Amanda Wilde (Host): One on One with Regional One Health is your inside look at how we're building healthier tomorrows for our patients and our community. Join us for expert insight that empowers you to achieve a lifetime of better health.

I'm Amanda Wilde, and my guest today is Dr. Yemisi Emereuwaonu, or Dr. Yemi to her patients. She's a pediatrician at Regional One Health who sees patients from newborns to 18-year-olds at Hollywood Primary Care. Dr. Yemi, welcome to the podcast.

Dr Yemisi Emereuwaonu: Thank you, Miss Amanda. It's a pleasure to be here.

Host: Well, let's start from what motivated you to become a doctor and then specifically to care for children as a pediatrician.

Dr Yemisi Emereuwaonu: Well, motivation, of course, started back at home definitely when I was much younger. From my name, you can tell that I grew up in Africa, specifically the Western part, and that's Nigeria. And for me, I have a younger brother who felt ill a little frequently and my mom was a nurse and I have a few cousins, just a few that were in the medical field, so that piqued my interest. And going to the hospital, there was just a little bit of excitement there. And just from childhood, I always wanted to be a doctor for whatever reason. And my parents supported that, they encouraged that.

And as far as pediatric goes, when I came to the United States, did my USMLE boards, pediatrics was one thing that I had the passion for, with the need to help people, especially children, building a very strong foundation of health for children. So in a nutshell, I think that that's it. You know, the intrigue when I was growing up and the need to be a part of a child's well-being as far as on the health side.

Host: And really to be able to make an impact on that. It takes a special person to work with children, and you're in a unique position to see your patients grow from babies to young adults. What is that like?

Dr Yemisi Emereuwaonu: Very interesting, very exciting. I love it. I'll confess something to you though. When I first left residency, I did emergency room for a long while. And the reason was because at the time, the continuity for me I felt would be a little boring, just seeing them over and over. But coming back to continuity medicine, pediatrics, ambulatory pediatrics, it is so exciting, Amanda.

And the exciting part for me is, you know, you see them today, they come again periodically every time, and you literally watch them grow. You see the changes and it's so rewarding. And you are part of that little caucus of their family, that little part when it comes to their health, because you get familiar with them, you do things and you see results, very palpable results. You send them to the ER, they come back, you see palpable results, you talk with the parents, you're watching them grow. It's super, super exciting. And it's no longer boring, I can tell you that.

Host: ER is quite a contrast because you do just see someone for a moment and not for a growing up or a lifetime. And as a pediatrician, you interact with both your patients and their caregivers. How do you navigate those relationships just to make sure everyone is feeling involved and supported?

Dr Yemisi Emereuwaonu: Well, I would say two things, wisdom and patience. And with the wisdom comes the ability to listen and be convinced that it's not just the child I'm seeing, it's the parent as well, it's the entire family. And a parent, you know, dad or mom, they walk in and they want to see someone that listens. And so, the listening is also under that wisdom and letting them realize, "You know what? I'm seeing your child, but it's you and I together because this is your child. You know way more about him than I do, but I'm going to rely on you as mom or dad to tell me what I need to know and how you need me to help." And in reciprocating, they see that trust and they're able to talk, no holds barred. And they trust and they say, "Okay, Dr. Yemi. If you say so," and they can be open to ask questions because they also want to know. A kid at two months old is way different from a child at three years old. So, the trust you build, the wisdom to listen, to advise and that builds a relationship down the line for you.

Host: Doctor, if you could give one piece of advice to parents and one piece of advice to kids, what would those two pieces of advice be? What would you tell parents first?

Dr Yemisi Emereuwaonu: To the kids, I would say listen to your parents, especially the teenagers, when it comes to their health. Because more often than not, the parents are telling the kids the same thing as far as their health, to eat right, to go outside, to drop the phone, not be on TikTok so much. And I basically said the same thing and they tend to listen to me and I say, "You know what? You listen to your parents and stay healthy, eat the right stuff." It's really basic health stuff.

As far as the parents, what I say to them is, "Ask me a question. Ask me whatever you need for me to explain to you, so you can understand what we are talking about." Because at the end of every encounter with a parent and a child, I need for them to leave understanding what we've talked about and understanding what they're going to do with the child with respect to the visit. So, I always tell them, "Okay, ask me whatever question." You can always check Dr. Google, that's fine. But when you check Dr. Google, come ask Dr. Yemi, "Do you think this is okay for my child?" I think that's the first thing that comes to my mind, every encounter, you know, "Ask me a question." I tell the children, "You got to listen to your mom, you got to listen to your dad."

Now, of course, for the younger kids, what I tell them is just be children as long as they can be children, okay? And being children is enjoy to play around, eat well, have fun. And that's what I tell the younger kids, the five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 years old, I tell them that.

Host: Yeah. And help build a secure-feeling life. What do you enjoy most about your job? What gets you out of bed in the morning?

Dr Yemisi Emereuwaonu: What gets me out of bed in the mornings when I think about my job is the slate I have for the morning, for the day. And I'll tell you this, if I had to pick between the younger kids and the older kids, I'll pick the younger kids because what makes me look forward to the day is I can be goofy with the younger kids. We can play around. I can bring them to my office and they can check out a book because I have a shelf of books here, or we can just dance in the hall, we can sing happy birthday. That is a really exciting time for me.

With the teenagers, it's having to give them some advice and them wondering, like, "She's not my mom." So, a lot of things, I just love teens. it's the one profession where you can be goofy, where you can put on a hat and look funny and where you can dance and where you can sing happy birthday, and give stickers, you know.

Host: You are absolutely in the right profession with your expertise and that goofy side. Now, what do you enjoy outside of work? What other hobbies or interests do you have?

Dr Yemisi Emereuwaonu: So, I have a pretty busy day typically outside of work. I'll tell you this, I love exploring new desserts. Keep in mind, I didn't say foods because I like to cook, but sometimes it gets tiring. But I like to try out new desserts. I'm a very mocktail person. I don't do cocktails, okay? And I like to travel if I have the time, with the kids, with my husband, so, traveling. I love to read when I get a chance.

Host: What's the latest new dessert you've tried?

Dr Yemisi Emereuwaonu: Let's see, the latest, it's been a while. Okay. So, I made this oreo chocolate coconut truffles.

Host: Wow.

Dr Yemisi Emereuwaonu: Yeah. Of course, it's not original to me, but I just added a little tinge to the truffle thing. I added coconuts for mine and I make them myself. And then, what other new dessert did I try? It's a grape salad. But I use cream cheese and sour cream, it's so not healthy, and brown sugar. And I just glaze it over with pecans.

Host: Well, it's good you don't have these desserts too often.

Dr Yemisi Emereuwaonu: Oh no, Amanda. Actually, I think it's once in a year.

Host: Oh, really?

Dr Yemisi Emereuwaonu: Yeah, especially the grape salad thing. Yeah, that's once in a year, girl. Yeah, it's not all the time.

Host: That's extremely balanced. Well, speaking of treats, it's been a great treat to get to know you and your background and how you operate as a physician. Thank you, Dr. Yemi.

Dr Yemisi Emereuwaonu: Thank you. You're welcome. And thank you for the opportunity.

Host: Dr. Yemi sees patients at Hollywood Primary Care. For an appointment, call 901-515-5500. Thanks for making One on One with Regional One Health part of your journey to better health. Join us next time as we cover another topic to keep you on the path to a healthier tomorrow.