Diane Dow, MD

	Joined Aug, 1995 Department: Pediatrics [Map] Hospital Based Specialists Title: Physician Degree: MD Interests: boogy boarding, swimming, inner-tube waterpolo, star-gazing, playing games, eating wonderful food with wonderful friends Languages: English Physician Homepage
Bio I am a pediatric hospitalist, which means that instead of seeing patients in a clinic, I am a pediatrician who specializes in caring for the hospitalized baby, child, or teen. I have been a pediatric hospitalist since I finished my training in 1995. I love what I do and I feel privileged to serve children and their families in the hospital. I worked at John Muir hospital in the east bay for almost 12 years before coming to Kaiser in 2007. My husband, a privately practicing pediatrician for years, joined Kaiser about 8 months before I did. He was so impressed with the excellence of care provided by Kaiser and the ease of not having to fight insurance companies anymore, that I soon followed, and I feel extremely fortunate to have had this opportunity. My first goal is to provide excellent care for your child. As part of Kaiser Permanente, I am fortunate to work with an amazing group of pediatricians, and I have access to a full array of pediatric subspecialists should I ever need them. We truly are a team in providing care. My other priority is to keep you informed about your child's health and the care we are providing, so that you are comfortable with what is going on. I know this can be a stressful time for you and your family. You are an invaluable part of the health care team, and I always aim to be respectful of your needs. My most important job at home is taking care of my three children, boys aged 9 years, 7 years and 2 years. I am honored to be helping you take care of your child.
My Medical Specialty
More details about my specialty: I knew I wanted to be a doctor even before high school. I've always wanted to help people. When it came to deciding what kind of doctor, it was easy because I have always loved kids, and I am inspired all the time by how they can spread joy even when they're not feeling great. My specialty interests and affiliations within my field: Pediatric cardiology has always been of interest to me. I did a year of training in it after I finished my pediatric training. Assistant Clinical Professor, Pediatrics, UCSF An interesting story from my training: In medical school, I was planning on becoming an adult cardiologist until I did my last rotation which was pediatrics. I loved it so much that I changed my career plans!	Photos from My Training Years or of Practicing Medicine in My Field: Medical School Graduation - what a day!
Interests
Every summer we play inner-tube waterpolo with our friends. I love it because it is sooo much fun, and because the kids and adults all have a great time together! Currently reading: Brian Jacque's Redwall series - I've almost read them all and I'm just loving them! My favorite book or author: I love Roald Dahl's books (especially James and the Giant Peach), and the Harry Potter series	Hobby Photos & Links: I'm taking the ball down to shoot on the goal.
Family & Friends
People in my life: My husband, Richard Dow, is a primary care pediatrician who left private practice to join Kaiser Permanente 8 months before I did. He was so impressed with the excellence of care provided by Kaiser and the ease of not having to fight insurance companies anymore, that I soon followed. My children and people I care about: We have 3 boys - 9 years, 7 years and 2 years old. Our house is just FULL of testosterone-packed energy! Our free time is filled with sports of various types, but soccer, football and baseball are currently the favorites. Thankfully, we like quiet time as well, and snuggling up and reading together before bed is enjoyed by all. An interesting story about my family or friends: We and our extended family love fishing. We've gone to Mexico to go marlin fishing, but our boys prefer more action and we usually end up trolling close to shore where we frequently catch assorted tropical fish. A blue whale passed right by us one day when we were following the dolphins in hopes of finding tuna. It was beautiful!	Photos of my Family & Friends: Rich and I have been married 15 years! Griffin is 2, Spencer is 7, and Riley is 9. The boat ride is almost as good as catching a fish! Mmmmmm, ceviche!
My pets: We have a bunny named Sweetpea. He's quite friendly and always a hit when the kids take him to school.	Pet Photos: Rich holding Sweetpea
Travel
Favorite place in the world: One of the most special places I know are the boundary waters, which is the canoeing wilderness between Minnesota and Canada. It is an unpopulated area of lakes filled with loons and otters, warm lake swimming in the summer, and amazing star viewing at night. When our two year old is water-safe, we plan on returning to canoe and camp up there. One of my recent trips: Both of my parents turn 80 this year. My family, including my brother and his family and my parents went to mexico in the spring together to celebrate my dad's birthday. Fishing, kiyaking, volleyball, playing cards, enjoying wonderful food together, and enjoying the kids and their cousins were amongst the highlights, though it was really just all being together that made it wonderful. We're currently planning the get-together for my mom's birthday.	Trip Photos: My Mom and Dad and my brother's family with us in Mexico, celebrating my Dad's 80th birthday!
Other Links & Photos
I love the beach. Whether boogy-boarding, digging in the sand, playing guitar, or roasting hotdogs, it's my favorite kind of day! Did you know there's a National Talk Like a Pirate Day? (Hence the pirate party, above). It was started by Dave Barry, who also wrote several fantastic books about Peter Pan including "Peter and the Star Catchers". My 3 joys.