Tag: pediatrics

Melissa Huddleston, MD Melissa Huddleston, MD (3 Posts)

Contributing Writer

University of Florida


Melissa went to medical school at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. She is currently a PGY-1 at the University of Florida Pediatrics Residency Program. She is not quite sure where she will end up after residency but has thought a lot about pursuing fellowship training in infectious disease. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys going to local parks and farmer’s markets with her husband and baby. She also enjoys reading sci-fi, writing letters to her awesome pen pal (her 8-year-old nephew), and Facetiming friends and family.




Milestones

Wrinkly face and wonky head; I support your wobbly neck. No matter the emotion, you respond with a cry. It’s early on, we’re full of yawns, trying to survive. I know those eyes can’t yet see much, but you already recognize mama’s touch. Then, one day, you smile at me, and it’s hard to express my absolute glee! You lift your head, then it plops to the ground. Before I know it, you’ll be rolling …

A Tale of Two Worlds

It was the most joyful of times. It was the most horrific of times. A week before my first child was born, an act of terror occurred on the other side of the world. And ever since that terrible day, violence has steadily escalated. My family has grown, while others are decimated. I celebrate with my son, as he grows and showers us with smiles; others search for their children amongst the rubble piles. I hope and pray for my child to sleep through the night; others beg for their …

Restoring American Aid for Yemeni Child Health

End-stage starvation is rare, but devastating. After exhausting its fat stores, the body breaks down its organs for energy: muscle, liver, kidney and finally the heart. The blood itself becomes toxic, in a dangerously narrow balance between brain death and cardiac arrest. As a pediatrician, I wish to protect all children from these symptoms. But as an American taxpayer, I worry about my contribution to the starvation of children in Yemen. President Biden recently announced …

Living with Congenital Heart Disease Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Patient-Physician Reflection

Thinking back to January 2020, I recalled the whispers throughout the hospital of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States, mere minutes from my home institution. Aside from my perspective as a pediatrician, I was also forced to confront my own anxieties regarding exposure to this virus as an adult living with repaired congenital heart disease.

Climate Change is Here: A Pediatrician’s Perspective on the Public Health Crisis

Softly and subtly, the rustling of the leaves quickens and a cool breeze sweeps across the town. A child rocks gently on a swing and a father stands in the bazaar bartering for the best value for vegetables for dinner. His wife is hospitalized with hemorrhagic dengue; shivering with fevers that rise and fall as do her blood counts.

Shalini Shah, DO Shalini Shah, DO (2 Posts)

Attending Physician Guest Writer

Boston Children’s Hospital


Shalini Shah is a pediatric hospitalist at Boston Children’s Hospital in Boston, MA with special interests in environmental health and health equity. She completed her medical training at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine and her residency in pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts.

The Climate Lens: Physician Perspectives of the Climate Crisis

The Climate Lens aims to share narratives that illustrate the health impacts of climate change in a relatable way.