Models and Mentors
In Conversation with Dana Weintraub, MD
Whether addressing childhood obesity or health-care disparities, Dana Weintraub, MD, clinical instructor for general pediatrics, works to connect the problems of her patients to larger community trends. She currently serves as the project director of the Sports to Prevent Obesity Randomized Trial (SPORT) and as the medical director of the Family Advocacy Program.
What was your path to medical school?
I majored in History at Dartmouth College. Although I had been interested in medicine, I took advantage of the liberal arts education at Dartmouth to explore other fields. Following graduation, I worked for a law firm in Washington, DC for one year and then volunteered in South Africa for seven months. After returning from South Africa, I completed my pre-medical requirements, gained some research experience and coached the Junior Varsity Soccer Team at Dartmouth.
What did you do in South Africa?
I worked in a primary school in Khayelitsha, a township near Cape Town, as a volunteer physical education and after school sports coach, where I created and delivered a curriculum for the co-ed physical education and after school sports programs , including three soccer teams, one of which was for school-age girls whom had not previously played soccer. During this time I also volunteered with Lawyers for Human Rights, bringing children from different backgrounds together to share experiences and learn about human rights.
What major experience influenced your decision to go into Medicine?
Although many experiences coalesced towards my decision to go into medicine, my time spent in South Africa was pivotal. Working with children living in such impoverished conditions inspired me to pursue medicine as a means to improve the health of communities.
Why medicine as a career, as opposed to teaching or research?
I feel very fortunate that my career combines clinical medicine, teaching and research. At an academic medical center such as Stanford, physicians have the opportunity to work in all of these fields. I teach, and equally important, learn from patients and families, as well as undergraduate and graduate students, and pediatric residents. I also conduct community-based research which complements my clinical experiences. For example, my decision to develop and evaluate SPORT, an intervention for overweight children, developed out of my experiences working with patients. I found that most overweight children whom I saw in my office had little experience or opportunity to participate in organized sports. This led to my decision to investigate whether after school team sport participation might improve the health of overweight children.
Similarly, witnessing the effects of poverty on child health in the clinic led to my collaboration with Melissa Rodgers, an attorney at Legal Aid of San Mateo County, to develop the Family Advocacy Program.
Why did you choose University of Massachusetts and what experiences there enhanced your interest in working with underserved communities?
After returning from South Africa where I was inspired by children and families daily, I knew I needed to continue my community work during medical school. University of Massachusetts had a great reputation for community medicine. During the interview process, I met Dr. Linda Weinreb, a professor in the Department of Family Medicine, who became a great mentor to me even before starting medical school. I was amazed by Dr. Weinreb’s compassionate care for her patients, paralleled with her extensive research of the effects of homelessness on children. Under Dr. Weinreb’s guidance, and based on a needs assessment that I conducted as a first year medical student, I developed Creating our Future, an after school tutoring and photography program for homeless children.
What was your residency experience like?
My residency experience at Children’s Hospital Oakland combined excellent pediatric training with many opportunities to work within the community. A fellow intern and I started CHO Smiles, a photography program for children with chronic illnesses. I also helped establish and worked with Kerry’s Kids, a health van for homeless families in the East Bay. Both of these experiences allowed me to remain involved in community outreach projects during my residency training.
What finally brought you to Stanford?
I came to Stanford to do a fellowship in General Pediatrics. I had many experiences working in community pediatrics and was interested in developing a research background. I was excited to come to Stanford as the Division of General Pediatrics has a strong emphasis on community-based research and advocacy.
What are you currently working on?
My research projects are SPORT and Family Advocacy Program. SPORT (Sports to Prevent Obesity Randomized Trial) is a comparison of after school team sports and health education for weight control in overweight 4 th and 5 th grade children in East Palo Alto. The Family Advocacy Program is a medical-legal collaboration to bring Legal Aid to low-income families to address non-medical barriers to child health, such as access to health insurance or substandard housing. We are evaluating this program to assess the legal needs of low-income families and whether addressing these needs improves child health. We are also in the planning stages of developing a multi-disciplinary course on medical-legal issues and child health.
Do you have any advice for pre-med students?
Pre-meds can often be focused on preparing for medical school and thus may choose classes or extra-curricular activities that seem applicable. Although it is of course very important to fulfill requirements, I encourage all undergraduates to also seek experiences that inspire them. These experiences are often the ones that may contribute the most to your career as a physician, or, perhaps, lead you along a path that you had not expected. I remember when I applied to medical school, thinking how fulfilling the four years between Dartmouth and medical school had been but I did not recognize at the time how much they would contribute to my future. During those years, I started a physical education and after school sports program for underserved children, worked with Lawyers for Human Rights, and coached soccer. Now, as a pediatrician, my main focuses are on community outreach projects – after school sports for overweight children and legal aid for low-income families. My previous experiences have in fact prepared me for my current endeavors.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
I look forward to continued work with underserved communities – balancing community outreach, research, teaching and patient care.
How has having children of your own changed your practice and perspective on pediatrics?
I now have a much greater appreciation of the absolutely awe-inspiring job of being a parent. Sarah and Jake constantly teach me how to be a better parent and pediatrician.
-- Interview by Nahid Yakuby
Posted: 8/23/05
