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As a member of Carrollton’s Health, Safety and People Management Task Force, pediatrician Dr. Rayza Cordero has contributed to developing our school’s safety protocol.
In May 2020, Head Master Kalkus invited members of the greater Carrollton community to form a task force dedicated to designing protocols for the safe reopening of our school. Among them is Dr. Rayza Cordero, a pediatrician, and Carrollton mom. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Miami, majoring in microbiology/immunology and minoring in chemistry and psychology. Dr. Cordero graduated medical school from the University Of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in 2003. She completed her residency in General Pediatrics at Jackson Memorial Hospital in 2006, and continued there as Chief Resident from 2006-2007. In 2007, Dr. Cordero opened her own practice and now has over 18 years of experience in the medical field.
The Carrollton Task Force meets monthly to discuss the ever-changing procedures of the COVID-19 pandemic. On board are an infectious disease specialist, an anesthesiologist, 2 general pediatricians, 1 pediatric hospitalist, 1 pediatric intensive care specialist, an infectious disease specialist, a neonatologist, a hematology/oncology PA, a pediatric endocrinologist specialist and nurse practitioner, and an internal medicine/hospitalist. They are: Dr. Christian Diez, Dr. Rayza Cordero, Dr. Alejandro Diaz, Elizabeth Lipman Diaz, NP, Dr. Angela Giron, Dr. Madeleen Mas, Dr. Marcos Mestre, Dr. Keith Meyer, Dr. Felipe Miranda, Sofia Miranda, NP, Dr. Jila Senemar, Dr. Andres Soto, Dr. Mario Stevenson and Dr. Margarita Taboas-Mestre ‘91.
“Our school not only has girls from the ages of 3 years to 18 years, but we also have to consider the teachers and staff and keeping them safe. By having doctors of different specialties, we were able to address all the factors that must be considered when coming up with our recommendations,” wrote Dr. Cordero.
Since the COVID outbreak, Dr. Cordero has witnessed a huge change in the way her practice is structured. She wrote, “I can’t hug my patients the way I used to – that has been one of the toughest changes for me. We have had to restructure the office to really keep sick and well children separate and will only see sick visits in the afternoon. I was doing more telemedicine at the beginning because patients were fearful of coming into the office and less was known about the virus but it is honestly not the same. In pediatrics, we really rely on our clinical exam and I prefer to see my patients in person. I take many precautions in my office to keep myself and my staff safe.”
Even though COVID-19 symptoms are generally milder in children, the pandemic is still affecting them. Dr. Cordero wrote, “In my patients, I have seen a different type of health impact. I have seen more depression and anxiety, especially those patients who have opted to stay home virtually. I have seen children with special needs really regress during this time. Parents are hesitant to take them to therapy or they are receiving therapy virtually which is just not the same. Because many of the after-school sports programs have been canceled or parents are just fearful to have another exposure, children are more sedentary. Obesity and cholesterol have really increased in my patients. Children and adolescents are having more difficulty socializing because they are having less interaction with others.”
“My vocation has brought me closer to my faith and my relationship with God. I feel truly blessed to be able to be a pediatrician- it honestly does not feel like work!”
