I'm Dr. Nick Brenton. I'm a pediatric neurologist at the University of Virginia. I see children with neurologic diseases. My primary specialty is auto-immune diseases of the central nervous system, including diseases like multiple sclerosis and ADEM, optic neuritis, and transverse myelitis in kids and young adults. By having and treating kids that have a chronic disease, I'm with them a long time. We're a partner as we move through the disease course and treating it. That also is very beneficial to be able to work with and to the span of childhood and early adulthood to treat their disease.

Part of why I do what I do and why I've chosen the field that I've chosen is because of my experiences in working with some of these patients from the beginning. The sense of vulnerability that comes with receiving a diagnosis or not receiving a diagnosis, I think being able to provide answers but also being able to lead them down the path to eventual diagnosis and how we go back treating it and managing it has been part of the reason, or the majority of the reason why I chose to do what I do.

Whenever you're seeing kids, it's kind of a package deal. It's not just treating the child, but it's also seeing the parents and the siblings. My interactions with the families and the patients is probably one of the most rewarding parts of my career. We have a great team of pediatric neurologists here at UV that I work with. We all have our specialties that we see, including the headache specialist, epilepsy specialists, concussion and brain injury specialists. We all work together, and we all help each other to diagnose and fit our patients in the right niche where they need to be.

I think it's most important for families when they see a physician to know that that physician is listening to them and to know that the physician is valuing what they're saying and to make sure that they have adequate time to tell their story. I think that's probably one of the most important pieces that any doctor can provide beyond the expected treatment diagnosis is a listening ear.