Joyce Teng, MD

I like to solve puzzles. Dermatology is a fascinating specialty that often requires putting together subtle clues to make an accurate diagnosis. These skills are especially important for pediatric dermatologists, as we cannot always rely on getting all the information from our patients. This is fun for me.

I see patients from a wide age group, mostly birth to about 21 years of age, so it's important to use a patient-specific approach to deliver personalized, age-appropriate care. When I see toddlers or younger patients, I play with them and talk to them directly to make the visit fun. The children often warm up quickly as they see me as a doctor friend. My teenage patients, on the other hand, often want to be treated like adults, so I try to involve them in the decision-making process and encourage them to take responsibility of their daily skin care.

I come from a long line of doctors and always knew I wanted to go into medicine. Being able to help even just one patient, and make a difference for the family, makes my day.