What We are Thankful For This Thanksgiving

Pediatric Consultants wishes all of you and your families a very happy Thanksgiving today! We hope you have a wonderful day and weekend spending time with your family and good friends. We thought we should share some things some of our doctors, nurses, and staff are thankful for today and this holiday season.

Dr. Kip Frizzell
"I am thankful for the good health of all of my close family members. Really, everything else on this list is not as important. I am thankful that my grandchildren live close by. I am, without a doubt, the luckiest person in the world. I am thankful to have a job that I enjoy every day and for my staff who help make it possible and I am thankful for all of the families who trust me with the medical care of their children."

Dr. Dawn Scott
"This year, as always , I am so grateful to have been blessed with two beautiful, healthy, clever children.  I have been particularly thankful this year  that our parents are healthy and have been able to travel so much to spend time with the grand kids."

Dr. Ann Lankford
"It's hard to put into a couple of sentences all that I'm thankful for but here are just a few things.  I am so thankful for my family. I'm thankful for my husband and his unconditional love.  I'm thankful for my three precious children who are my best teachers--about life and about pediatrics.  I'm thankful for 5 years of working at Pediatric Consultants and honored to be working with colleagues whose opinion I respect and trust."

Dr. Chris Mathis
"The thing I enjoy most about working with Pediatric Consultants is the sense of family, I feel like everybody there has my back. The thing I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving is that Dr Pendergrass is on call!! But VSS and I will help."

Dr. Blake Bergeron

"I am thankful for so much, but especially for God's blessings that come through my loving family and friend. To know you are loved and supported is a wonderful blessing. I love our PC team because I feel that we are an extension of each patients' family.  We get to see our children grow from newborn babies through young adulthood, and I love being a small part of that journey each and every day!  It is no small compliment to be trusted with the care of someones most loved person."

Meg Nickell

"I'm thankful for friends and family, and for my wonderful coworkers I consider family!  Working at PC is the best because I get to watch all of the children grow and succeed."

Cassandra Dyer
"I am thankful for my friends and family. What I love most about my job is getting to watch the kids grow. It's like being part of their extended family. We get to watch them grow up."

Lisa Tronsor
"I'm thankful for good health and the good health of my family and friends. One of the special things about Pediatric Consultants is our leadership. Our doctors set such a great example for us each and every day. It's GREAT to work for and with such wonderful friends. Every employee fills a certain niche and are much appreciated both within our practice and in the communities we are so fortunate to serve."

Stephanie Smith
"I am thankful for life. God has blessed my family and I to wake up every morning with a roof over our head, food on our table and clothes on our back and laughter in our belly and a mouth to praise him each and every day.  What I enjoy most about working with Pediatric Consultants is that when I come to work I feel like I never left home. 'Home is where the Heart is.' Being at work is like my second home.  When my home flooded earlier this year, my coworkers, the doctors and my supervisor all helped my family and blessed us with gifts, prayers, and kind words."

Maryellen Morgan
"I am thankful for good health, blessing, and guidance for my family and others. As a Pediatric Consultants associate, we work as a team to serve our patients better with care and understanding and that's what I love most: UNITY."

Terri Hardeman
"I'm very grateful for my family, my friends and my freedom. I have the best job in the world; I consider my colleagues at Pediatric Consultants 'family.' Our patients are wonderful and our docs and staff are the absolute best. Thanks for a wonderful 12 years, Pediatric Consultants, and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!"

Dr. Best is the Best Volunteer!

 Dr. Jara Best is not only a fabulous pediatrician at Pediatric Consultants. She's also a great citizen and one of Memphis's top volunteers! She has received Volunteer Mid-South’s Spirit of Giving award for Adult Volunteer of the Year for her work with The Exchange Club Family Center. Dr. Best is a member of the center’s board and has served as a volunteer with the facility’s domestic violence programs for children and women, as well as the First STEPS (Skills to Ensure Parenting Success) program.

Dr. Best was recently profiled in the Memphis Daily News. She shared a little bit about her personal life, what makes volunteering at the Exchange Club so meaningful, and her favorite sports team! 

Best Honored for Exchange Club Family Center Work  

by Kate Simone 

Education and work experience: Graduated from Millington Central High School and Tennessee State University in Nashville. Completed medical school and residency at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. I have been with Pediatric Consultants P.C. since 2004.
Family: Husband, Kent Jones; and sons Aaron, age 14, Cameron, age 10, and Logan, age 6.
Favorite quote: “Do not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest if you do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9
Favorite movie: “The Help”
The sports team you root for: Memphis Grizzlies (We’ve been season ticket holders since Season 1). Go Grizz!!
What’s playing on your stereo right now? – John Legend, Beyonce and Maroon 5
Activities you enjoy outside of work: I love spending time with my family and friends, traveling and volunteering at The Exchange Club Family Center.
What talent do you wish you had? I wish I could draw and paint. My father and all of his sisters are amazing artists, and I love looking at their artwork.
Who has had the greatest influence on you and why? My mother. After 46 years of nursing, she finally retired two years ago and still volunteers weekly at a homeless shelter here in Memphis.
How did you become involved with The Exchange Club Family Center? A close friend of mine was a victim of domestic violence, and she received services through The Exchange Club Family Center. While helping her through this difficult period, I was able to witness firsthand the awesome work being done at The Exchange Club Family Center for families affected by domestic violence as well as for teenage mothers and their children. I began volunteering at the center soon after that experience.
How has your medical training assisted your volunteer work? My medical training has taught me how to communicate with children of all ages as well as their parents.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment? My greatest accomplishments are my three healthy, handsome and happy sons.
What do you most enjoy about your work with the Family Center? I enjoy helping the women in the Women’s Domestic Violence support group and the teenage mothers and their children in the First STEPS program successfully navigate through difficult and often scary life circumstances.
If you could give one piece of advice to young people, what would it be? Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.

Iron Doctor

Please join us in congratulating Pediatrics Consultants' own Dr. Chris Mathis on recently finishing the IRON MAN race in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico! The Iron Man is a grueling competition that combines incredibly long distances in swimming, biking, and running. It is viewed as the the ultimate athletic endurance competition in the world.

Just how far are the three components of the Iron Man? A 2.5-mile swim along the azure blue waters of the Sea of Cortes kicked off the Iron Man for Dr. Mathis, which was immediately followed by a 112-mile bike ride. Finally, the athletes have to run the marathon distance run of 26.2 miles between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, a feat of athletic endurance in and of itself.

To give some perspective on the astonishing length of the Iron Man, here are a few things to think about. The total distance for the competition is about 140 miles. That is the distance between Memphis and Little Rock, Arkansas! The running portion alone would be the equivalent of running from the Mississippi river all the way to our Pediatric Consultants office in Collierville!

Dr. Mathis completed the Iron Man in 14 hours and 58 minutes, all in the blazing heat of the Mexican sun. To combat the intense rays, he wore long sleeves and high SPF sun screen. Locals along the way referred to him as "the ghost" because of his white sunscreen appearance, but it was important to keep his skin well-protected!

Joining Dr. Mathis in the Iron Man Competition and in training was fourth-year medical student, Cayce Nawaf. Cayce created the University of Tennessee College of Medicine's 5K Race last year to raise money for scholarships for the medical school. The second annual installment of the Medicine in May 5K race will take place on May 18 at 8:30am at Health Sciences Park (formerly Forrest Park) and will include music from the midtown band The Vintones.

Dr. Mathis hopes that his achievements in the Iron Man will serve as a reminder for the importance of exercise in our lives, and also, the importance of wearing sunscreen. The next time you see Dr. Mathis at the office, make sure to give the Iron Man a high five!

Checking up with Dr. Frizzell about the Flu Vaccine

Dr. Kip Frizzell

You know all of that stuff you’re seeing on TV about how bad the flu is this year? It’s mostly true. Influenza is more widespread than I have seen in years. If there is any good news, it's that most of the patients are getting well reasonably quickly without any serious complications. 

On television recently, I heard Dr. Nancy Snyderman say, in regard to the flu vaccine, that the CDC “nailed it.” I think this is mostly true, too. However, some of the patients we have seen with influenza actually had the vaccine. In any event, it may not offer 100% protection for everyone who takes it, but it is still the best protection we have to prevent flu outbreaks. The vaccine prevents most influenza and likely makes the virus less serious for those who get it. 

In case you haven’t heard, it’s important to cover your cough, wash your hands, and don’t go to work or school when you’re sick.  These measures will, of course, make a huge difference, but this year you will most likely come in contact with someone who has the flu, so the vaccine is your best protection!