When Stepan Siebel, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist, treats children with diabetes, he makes sure he approaches them in nonjudgmental way.
“You can tell a child, ‘Take your insulin. Check your blood sugar.’ And even after the 100th time, they might not do it. The key is to not judge them, because then might get defensive,” Dr. Siebel says. “You want to create a warm and understanding environment, which makes them think, ‘Hey, this physician knows what he is talking about and has empathy to see this is not easy and that we are actually putting effort in.’”
Likewise, Dr. Siebel says he is compassionate when he delivers news of a chronic condition to family. “Parents want the best for their child, and all of a sudden, you crush certain hopes and dreams. For me, it then becomes a huge responsibility to provide the best care to help them along the path with this unforeseen change in life,” he says. “What drew me to pediatric endocrinology is my belief that if you implement early intervention or the latest cutting-edge therapeutics, we can give children with endocrine and metabolic disorders a really bright and meaningful future.”
In addition to diabetes, Dr. Siebel’s interests are hormonal disorders and metabolic syndrome (a cluster of conditions—including high blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar—that occur together and increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes).
Dr. Siebel is an associate research scientist at Yale School of Medicine and his research explores liver metabolism and how it pertains to diabetes and obesity.
