodies inherited from the maternal ciculation during pregnancy are usually negligible since immunity is usually quite low in adults. There are 2 different brands of Tdap vaccine; the one approved for adults is called "Adacel". Ask your physician about getting this immunization; or if you prefer, we can give it. We're expecting the FDA to approve giving HPV vaccine ("Gardisil") to males fairly soon. Look for an announcement in the news media or watch our website for updates on this. We've been getting more requests lately to delay, "break up", or otherwise change the routine immunization for infants. Although it's our policy to accommodate parents whenever possible, there are good reasons for adhering to the schedule recommended by the AAP and CDC. Please refer to the links listed under "immunizations" to your left. When your teenager comes in for a well child exam, he or she must be accompanied by a responsible adult, preferably a parent who can help answer questions and give us the medical history. We also need a parent present for medical-legal reasons as well. thank you. Teaching our kids to be tolerant of others' differences is one of the most important things we as parents can do. For more information on this, see the web link under "learning & child development" on the left. Does your child have a TV or computer in his/her bedroom? Read why this may be a bad idea. Look under "Behavior" lower down on this home page... We all know about the importance of car seats for infants and toddlers. But did you know that booster seats are recommended for kids up to 4'9" in height and 80 lb? See why by clicking on the links under safety to the left. Do you have a daughter (or son) with long hair? Is s(he) thinking about getting it cut short? You can donate the cut hair to kids on chemotherapy for cancer. The hair must be at least 10" long. Go to www.LocksOfLove.com to learn how to do this.