Leslie Mayer Spiegel, MD

Toy Story is my favorite animated movie. I love the nostalgia of the simple toys and the pretend play, and I am mesmerized by the bitter-sweet growing up story.

My favorite childhood books are the Fancy Nancy series and a wonderful book called "Randy Riley's Really Big Hit." These books both show how wonderful it is when kids feel comfortable being their own great selves.

I loved to play with any doll with long hair. My favorite thing to do was to braid hair or play with different hair styles. If a friend would ever let me play with their hair, that was my favorite!

My greatest inspiration comes from my pediatric residency director. He has been at the forefront of global health- training students and residents to give back to rural communities in Africa and South America, and he has been instrumental in providing medical care to communities that otherwise would not have access to this care. I aspire to do this type of work one day.

My favorite activities include spending time with my family, hiking, and running. I love to be outdoors. I have started to run Half Marathons over the last few years. I ran 4 this last year and plan to run 5 in this upcoming year. Running gives me a chance to de-stress, clear my head, and enjoy being outside.

I love working with children, and, when rotating through different specialties in medical school, I always knew that I wanted to practice pediatrics.
I am passionate about improving the lives of children and families and being a trusted resource for my patients. The best part of being a pediatrician is to watch my patients grow from infancy off to college, to have patients come back to me with their own children, and to know that the families that I care for know that I will help them navigate any challenges that occur.

Being asked to be a family's pediatrician is an honor and a privilege that I take very seriously. I will always make sure to treat a patient as I would want a physician to treat my own child. I make myself available for any and all questions, I try my best to spend enough time with a family, answering all questions and addressing all concerns. Building relationships with families is the most rewarding part of this profession, and I value every opportunity to be involved in the care of my patients.

We have many patients in our practice with special needs. This varies from physical disability to autism to learning and developmental issues or severe global disabilities. Every patient is unique, and I make sure that I spend time with these families, understanding the needs they have for their children, making sure they have the resources needed in terms of specialists who should be involved in their care, and making sure that they feel supported while navigating what can be a difficult and unexpected road.