Dr. Robert Kossack’s interest in public service was what first influenced him to become a doctor. “I entered the Peace Corps after college and taught school in Nepal and found I really enjoyed working with kids. I had always been interested in public health issues and it just seemed that becoming a physician was a good way to combine all my interests and experience,” he explains.

Although he has been a pediatrician for almost two decades, Dr. Kossack finds new challenges almost every day. “The breath of knowledge required in Pediatrics makes it a real challenge. There are great differences between treating an infant and an eighteen year-old. You are dealing with different types of problems when you walk into a room simply because of the age differences.”

As a pediatrician, Dr. Kossack is careful not to prescribe medication for his patients unnecessarily. “A lot of illnesses with kids will get better with watchful waiting. People don’t realize that anytime you expose somebody to medicine there is always a risk of side effects. In fact, it is only a matter of time before we start seeing some infections we can’t treat with antibiotics so we need to be extra careful when prescribing them.”

For Dr. Kossack and other pediatricians, dealing with families and the school system is also a big part of their job. “As pediatricians we are not just involved with parents but also with the school system at times. We get involved in school performance issues with children to rule out any physical problems that could be the cause. We also coordinate the effort to see if children need additional services or need to be on medication such as for ADHD. I have always had a big interest in mental health and medical management issues in my practice. Pediatrics is a lot more than just examinations and prescribing medicine, there are so many complex issues involved now.”

As a physician, Dr. Kossack believes staying active is the key to good health and he enjoys running, hiking and skiing to stay in shape. He also enjoys photography (both digital and traditional) and drawing. Dr. Kossack is also a father and enjoys spending as much time as possible with his wife and three children.