<span itemprop="author">Alexander Rakowsky, MD

Author's posts

The art of pediatrics: Connecting through observation

On my first day of inpatient rounds during intern year, I was taken aback when the attending stated, “Let’s stop outside the room and just spend a few moments watching the child and mom.” I started my residency on my community rotatio…

Lessons taught by Bell’s palsy

Recently, after a week of a viral illness that I most likely picked up from one of my patients as a pediatrician, I noticed that one side of my tongue felt as though I had dental anesthesia. During the day, this slowly progressed, but as night came, th…

A pediatrician’s memorable experience with a patient with Down syndrome

Recently, two of my most beloved teachers came to our continuity clinic as Mrs. Melendez brought in her daughter, Maria, for her annual physical (not real names). I have known the Melendez family for nearly the entire 18+ years I have been at this clin…

The surprising power of Play-Doh in pediatric care: How it’s bringing families together

The power of Play-Doh. This sounds like such an ironic phrase considering the malleability of this childhood favorite. Between several personal trips to the local store, our clinic buying several boxes, and getting donations from one of our amazing thi…

The power of personal stories in vaccination awareness

“How was your Thanksgiving?” This may seem like an odd question to ask at the end of January, but I had not seen Ahmed (not real name) and his mother since his last infant well visit in late October. This family moved to central Ohio about …

The power of personal stories in vaccination awareness

“How was your Thanksgiving?” This may seem like an odd question to ask at the end of January, but I had not seen Ahmed (not real name) and his mother since his last infant well visit in late October. This family moved to central Ohio about …

Advice from a pediatrician during the viral surge

As is the case throughout the country, central Ohio is in the midst of a viral surge with an unusually high number of ill children for this time of the year, leading to long delays in our urgent cares and emergency departments, in our primary care offi…