Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: You're listening to the Doc Lounge podcast. This is a place for candid conversations with the healthcare industry's top physicians, executives, and thought leaders.
This podcast is made possible by Pacific companies, your trusted advisor and physician recruitment.
[00:00:21] Speaker B: Welcome to the Doc Lounge podcast where we dive into the world of healthcare through the ISA providers. I'm your host, Stacey Doyle, senior director of marketing at Pacific Companies. Today we have the honor of speaking with Doctor GK Alewalia, a distinguished pediatrician and founder of the Kids Strong Medical Group, Inc. Doctor G. As she's also known as career started and was really marked by her dedication to pediatric care and a deep understanding of the impact of social media on children's health. Doctor G, thank you so much for joining us today. We're really excited to have you on. This is such a valuable topic for our listeners and our healthcare providers that are within the audience today. I'd love to just start out and learn a little bit about your career path, how you really went from academia to university settings and then really decided to specialize in pediatric nephrology.
[00:01:27] Speaker C: Hi, thank you so much for having me today, Stacy.
I began my training in residency and pediatrics at the University of Buffalo Women and Children's Hospital, after which I completed a fellowship in pediatric nephrology. Once I graduated, I moved to Kansas City and I was division head of pediatric nephrology there at KU Medical center.
Then again, I moved to California three years later and joined a medical group, and I practiced general pediatrics there for six years. Then I had a wonderful opportunity to go out on my own and have a solo practice in general pediatrics, also in California. And so I've been doing that since 2020.
[00:02:11] Speaker B: Wow. That's amazing. Well, it's nice to hear that progression.
What kind of needs you decide you wanted to get into pediatrics?
[00:02:22] Speaker C: I was always working with children when I held jobs through high school or college, and it was kind of a natural fit for me. I love working with children. They're very honest with you. It's very easy to take care of them. And so pediatrics, I already knew at the age of 13. That's what I wanted to do as far as nephrology. I had a wonderful opportunity in my hospital that I worked in in Buffalo with pediatric nephrology division.
The professors and the doctors were fantastic. I had a wonderful opportunity to be a fellow for them, and they had a dialysis unit. I learned about transplant. There was so much more to learn in nephrology that I hadn't had the experience to learn as a general pediatrician. And so the physiology and the science of nephrology was just fascinating to me.
Love that.
[00:03:18] Speaker B: And I know that, you know, obviously you had a career, obviously, as a pediatrician, and then you decided to open your own solo practice. And this really was right before COVID hit. So want to hear about that? Tell us more, really how, you know, COVID-19 impacted your practice and really how that impacted the care that you gave to your new young patients.
[00:03:44] Speaker C: Certainly I took over February 2020, and then COVID hit, so I was not expecting that whatsoever. First time owning my own practice and business, I wanted to keep it a personalized practice. And so what I did was include an ad technology. I changed the phone systems, I added a website. I also implemented telehealth. So that really helped us continue through COVID. My staff was absolutely wonderful. I continue to be a teaching physician, so I also had students helping me. And it was just a wonderful opportunity to figure out a different way to connect with my patients and continue their care. Patients and families were also frightened. And so telehealth was really, really important to utilize. In fact, after some of our telehealth appointments, I would then read the child a book. And, you know, it was a lot of fun because a lot of these families were home ridden. They weren't at school, they weren't working. And so it was kind of an opportunity to have a little fun with the families and with the children.
And so we survived through COVID, and we just kept going and offering care, and it worked out pretty well.
[00:04:59] Speaker B: It sounds like, I mean, kudos to you on being really ahead of the trends there in terms of technology.
And really, it sounds like you were well positioned. How did you come about even knowing some of those things in terms of setting up your practice? Obviously, before COVID hit. Just curious to learn more there.
[00:05:21] Speaker C: I had the benefit of coming from family where my in laws were in private practice for 30 plus years. And so I did take a lot of time in understanding and discussing with people who were already in private practice what was required. And on top of that, I had to pivot because of COVID So there was a lot of stuff we just, as a, as an office, learned as we went. And it's just kind of one day at a time and keeping focus and understanding what's the most important thing. And that was patient care. And with that in mind, we were able to continue and forge forward.
[00:06:00] Speaker B: Well, that is inspiring. And obviously, that was such a tough time for everybody. So, so happy to hear that, you know, your business was thriving then and that you were able to really, you know, get care to people when they needed it most. I know you said, obviously, you knew from a very young age that you wanted to be a pediatrician. For some of the people within our audience that are trying to figure out what their specialty should be, what they're looking into, give us a little bit of just insight there about your thoughts about becoming a pediatrician.
[00:06:38] Speaker C: I think as a medical student, we are fortunate in that we have to complete rotations in each and every realm of medicine, and that's extremely important because you may go into residency believing, I know what I'm going to do, and then your mind changes as you experience different rotations. So I would suggest to keep an open mind and then also to think about what you would actually want to do for the rest of your life. It's fun to do certain things for a couple weeks or a couple of months, but how would I really see myself in this specialty or in general practice, or in a university setting versus private, that's also important. How would I see myself in 10, 15, 20 years? And could I sustain the same type of enthusiasm I have right now? Because that's super important.
When I have in the past, interviewed medical students, one of the things I asked them, are you 120% sure this is what you want to do? Because there are times, even when you are 100% sure, that you, in fact, doubt you've made the right choice. So all of those things combined and keeping an open mind and understanding where you are in your life, in your goals, will help you decide which field or specialty of medicine is ultimately the best for you.
[00:08:03] Speaker B: I know you were first originally focused your specialty on pediatric nephrology, and then obviously, at a certain point, you changed and went the general pediatrician route. So give us a little background there and information on that decision.
[00:08:20] Speaker C: Absolutely. I loved my pediatric nephrology training, and I enjoyed being division head of pediatric nephrology in Kansas. However, when I moved to California, I also had become a mother, and I kind of wanted to go back to general pediatrics. I grew up in Canada, and in Canada, pediatrics is a specialty. And so I thought, wow, it's so important. Pediatrics is such a vital part of the healthcare system. And as a mother, I had so many different experiences going to the doctor myself that I felt the need to go back to general pediatrics and offer that to the community that I was in.
[00:09:01] Speaker B: Love. That one other question I had is, you know, being a mother and being obviously a woman business owner, I think you bring a unique lens to your practice and just you've talked a little bit about your availability to parents, but tell us a little bit more there and what your ethos is running your practice.
[00:09:24] Speaker C: Being a physician and being a mother are two entirely different entities.
However, I know how important it is for my families that are coming in families, whether they have other children at home that they need to tend to or they're working, parents are working. They still need access to the physician. And sometimes you just need that school note. And it's 06:00 p.m. At night. So those are the kind of things I completely understand as a mom, and I'm available to them and I'm able to do it while I'm being a mom at the same time. And so I've had occasions where it's 07:00 p.m. At night and somebody really needs that school note, so I'll run the telehealth. Hey, you know, if I'm in pajamas, they're fine with it. They understand that I'm being a mother as well, but we help each other out, and that is the thing, that parents and families see me as a physician, but they also know that I'm a mother, and that makes our relationship that much better.
[00:10:20] Speaker B: Well, that sounds like music to, I'm sure, many parents ears. That sounds incredible, but it really shows the emphasis that you put on your patients and total patience, care and really their well being, which I think is really amazing and something that, you know, at the doc lounge, we try to bring attention to all of the work that really, you know, pediatricians, family practice medicine, you know, providers really provide. And we know that there is a shortage, you know, on all fronts, particularly some of these specialties. So just, again, wanted to hear your thoughts on that and if you had any, you know, advice to residents.
[00:11:05] Speaker C: I feel that residents should understand that each specialty is important and has its importance. General medicine is extremely important. In fact, as a general practitioner, you have to be aware of every possible illness, every possible disease, because you are the first person to see it. It's a massive responsibility, and it's fascinating. And from a science standpoint, you get to be that detective to sort things out, to really figure out if there is something that requires a specialist. And so I wouldn't diminish any type of field or any potential field in medicine and just be open to it in your training and see really what you truly feel passionate about.
[00:11:51] Speaker B: Great advice for any residents out there listening. So thank you for sharing that. I want to shift a little bit of gears now to something that you're very passionate about. And that's really the effects of social media on children.
Want to learn more about? Obviously, this is a very pervasive channel where everybody from young kids to teenagers are on. So tell us a little bit more about the impact and any concerns that you have around this usage.
[00:12:27] Speaker C: What I'd like to discuss with parents is that handing your child social media, or access to social media via phone, that includes Internet, is like handing them all of the world's tv channels, all of the possible information out there. And in addition to that, handing your child to the world, and that usually has families think a second time about whether or not social media is appropriate for a child or access to unlimited Internet is appropriate for a child.
[00:13:07] Speaker B: I don't think that that could be better stated, and really, that's quite an impactful statement, but one that obviously resonates, I'm sure, with parents once they hear that, tell us a little bit about screen time and really kind of what that can do to children and to teenagers.
[00:13:31] Speaker C: I think the biggest issue with social media is the short bursts of information. So one of the things that I've definitely noticed in my practice is the effect on abilities of a child to focus almost like an acquired ADHD. And so all of a sudden, they are used to only having or receiving information in short bursts of time.
Secondly, they accept that information as fact. That's also an issue. So also misinformation for children and not learning perhaps correct details or even researching things online or on social media, as opposed to actually reading into a book or getting information from other sources. And then the last thing I would say the biggest risk, and we've seen this time and time again through the years, is the effect on self esteem.
We are seeing increasing rates of depression in children, in teenagers, and there is a correlation between the time spent on social media or phone and mental health. And so those two things, I would say, are the biggest concerns and the biggest talking points I have when I am seeing families in the office.
[00:14:50] Speaker B: Yeah, we've definitely heard a lot about what it can do from a mental health and well being standpoint. Obviously, you're on the front line, so you're seeing it every day. What are some of the specific guidelines or strategies that you typically recommend to parents to help them navigate this with their children safely?
[00:15:15] Speaker C: So one of the first points of conversation I will have with the family is, why do you need the phone? And oftentimes families will say, well, I need to get a hold of them. I'm working, or they have after school programs, or they have sports, or they're walking alone. And I completely understand that as a parent. So one of the things I offer or have them consider is a flip phone or a phone that doesn't have a screen per se and doesn't have access to Internet or social media. And usually families are pretty okay with that, with that option, and it allows them still access to their child. Or in case of emergency, a child can call somebody, but now they're not sitting there and just kind of perusing Internet or social media.
[00:15:59] Speaker B: Doctor G, are there specific guidelines in terms of amount of time that children should be spending on social media or screens?
[00:16:08] Speaker C: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no social media under the age of 16.
Beyond that, in terms of phone use, I would recommend that parents monitor the phones, understand what the children are looking at, and try to limit it to the weekends if possible, if they are using it for gaming or games. I try to discuss the weekdays as being a time for school and work and sports. And then on the weekends, when you have extra time, that's when you can game or utilize your phone for other things. The other thing I encourage parents to do is to ensure that their child is busy, whether it's playing outdoors or being involved in sports. Sports is one of my favorite pastimes for children. They learn so much, and they get to forge a lot of great relationships with teammates. We can encourage exercise, mental and physical health with sports.
[00:17:06] Speaker B: Sports, yeah, that sounds like a great way to kind of offset and counterbalance all of the, you know, the time that they're spending in front of their screens, potentially. So I think that's a great recommendation.
How do you know? I'm curious just how you see the role of pediatricians evolving in this digital age. You obviously were ahead of the curve. You had different digital things in place in your practice before all this happened. But just give me your thoughts on where you see things evolving.
[00:17:41] Speaker C: A pediatrician's role is to educate families and children. We see a lot of effects of the digital age in social media. And while technology is absolutely necessary, it should only be used as an accessory and not to take over other things that families and children can be doing. So a lot of this is going to be education, and a lot of this is going to be understanding the dynamics of that specific family. So it has to be a personalized approach for each family, what works for them and what works for their child. And at the same time, keeping tabs on the children's mental health and how they're doing in school as a whole. We can then tailor an approach for that family.
[00:18:24] Speaker B: Specifically, tell us what are some key takeaways or messages that you hope our listeners will gain from our discussion today?
[00:18:38] Speaker C: I would love for people to understand how important pediatric care is. We are taking care of children from zero to 21 and really trying to ensure that they have a healthy relationship with healthcare, a healthy relationship with their providers, so that once they graduate from us, they continue to become healthy adults and take care and understand how important their healthcare is and are able to have a great relationship with their provider in the future.
[00:19:07] Speaker B: Doctor G, I want to learn a little bit more about your practice, you know, kind of what your philosophies are and then anybody, you know, listening that may want to, you know, reach out and get in touch and have you be a pediatrician for them and their family. How can they do that?
[00:19:25] Speaker C: Absolutely. We are a small practice, a very cozy, homey practice. We provide personal care to your families and we watch your children grow up and help you with that. We also include incorporate technologies to make sure that our care is efficient. And we really just would love to be an extension of a family as a whole. And so that you understand that we understand your child, we understand what their healthcare needs are and how we can continue to help them and foster a healthy childhood.
[00:20:00] Speaker B: Love that. And how can our viewers get a hold of you or your staff to book appointments?
[00:20:09] Speaker C: So I will leave our information with you, Stacey, and I believe it will be available with you our office number. We also have a website, www.kidstrongmedicalgroup.com where you will find more information, how to contact us and there is a new patient contact form on there as well.
[00:20:27] Speaker B: Love it. Thank you so much Doctor G. This was super insightful and I'm sure our listeners gained some valuable insights into the world and impact of social media on children and teens and what they can do to really help negate some of those potential negative effects.
[00:20:46] Speaker C: Thank you so much, Stacey. It was lovely chatting with you.
Thank you.
[00:20:52] Speaker A: Thank you to all of our listeners. If you would like to be notified when new episodes air, make sure to hit that subscribe button.
Thank you to Pacific companies. Without you guys, this podcast would not be possible. If you would like to be a guest, please go to www.pacificcompanies.com.
[00:21:10] Speaker C: Thank you.
