March 29, 2021
As we welcome spring and sunny skies, Oregon bids farewell to Dr. Kylie Seeley, OPS Board member and March 2021 MD/MPH graduate of the OHSU School of Medicine. Dr. Seeley matched with Stanford for her pediatric residency and soon she will move to California. Kylie looks forward to being near her family once again, and she will also miss the home she has built in Oregon. We asked Dr. Seeley to reflect on her time as a medical student and her experience working with the American Academy of Pediatrics, both at the chapter and national levels.
With two physician parents, Kylie was determined to be anything but a doctor. She studied Environmental Science at University of Oregon where she realized that medicine was the only career she could imagine doing. After exploring several medical specialties, Dr. Seeley decided to work with children, where her heart has always been, because “few other specialties encapsulate the importance of community health, preventive care, and education as pediatrics does.”
Kylie shared two fond memories from her OPS experience. Her first academic conference as a medical student was the 2018 OPS annual conference, which she attended with her mother, who is also a pediatrician. The next memorable event was in 2019 – OPS’s first Advocacy Day in Salem – where she met with legislative representatives, along with OPS members Dr. Alanna Braun and Dr. Lauren Herbert, despite a massive snowstorm.
While a medical student, Kylie was appointed to the AAP’s Section on Pediatric Trainees (SOPT). She says that she first felt she could be a leader in the field of pediatrics when she attended the AAP’s Long-Range Planning Meeting as a SOPT Executive Committee member. Dr. Seeley appreciates the opportunities she has been given through her work with both the AAP and Oregon Pediatric Society. As she says, “In taking an active role, I gradually realized the weight my opinions can carry, and I have become more confident in my ability to engage with and advocate for patients.”
We wish Dr. Seeley well in this next phase of her pediatric career and thank her for her service to Oregon’s children and serving two and a half years on the OPS board of directors.
3/29/21
