Announcing PA AAP's 2025 Chapter Award Winners!
President's Message, February 2025
Kate Tigue, MD, FAAP
Greetings colleagues,
What a stressful three weeks it has been. As I gather my thoughts, I hope you are finding ways to support yourself, your colleagues, and, most importantly, your patients and families in these most challenging and uncertain times. As we juggle endless professional and personal responsibilities, I want to share a few stories over these 3 weeks that brought me joy and reinforced the importance of the Pediatric Medical Home in our communities.
One Sunday morning I started patient care for ill patients and waited for my first patient to leave the bathroom. The door opened and out into the hall walked the most adorable almost 3-year-old little boy happily dancing back to the exam room in his superhero boxer briefs. A smile broke across my face as I followed him into the room. As he climbed up onto the exam table, I introduced myself. He immediately looked up and said, “Where is my doctor?” I explained his regular doctor had the day off and I was going to see him. He looked up with his big brown eyes and said, “Okay, you can be my friend too!”
This past week I walked in to meet a newborn and her family. Sitting in the chair was a grandmother, grinning from ear to ear. As I greeted her and asked what her preferred grandmother's name would be she answered and added, “I am so happy to be back in the office. All my kids received pediatric care here and there is nowhere else we would trust to care for my granddaughter.”
What a stressful three weeks it has been. As I gather my thoughts, I hope you are finding ways to support yourself, your colleagues, and, most importantly, your patients and families in these most challenging and uncertain times. As we juggle endless professional and personal responsibilities, I want to share a few stories over these 3 weeks that brought me joy and reinforced the importance of the Pediatric Medical Home in our communities.
One Sunday morning I started patient care for ill patients and waited for my first patient to leave the bathroom. The door opened and out into the hall walked the most adorable almost 3-year-old little boy happily dancing back to the exam room in his superhero boxer briefs. A smile broke across my face as I followed him into the room. As he climbed up onto the exam table, I introduced myself. He immediately looked up and said, “Where is my doctor?” I explained his regular doctor had the day off and I was going to see him. He looked up with his big brown eyes and said, “Okay, you can be my friend too!”
This past week I walked in to meet a newborn and her family. Sitting in the chair was a grandmother, grinning from ear to ear. As I greeted her and asked what her preferred grandmother's name would be she answered and added, “I am so happy to be back in the office. All my kids received pediatric care here and there is nowhere else we would trust to care for my granddaughter.”
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