Monica Wehby: A Neurosurgeon Reforming Children’s Lives

1. Monica Wehby: A Neurosurgeon Reforming Children’s Lives Dr. Monica Wehby is an internationally well renowned Pediatric Neurosurgery specialist in Portland. She is an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame and obtained her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in 1984. She went on to complete a fellowship in Pediatric Neurosurgery at a Primary Children's Hospital at the University of Utah after completing her residency in Neurosurgery at the University of California. Dr. Monica Wehby started her Neurosurgical career in Portland, Oregon as a partner at Micro Neurosurgical consultants. Alongside she also served as the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Randall’s Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel, where later she shifted to full-time staff. Positions Held Being a native of Nashville, Tennessee, Dr. Wehby returned home to join Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine. She is so worthy that she has held various leadership and board positions at the local, state, and even national levels. She also held the position of Trustee of the American Medical Association in 2011, President of both the Oregon Medical Association and the Medical Society of Metropolitan Portland, Northwest Regional Director of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and Board member of Ronald McDonald House Charities. She was even a Republican Nominee for the US Senate from Oregon. Dr. Monica Wehby is certified by the board of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the American Board of Pediatric Neurological Surgery. She has been in practice for more than 20 years now. Dr. Wehby has a license to practice medicine in three US states: Oregon, Indiana, and Nebraska. She is currently associated with three medical centers: • Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, • Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, and • Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center. Dr. Wehby has a robust and respectful background in health policy. She has expertise in spina bifida and tethered cord for which she is internationally recognized. She has also won the Congressional Medal of distinction for improving Children’s health. She has spoken up in her previous interviews that she enjoys every aspect of pediatric neurosurgery. She particularly has clinical interests in craniofacial reconstruction, hydrocephalus, congenital anomalies, neonatal surgery, and child abuse. Back in 2015, Dr. Wehby joined the Oregon State of reform conference where she expressed her concerns over the top-down approach to regulating health care. She strongly believes that the condition of bureaucratic regulations regarding care and coverage has taken medicine out of the doctors and patients. She urged the leaders to come forward and consider the doctor-patient relationship primary in decision making as well as the importance of consumer choice. Later in another interview Dr. Wehby said that medicine was a natural career choice for her, she is here to make life better for others and that is the goal of her life. She says that she feels blessed when a parent hands over their baby to her so that she could cure them. It's a sense of responsibility that keeps her going every day to make the life of children better.