Hello, I'm Dr. Alison Curfman.
I am a pediatric emergency physician and mom of four, and I love working with children and parents.
I am also a disruptive innovator in medicine at the crossroads of healthcare and technology, driven by the core belief that we can make healthcare better for kids.
As a mom of four little ones, I like to say that things are "never boring" at our house! My husband David and I are both physicians and are constantly navigating the many demands and challenges of raising kids and pursuing careers in medicine. We have two boys and two girls, ages 8, 6, 4, and 1. It seems that every one of them is in a different phase at any given moment, and the challenges change as they get older.
Becoming a mom has been an incredibly meaningful influence on my career as a pediatrician. I understand the emotions we experience as parents and how hard it can be when you have a concern about your child.
DUAL BOARD Certified
PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN
I attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH where I met and married my husband, David. We moved to my hometown of St. Louis Missouri for residency, where I completed three years of training at St. Louis Children's Hospital to become a board-certified pediatrician, followed by three more years of training in Pediatric Emergency Medicine.
I was drawn to pediatrics because of the profound resiliency of children.
The vast majority of pediatric problems can be made 100% better with treatment and time - and that is truly incredible. I love connecting with my little patients and their parents, and I enjoy the fast pace and unpredictability of Emergency Medicine.
However, I notice myself sharing the same education and reassurance with parents time and time again, and decided to use that information to create resources for parents online for common pediatrics questions and issues. On this site, I hope to help parents navigate some of these challenges and empower them with information.
Healthcare is changing at a rapid pace, and new technology will play a critical role in the way we care for patients in the future. In my career, I have had the opportunity to challenge the traditional model of care and re-envision how healthcare can be more accessible to patients using new methods of care. Simultaneously, I am an advocate for high-quality healthcare, and believe that we need to design systems that are held to the same standards of quality as in-person care.
Digital health holds promise to help improve access to care, especially to regions that otherwise would not have resources. I advocate that we must ensure that new technology developments will not further any underlying healthcare disparities with a strong focus on health equity.
My interest in macro-level health system improvements led me to complete an MBA with a healthcare focus. I strive to stay curious and constantly assess opportunities for growth, both personally and within the organizations I serve.
As a pediatrician, I see myself as an advocate for children, and have participated in policy and advocacy work at a state and federal level in matters that affect children and their access to healthcare.
Other areas of expertise include:
- Value-based care in pediatrics
- Medicaid populations
- Health Equity
- Population health
- Economic Evaluation
- Telehealth and Digital health
- Strategic planning
- Agile methodology
- Organizational change
- Data analytics
- Collaborative research
Education and training
Doctor of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University
Masters of Business Administration, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Dual Board Certification, Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Pediatrics Residency, St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship, St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Missouri - Columbia