After graduate training in tropical medicine and infectious disease, I realized that I am most fascinated by the inner workings of people’s minds, and how we interact with and are impacted by our relationships and our environment. This led me to Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, and to Maine. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to start the Developmental-Behavioral Pediatric program at Maine Medical Center in 2000. It is a great privilege to work together with children and teens with developmental/behavioral concerns and their families (and teachers and community providers) to help them to have the best opportunities for happiness and independence. My academic interests include physical activity for people with disabilities and its effect on learning, development and health; environmental factors in developmental disabilities; and the impact of diagnostic labels. On the side I work to further environmental sustainability and conservation. In my free time I enjoy running, gardening, painting, traveling, hiking tall mountains, and Nordic skiing with my family and our dog.