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was the field that I would pursue," she
says. "I remember how satisfying it was
as a medical student to learn about
gastrointestinal disorders and calculate
nutritional requirements for a child
who was admitted to the hospital for
`failure to thrive.' Childhood is the
opportunity for amazing physical and
neurodevelopmental growth, so it is
very satisfying to identify and treat
underlying gastrointestinal conditions
that will allow children to reach their
full potential."
Many chronic pediatric GI condi-
tions, including inflammatory bowel
disease, celiac disease, and eosinophilic
esophagitis, require continued moni-
toring and treatment throughout
childhood. "Their conditions require
diligence and continuity to ensure not
only that the children's symptoms im-
prove and they feel better, but also
that they continue to grow and develop
appropriately during and after treat-
ment," says Dr. Jimenez. For a pedi-
atric gastroenterologist, she adds, part
of the satisfaction of providing pedi-
atric care is helping the patient make
the transition to ongoing care as an
adult.
Dr. Jimenez's specialty requires suc-
cessful team collaboration and leader-
ship, strengths she put to excellent
work as a medical student. In addition
to cofounding and codirecting the
Promise Clinic with Manuel Jimenez,
she was student director of HIPHOP
in her second year. Both programs
were an excellent way to get to know
the community, she says. "We also
worked with great people like Dr.
Levin and Susan Giordano, who care
so much about the underserved," adds
Dr. Jimenez, recalling Steven J. Levin,
MD, associate professor of family
Robert Wood Johnson
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