As a pediatric anesthesiologist, Dr Gambrell has worked with many amazing young children over the years. Some of these children have been very sick, while most were considered “normal” by the conventional medical community. It is her job to evaluate the health of each child to see if they were healthy enough to receive an anesthetic or undergo surgery.
Over the years she began to notice how many of these “normal” children were actually quite sick. She began to wonder why and asking more questions of the parents; probing deeper into their medical history, including details surrounding their birthing process as well as how their pregnancies went. She also asked the parents about their own health and well-being.
In this personal academic journey, she discovered many children are experiencing what she describes as “unpredictable immune systems,” causing all kinds of problems from asthma and ADHD, to food sensitivities and near-constant colds from October until May each year. As she dug deeper she found some fascinating associations with a child’s immune system dysfunction and some behavioral issues. She also noticed that children who had dark circles under their eyes did not always tolerate an anesthetic as well as those bright-eyed children. Yet, there was nothing “in the chart” to explain these differences. Determined to find answers for these families, She kept digging.
Since that time many years ago, she has worked tirelessly to understand how child development is directly related to immune health and as an advocate for families. She has noticed how many children were seen by their primary care providers, but their “subclinical” issues (health related problems that conventional medicine cannot detect) were never addressed – much less any of their emotional needs or issues. This is why she decided to open up a private osteopathic practice where she takes care of these children as a functional pediatric specialist, a MAPS provider, an anthroposophic physician and a biodynamic osteopath
She completed osteopathic medical school at KCUMB, an anesthesia residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and a fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Dr. Gambrell is triple-board certified in Anesthesia, Pediatric Anesthesia, and Integrative Medicine.