Megan Brusca, MD

My special interests within the field of pediatrics include behavioral health, breastfeeding, evidence-based parenting, and early childhood development. As a parent to two young children myself, I know how important it is to have a pediatrician who you trust and who listens to you. A good pediatrician should be a champion not only for a child’s physical health but also for his or her emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial development. With that in mind, these are a few of the guiding principles for my practice:

• Respectful parenting – This evidence-based childrearing philosophy is built around the premise that children are whole people who are inherently deserving of respect. Although it seems simple, this approach is not always easy or intuitive, especially for caregivers who were not raised this way. Respectful parenting is NOT the same as permissive parenting! Children depend on adults to set and maintain firm boundaries so that they can feel secure as they grow and explore; the key is being able to hold those boundaries with love and empathy rather than fear or shame. As a pediatrician I am passionate about giving parents the tools, encouragement, and developmental framework they need to build strong, mutually respectful relationships with their children.

• Transparent, collaborative decision-making – When I am faced with a clinical problem, I like to talk through my thought process out loud with families. This helps the family understand what options are on the table and why each one is being considered, and it helps me ensure that whatever decision we arrive at is a good fit for that particular family’s circumstances.

• Medicine as a team sport – It’s impossible for one doctor to know everything, especially in a broad and rapidly evolving specialty like general pediatrics. For this reason, I never hesitate to ask for outside input when I’m not 100% sure about the best way to manage a clinical problem. Whether this means calling a subspecialist at an outside hospital or grabbing one of my amazing pediatrician colleagues from down the hall, my priority is always to provide the best possible care for my patient using whatever resources are available to me.

• Importance of preventive healthcare – I strongly believe that exercise, nutrition, and a nurturing environment are the greatest tools we have for supporting our children’s long term health. I also strongly believe that vaccines are a safe and effective way to help our children’s immune systems develop natural defenses against specific diseases and their complications. As a mother I understand many of the fears driving vaccine hesitancy, and I am always happy to sit down and talk through those fears with families.