The AAMC recently sat down with Dr. R.J. to learn more about his work. Dr. R.J. is a physician scientist and triple board resident pediatrician, adult psychiatrist, and child and adolescent psychiatrist at Indiana University. Learn more about Dr. R.J. and his work below.
Can you give a description of your work?
My day-to-day work involves treating people’s mental health disorders and general issues for kids and adolescents on the pediatrics side.
What attracted you to pediatrics, adult psychiatry, and child and adolescent psychiatry?
It was a combination of things. I have two girls, and I wanted to be a better dad for them. That played a huge role. I felt like gaining this expertise guaranteed me a better understanding of what they were going through. I’m also a U.S. Navy veteran. Suicide is a big issue for veterans who come back from deployment. So, being able to tap into what those veterans are dealing with is personally important to me. And regarding children’s mental health, there are not very many of me in the world. The younger version of me would have never had access to me — someone who really understands what they’re going through and can help them understand their place in the world. I want to be that for kids, particularly incarcerated kids, who often look like me.
What previous experiences have helped you most in your career?
Being in the military played a huge role in who I am. When you’re in the military, you travel the world and interact with so many different types of people. Being in the military has helped me gain profound emotional intelligence, learn how to work in high pressure environments, and made me a multifaceted individual who can communicate with anyone. Both pediatrics and psychiatry are so dependent on the ability to connect and communicate. It’s about understanding other people’s experience and helping them get through it.
What’s one thing you wish somebody would’ve told you before going into pediatrics and psychiatry?
That it would be so much fun. This is the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. If you can address the mental health of a child, you can reset their future. They have so much ahead of them and helping them address their mental health issue is incredibly rewarding. Most recently, I’ve started doing culturally sensitive therapy with incarcerated boys in Columbus, Ohio. The transformation for these kids is profound. The judges have asked me how I got them to think and behave differently. I told them, “I’m walking in my calling.” It doesn’t feel like work. It feels like I’ve landed in my place, and it feels good to be here.
Can you share a case you found especially rewarding?
I worked a case with a boy who was around 10 months old. He stayed in an inpatient pediatric unit for seizures for about a week, and I took care of him during that time. By the end of it, my team confirmed his seizures and diagnosed him with cerebral palsy. Meanwhile, his mother was struggling with an identity issue. She was equating her worth as a parent with her child being “perfect.” She asked me to be his pediatrician, and I saw them regularly over the next six months. I started to think that those meetings were mostly for someone to listen to what the mom had going on. Eventually, that mom started telling everyone at the clinic that she would only come in if I was there. I share that to say, the mom’s mental health is in a much better place, and the child is doing well. When I think about being a triple board resident, this is exactly what I imagined it would be like. I wouldn’t just take care of children, but the whole family.
How would you describe someone who would excel as a pediatrician and child and adolescent psychiatrist?
You need to be someone who’s humble enough to learn. There’s an assumed arrogance associated with physicians. That won’t work when you work with children. Parents know their kids better than anyone, and you must learn from them. You can’t wear your accomplishments on your sleeves so much that you can’t hear what parents are trying to communicate to you.
And you have to be ever evolving. This is not a field that is useful for people who intend to be stagnant. Children experience the world differently than we do. They have access to so many things. We have to be ever evolving in how we treat them and not stuck on antiquated models of how to approach issues that don’t work for an ever evolving world.
Are there any resources that focus on child and adolescent psychiatry that our audience should be aware of?
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is a great resource for people who are interested in child psychiatry and parents who want to better understand their children’s mental health. Two of my favorite child psychiatrists on social media are Dr. Willough Jenkins and Dr. Kali Hobson.
Can you share how you’ve found mentors throughout your career?
I don’t know how many of my mentors I found, versus how many of my mentors found me. I think a lot of it was me working hard and them noticing. I’ve been fortunate to have people who have said “I believe in you and I’m going to guide you. I’m not going to let you figure out this career you’re trying to build by yourself.” It’s been very nice to have people like that in my life. I think the key to finding mentors who are committed to you is being in a place where you’re readily willing to accept feedback.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with premeds?
Becoming a doctor requires a lifelong commitment. I think the commitment is often underestimated because it sounds cool to be a doctor. But sounding cool is different than the work itself. If your goal is to become a doctor, try not to underestimate what’s ahead of you.
To learn more about Dr. R.J.’s work, follow him on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X or find more information on his website.