Q&A with Carey Wagoner, DO, assistant professor, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Hometown: La Grange Park, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago)
Educational/professional background: I went to college at Indiana University: Bloomington was where I completed a BS degree in secondary education. Prior to medical school, I taught high school and junior high science. I then attended medical school at Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona. I completed my residency and chief resident year at Akron Children’s Hospital in Akron, Ohio. I completed a pediatric sports medicine fellowship at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri.
Previous position (title, institution): Urgent Care Physician, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri
What is your field of research or area of clinical care, and how did you get into it? My primary area of research is medical student and pediatric resident education, particularly how it applies to musculoskeletal evaluations. This has informed my clinical practice, as I have roles in the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine as well as in pediatric orthopedics. I am the rotation director of the Pediatric Acute Care Clinic, which is a resident-led clinical rotation.
How would you describe your work to a 5-year-old? I give lots of Band-Aids to help you feel better so you can keep playing and going to school.
What attracted you to UW–Madison? Madison has a wonderful outdoor environment with a community that appreciates what nature has to offer.
What is your favorite thing to do in Madison? I am a road cyclist, and the number of well-maintained, low-traffic roads with great hills and scenery cannot be beat!
What’s one thing you hope trainees will learn from you and your work? I hope trainees will learn that there are many right ways to do things, but the most important “right” way is the plan that is developed with your patient’s input. With pediatric patients, ask for their input as well, even if they are young.
What’s something interesting about your area of expertise you can share that will make us sound smarter during video chats and parties? The hyoid bone is the only bone in the body that does not directly attach or articulate with another bone.
What are some of your hobbies and other interests? Cycling, juggling, landscape projects, backyard farming (bees, chickens)