My name is Anna Jesus, and I'm a neurodevelopmental pediatrician. I take care of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy. I also am part of the myelomeningocele or spina bifida clinic. It's been a really exciting time in pediatrics in the last five years, in that there's been an onslaught of new treatments. So it's been fun to watch, especially children with spinal muscular atrophy undergo these treatments that are helping them live life a little more fuller and longer. I really didn't know that I would want to necessarily be part of pediatrics. But it is just so fun to get to interact with children, to get to talk with both them and their family, to be part of a team always, even when you're working in isolation. I hadn't heard of developmental pediatrics until I started residency.

So I like to first ask parents and kids what they've heard about my specialty and what their goals are for the visit. And I try to hone my visit as much, so that we compliment each other and that we can find mutual goals together. What parents and children can expect is a lot of toys, a lot of games and playing, and getting to know one another. And I like to demonstrate to parents what I see their strengths of their children are as well as places where we can provide more services. The wonderful thing about UVA is that it truly is a team, all of it. It's all collaborative. If I don't know the answer to someone, you know that I'm going to ask the right people, and I'm going to get the answer that you need. I love that about UVA. I love that it's a team, it's a family. We all work together. And I love that when I bring out these questions, when I bring out concerns to other people, I get a response from people very quickly.