The Physician Spotlight is an interview series highlighting prominent members of the Doximity network. Each interview sheds light on the unique challenges physicians face in medicine today and how Doximity’s tools and technology are helping doctors solve these issues. This week, we interviewed Kara Lewis, MD FAAN, FAHS Child Neurology in Phoenix, AZ.
Q: How did you originally find out about Doximity and why did you decide to become a member?
A: I had been introduced to the Doximity app through our residency program for child neurology. Many program directors suggest residents use the app to keep everyone up to date with what’s happening in our field. When I first signed up as a member, I started using it to stay connected with some of the doctors I went to medical school with. It’s a great way to keep in touch!
Q: How else do you use Doximity?
A: I also use the app to collaborate on patient care with providers outside of Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Before Doximity, it was very challenging to communicate securely and efficiently with physicians from other health systems. Now, I just open the app on my phone, look up the name of the specialist, and send them a secure message.
Q: Why did you decide to pursue a career in medicine, specifically child neurology?
A: I knew I wanted to pursue a career in medicine pretty early on, at least by college. I was really interested in medicine and at that point, I had a good amount of job shadow experiences with physicians to know this was something I really wanted to do. But, it wasn’t until I started medical school that I knew I wanted to specialize in pediatrics. I love taking care of children. They are remarkably resilient and are a joy to be around. They really lighten up my day. I also enjoy getting to experience the family dynamic with my patients.
While I was in medical school, I discovered neurology. It’s like being given a puzzle to solve, only much more intricate. You need to learn how the brain operates and why it does what it does. Child neurology was a subspecialty that brought these two interests together that seemed perfect for me.
Q: What are some of your biggest challenges day-to-day as a child neurologist?
A: The biggest challenge for me is finding enough time to see my patients, talk to their families, and then document all of it. We have a lot of issues with documentation and making sure everything is reported and accurate. It’s very time-consuming. I always tell my families that when I’m in the room with them, I love that part of my job. But when I have to go back to my office and process all of the paperwork and make sure it’s inputted into the system– that’s more of a challenge.
Q: You are an active writer on Doximity’s Opmed. What do you like about writing and reading articles from your colleagues?
A: I like continuing to learn more about my specialty and Doximity has helped me do that. I’ve been able to read articles that specifically relate to what I do in child neurology, headache medicine, fetal neurology, or some of the areas of interest of general resident education. We always talk about medicine as being the “practice” of medicine and I feel that I always need to be learning more, read more, and find out what’s out there.
Q: Can you share some more details about your work advocating for women in medicine?
A: I have definitely felt that my role as a program director in medicine has been important to women in medicine. I think that there are still disparities in the level of women who are in medicine. It’s getting better. There are a lot of medical schools now who are 50 percent female or greater, and that has been a lovely thing to see.
Neurology, specifically, has not reached those numbers yet. And so, I definitely try to be a big advocate for promoting diversity in medicine, whether that’s meaning more women, more physicians of color, more physicians with diverse backgrounds, etc. It’s very important to me to provide anyone who has an interest in medicine with the opportunity to learn and practice what we do.