Sarah Bush Lincoln is pleased to welcome Pediatrician Kevin Kramer, MD, to its medical staff.
With 25 years experience, Dr. Kramer recently returned to Sarah Bush Lincoln and is caring for children at Family Medical Center in Mattoon. He practiced with SBL Pediatrician Tom Snowden, MD, earlier in his career, from 1995 to 1999.
“In pediatrics, it’s important to be involved with the entire family,” Dr. Kramer said. “We were taught that whenever a parent thinks that something is wrong with their child, we have to take that very seriously. When someone is with a child all the time, they know what his or her normal is.”
Passionate about his profession, Dr. Kramer said his greatest joy is probably being able to follow his patients from baby years to adulthood. “I enjoy talking with kids, answering their questions and guiding parents through their child’s growth and development. It’s a fun job and I can’t imagine doing anything else,” he said.
Drawing upon his experience as a parent has also helped him become a better pediatrician, he said. Dr. Kramer has adopted and raised four sons from India as a single parent. The youngest is now 18. Contacting dozens of adoption agencies in 1997 before being taken seriously, Dr. Kramer admits he may have been a little naive about the challenges of raising a foreign child, especially one who didn’t speak English. However, that didn’t stop him from adopting again. “We’ve had some challenges, but it has been a rewarding experience. I’m still growing and learning as a parent,” he said.
While Dr. Kramer always knew he wanted to be a doctor, he initially entered college to become an engineer like his father. However the pull of medicine was strong and he quickly changed majors. He earned a bachelor’s degree in science in three years from Pennsylvania State University while stocking shelves at a local grocery store to pay his living expenses. He then entered medical school at the same university on an Army scholarship.
“I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to go into pediatrics,” Dr. Kramer said. “I have always enjoyed math and sciences and I love children of all ages. Pediatrics was a great way to combine these two interests,” he said.
After earning his medical degree in 1987, Dr. Kramer complete a three-year pediatric residency at Washington University School of Medicine and cared for children at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. He spent the next four years serving as an active duty doctor at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital.
While beginning a second residency in anesthesia following active duty, Dr. Kramer found he missed the practice of pediatrics and accepted a position at Sarah Bush Lincoln. While he has moved and practiced at various places in Illinois, Missouri and Texas, he is thankful to be back. “There are still people here that I consider friends and it’s nice to be back,” he said. “I look forward to serving as a pediatrician here and I love the opportunity to take care of children and help them stay healthy as they grow into young adults.”
Dr. Kramer strives to treat each child with compassion and kindness and his personal interests included ADHD, learning disabilities, school psychology, international adoption and the medical and education difficulties faced by older-child adoptees. He resides in Mattoon with his oldest son, Shekhar, 23. His son Jack, 20, is a student at Eastern Illinois University. His sons Anand, 21, and Sachin, 18, remained in Texas where Dr. Kramer last practiced.
To make an appointment with Dr. Kramer, call SBL Family Medical Center at 234-7400.
