Doctor's Life Magazine, Tampa Bay Doctor's Life Tampa Bay Vol. 2 Issue 1, 2014 | Page 9

Why did you become a pediatrician?
When I was a teenager my sister earned money by babysitting for
many wonderful families in my town. I spent a lot of time helping her
take care of the kids and I realized how much I enjoyed children and
interacting with them. While in medical school I found myself having
issues treating adults that placed their physical health at risk because
of bad decision making. I enjoyed much more the interactions of kids
and their families so it was an easy decision for me.

country are now coming back with a vengeance. The decision of
so many people to not immunize their children based on erroneous
facts and data is the major factor of this epidemic. PITCH is making
a difference by creating a dialogue in our community between
healthcare professionals and those interested in helping increase
immunization rates where we live. I’m happy to serve as the chairman
of this organization that is trying to and succeeding in making a
difference in the health of our community.

I have to say it was one of the more enjoyable interviews
I’ve done. After all the research we conducted on you as a
physician, your pediatrician office and the viewing of the
extremely creative and super fun videos… my entire staff,
including myself, wish we were sick and kids again. How
important is it to maintain a great team, creative outreach
and a fun atmosphere in your practice?
On the surface it probably seems like we’re just trying to be
different than every other practice. While there is some truth to that
statement however what is more accurate in our case is that this
is just who we are. The personality you see, the man dressed in
this outfit… I could tell you that I do it
for the kids but the truth is I do it for me
because I’m just this kind of person. I’ve
always tried to surround myself with the
kind of people who want to have a good
time but are serious in their profession.
When Sharon (The Doctor Whisperer)
came along, she was exactly cut from
the same rug. She was innovative, fun,
intelligent and understood the way
business is done. She had a lot to do
with the personality of our practice. Our
outward appearance and creativity plays
a big role in the success. I want people
to see that we’re different but more that
we are an amazing place to have their
children cared for.

According to the CDC, Childhood obesity has more than
doubled and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 Years.
What are some of the factors in your opinion, that has
manifested such staggering higher percentages of obesity
in our youth today?
The truth is the increase in obesity comes down to one simple
formula… too many calories in and not enough calories out. We
live in a world where the food that taste the best and is most readily
available often has the least amount of useful nutrition. Society today
has become fast-paced and we want everything immediately. Fast
food has become the go to meal to save time. The other major factor
is we have become a plugged
in society. Kids are expending
fewer calories due to lack of
activity. The percentages of
kids who spend hours in front
of videogames are computers
are staggering. We must find
a way to have kids be more
active and consume healthier
food options. There is no
other way to help with this
horrendous obesity problem
in this country.

The problem is in the
amount of hours that
are spent by so many
children plugged in to
some sort of device and
plugged out of activity.

What has been the most rewarding
accolade with your position as a
pediatrician?
The opportunity to volunteer and help out worthwhile community
organizations. For example I host Playing Unplugged in Largo for the
third year in a row while Sharon works tirelessly to raise funds and
bring the Pediatric community together. We are asking children to
unplug from their electronic devices and come out and play actively
with us. We’re expecting 20,000 people at the event this year in
April. Sharon has secured Randi Zuckerberg to join us so she can
read her new children’s book DOT., it correlates perfectly with our
intentions. Also recently I have been asked to be the chairperson of
PITCH, Sharon is Vice-Chair. This is the Pinellas Immunization Team
for Community Health working toward increasing immunization
rates of children in our community