Kristen Deschene, MD
I am very fortunate to have had two careers in my life,
teaching and pediatrics. I began teaching in high school as an academic tutor and piano instructor, continued tutoring while attending Dartmouth College,and then spent three years after college teaching high school English, Biology, and special education. I then went to medical school where, not surprisingly, I was drawn to specialize in pediatrics. Beyond loving working with children every day, I was struck by how much teaching is involved in being a pediatrician: teaching first time parents about their amazing newborn, teaching toddlers and school-aged children about their bodies and how to keep them healthy, teaching emerging adolescents about making good choices so that they continue to lead healthy and productive lives.
After medical school I moved to Boston to join my husband who had already begun dental school at Boston University. There I completed my residency in the Boston Combined Residency Program (Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center) where I had the opportunity to care for some of the most medically complex and socially diverse patients in the country. We had our first child in my last year of residency and he helped round out my pediatric education, teaching me so much about the practical side of caring for an infant, developing my parenting style, and all aspects of child development.
I loved my time in Boston but always knew that I wanted to raise my family somewhere away from the “big city” where there is a strong emphasis on community. I was thrilled when my husband matched into a pediatric dental residency in Holyoke and we decided to move to Northampton. This is my first time living in the area; however my husband is an alum of UMass Amherst and has enjoyed rediscovering all the Pioneer Valley has to offer. So far, I love strolling around Child’s park and Paradise Pond, window shopping downtown, and meeting lots of kids and families at the Lilly and Forbes libraries.
I could not be more excited to be joining such a caring, patient and family centered, fun group at NAP, and I am especially excited to get to meet the families of this community with whom I hope to learn, laugh, and grow every day!
Education and Training:
Residency: Boston Combined Residency Program (Boston, MA) 2016
Medical School: Doctor of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO) 2013
Undergraduate: Bachelor of Arts, Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH) 2006
Memberships:
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- American Medical Association
- Alpha Omega Alpha
Special Interests:
- Medical: care coordination and integration, nutrition, children and youth with special healthcare needs
- Non-medical: piano, ukulele, hiking, canoeing, playing with my son and dog
