Dr. Marchant joined Associated Physicians pediatric team in August 2017.
The Man Behind the M.D.
Dr. Marchant grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin. He went to high school at Janesville Craig and did his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering with an emphasis on biomedical engineering at the University of Minnesota. He then went to medical school at the University of Arizona and completed his residency at their medical center.
“After that, I wanted to see the country, so I worked as locum tenens which means you fill in for doctors that are sick or on a long leave and they need help to fill-in. I got to see Maine in the summer and learned how to fish, I lived in Arkansas for a bit, went to Texas, and then back to Arizona. The little stints you’d fill in were fun!”
He and his family settled in Colorado to live for ten years before moving to Texas and back to Wisconsin.
“I’m the youngest of six kids. I wanted to move back to be closer to my family and watch my fifteen-year-old grow up because soon enough he’ll be off to college. I just am looking forward to settling in more around here.”
Why Associated Physicians?
“In Texas, I was in private practice. It was smaller than AP, but the physicians owned the practice and decided how things were going to work. I’ve worked in other settings that were more corporate, and the biggest disadvantage is that you don’t get to decide how you want to ‘run the show.’ The staff at AP are great and have been so welcoming and helpful. In a corporate setting you can lose that. All seven of us AP pediatricians work well together too, which can be hard in other settings, but not here!”
Why Pediatrics?
“Early on I decided that I was drawn to pediatrics because kids are fun to work with, but it was mainly because it felt to me like they don’t have many advocates in this world other than maybe a parent or guardian. They also can’t vote, so they don’t get a lot of political representation. Medically, they don’t ask for the problems they have, so it’s nice to be able to help them through. It motivates me when I get to see kids back, watching them grow and develop, and seeing how parents raise their kids. If I feel like I can help them do any of that it’s rewarding to know that I have added something positive to their kids lives. I enjoy keeping kids healthy, keeping them on the right path, and anticipating problems down the road that the parents may not consider. When you walk into a pediatric clinic, there might be crying babies, but there is also a lot of laughter!”
What are some of your goals?
“I want to help our society with various forms of bullying, especially when you hear on the news so much about all the sexual misconduct happening. I think some of that is, boys in this case, aren’t taught early on how to treat girls. There are always ways to interject what we can do to help this. Sometimes it’s just setting he table and having parents hearing us start those conversations with their kids. That way they will be more likely to follow up at home. Another thing is general nutrition. I want to help our society with obesity in kids.”
What advice do you have for your patients and their parents?
“You aren’t expected to know everything. Just do your best. Love them unconditionally, feed them, give them attention, and we can help you through other things that come up. None of us are perfect and we are here to help you enjoy your child’s growth and development the best that we can. You are never abandoned. We are always here to help you. It’s what we do. If something doesn’t seem right on your parent radar, just call. You don’t need to know why.”
What do you want to tell any future pediatricians?
“It’s a fun field so try and get out to see kids in a setting that is different to you. If all you do is see your nephew during the holidays go out and shadow someone who works with kids like a pediatrician, of course, or even a teacher. You get to see kids change so much and so quickly so, if you like child development and being around kids, it’s a great field! Remember that you are just a part of the village to help raise that child. Listen to the parent and follow up on their concerns. They know their child better than you do. It really helps the world as a whole if you can help kids.”
What’s next?
“I just want to make sure I do a good job, continue to learn the systems and grow the practice, of course, but it’s a popular practice so I think that will go well. Beyond that, I’ve done the hospitalist thing and I don’t want to go back to that so, I am just looking forward to seeing kids more over time and being the primary care provider.”