Every year Hour Detroit publishes a list of the Top Doctors in metro Detroit. This year’s list contains more than 1000 physicians in 94 specialties — all nominated by their peers. With so many doctors at our fingertips we’d be remiss not to share some of their insights with you. Below is one of the eight interviews with a 2025 Top Doctor.
More Hour Detroit Top Doc Profiles
Amanda Kupstas, M.D. on Breast Health
Yusuke Terasaki, M.D. on Heart Health
Megan Pesch, M.D. on Pediatric Viruses
Dana Zakalik, M.D. on Gene Editing
Jeffrey Zonder, M.D. on Myeloma and Amyloidosis
Monique Swain, M.D. on Fertility Preservation for Breast Cancer Patients
Mohammed Najeeb Al Hallak, M.D. on Pancreatic Cancer Treatments
How can a parent or guardian best support a child who is about to undergo surgery? What can put them at ease?
It starts in clinic when we first meet the child, to allow the child to engage in the conversation and to ask questions. We offer the parents Child Life Services, where we explain the surgery with the children in their own terms. They role-play with them so they can understand what is happening, not just dismissing the child because they are a child. A child should feel empowered to ask questions about what is going to happen to them, how are we going to help them, what they are going to feel, how they are going to recover and get back to their sports, get back to their school — the questions children think about. That’s something parents should insist on when they discuss a surgery or procedure — to give their child a voice.
What is something you wish more people understood about your profession?
Many people ask, “What is it exactly that you do?” We take care of patients of all ages and disease processes, [working] alongside many other specialties to help them do their job, too. Some examples: A cancer doctor can’t provide chemo without us doing the cancer surgery first or putting in the port. A nephrologist cannot provide dialysis until we provide the patient with dialysis access. We also help the neonatologists with babies with respiratory failure by putting them on ECMO [extracorporeal membrane oxygenation] as they regain lung function. We play a very integral role with all the other surgical and medical specialties systemwide to take care of our patients.
This story originally appeared in the October 2025 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
|
|
|
|
|
|
