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The timing was right for Reginald Hay and Christi Taylor to meet at Stanford University. 

Reginald was one year ahead of Dr. Hay and had a job secured in his home state of Maryland after graduation. Once she completed her undergraduate degree, the California Bay Area resident moved eastward to earn her Master’s in Public Health at the University of Michigan to be closer to Reginald. After which, she attended medical school at the University of Virginia.

She and Reginald married when she was a third-year medical student. “It was when I had the longest break,” she laughed. Following their honeymoon, she finished medical school and did her residency at Children’s National Medical Center in D.C. Dr. Hay has called Maryland home ever since. 

The only one in her family to become a physician, Dr. Hay was inspired by her own childhood doctor, Dr. Cantrell. “I really admired her. I thought she took great care of me, and I wanted to take care of kids too,” she said. 

The first seven years of her career were spent working in academic medicine. She then transferred to a traditional practice where she stayed for four years. In 2011, it was time for a change. “I was working part time while in private practice which afforded me the flexibility to be with my young daughters. I was ready to give more time to my career, but also wanted to preserve family time,” she said.

Dr. Hay took time to assess her community and determine its needs to see how she could help. In 2011, she launched her new practice, Palisades Pediatrics, where she is the only doctor and is the first point of contact for patients. She limits her patients, who she refers to as her community, to hundreds of patients, a drastic decrease from the thousands of patients a traditional practice can have.

Her intentionally small practice has big advantages for everyone. 

“I can best allocate my time by managing my practice this way. I can schedule patients around my daughters’ activities that require my participation. In my community, I have the luxury of giving my patients my attention when it is needed. If they have a concern regarding the health of their child, they know they can speak directly to me,” she said. Dr. Hay was available for house calls prior to the pandemic and looks forward to giving her community the service again.  

Because of the intimate nature of her practice, Dr. Hay can observe trends with her patients as they grow. She sees patients from newborn to 21 years. As her patients approach their teenage years, they have direct access to her. “The patients I have had since they were babies are very comfortable with me once they move into the teen years. I really value the comfort they have in reaching out to me directly,” she said.

This model also affords her the time to get to know her patients. “I enjoy speaking with people and getting to know them. In a traditional practice there was limited time to get to know each patient.”

Time is precious for Dr. Hay. 

With COVID management, Dr. Hay was conscious of over-extending herself and decided to refer patients out to manage COVID care. 

This careful management of time ensures Dr. Hay has time for both her patients, her interests. “I enjoy reading, playing tennis with my husband, and walking with a group of friends.” Pre-COVID, Dr. Hay and her family went to Disney every year where she managed the family’s vacation schedule to optimize their park experiences. 

As she and her husband Reginald settle in to being empty nesters, she looks forward to her family’s July vacation. “Hilton Head is my happy place. I prefer the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, it’s like bathwater,” she said. 

By design, Dr. Hay has succeeded in carving out a career that fosters both her passion for pediatric care, while preserving the time she spends with her family. A design that has benefitted everyone who has the pleasure of having some of Dr. Hay’s time.