I’m a board-certified pediatrician with specialized training in child development & behavior.
I grew up in beautiful Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where I earned my medical degree from the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC), graduating with Cum Laude honors. After that, I made the exciting move to the United States to continue my training in Pediatrics.
During my residency in general pediatrics, I enjoyed learning about diseases and their treatments. Helping children and comforting their families during challenging times in the hospital gave real meaning to my days.
Despite enjoying my work in the hospital, I always felt like something was missing. As an active person and healthy lifestyle advocate, meeting families for brief episodes and never seeing them again left me desiring to have more time to spend with my patients. I was helping children survive, which is a big deal, but what I wanted to do was help them thrive.
In residency, we get the chance to explore various sub-specialties of pediatrics, hoping to find one that feels like the perfect fit for us. While my friends found their passion for fast-paced sub-specialties like intensive care, I was drawn to the comforting pace of the general pediatrics clinic. It felt like a reasonable mix of medicine with opportunities to spend time advising about diet, exercise, and healthy lifestyle. In addition, sub-specializing meant an additional three years of training; It’s no mystery that medical training is long and exhausting. Did I want to make it even longer?
At first, I thought my path was clear; there was no better fit for me than being a general pediatrician, but everything changed when I had the opportunity to spend a month with a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician. I fell in love! Watching my supervisor identify a child’s learning style through play and helping parents create a learning plan felt in extended visits like coming home. The ability to dig deep into my patient’s eating habits, sleep patterns, and family dynamics was like arriving in paradise. I had found my calling.
Suddenly, those extra three years of training didn’t seem daunting; they felt essential to making my dreams a reality. With the incredible support from my husband and family, I made what I now consider the best decision of my career.
I’m thrilled to be part of this community and look forward to establishing lasting relationships and making a positive impact on the lives of the children and families I serve.
Thank you for welcoming me into this wonderful group!
