Maria Perez, MD

As long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a pediatrician. Some kids buy toys at garage sales. I looked for medical textbooks.

During my medical school years, I spent summers as a camp counselor for pediatric diabetes and hemophilia camps, and I loved every minute. When I was an intern at Texas Children's Hospital, I met two special children with lupus and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Those children had a joy for life and never let their disease slow them down. They taught me that I need to be the kind of pediatrician who empowers patients to be anything they want to be, despite having a chronic disease. A?s a result, I extended my training for three additional years to specialize in pediatric rheumatology. Today, I am one of only 350 pediatric rheumatologists in the U.S.

I spent the next 21 years at Texas Children's Hospital and served as an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship Training Director. In 2011, Cook Children's Medical Center invited me to start a Rheumatology Clinic. Now, that clinic provides care for children all across north Texas, helping our patients have the best possible quality of life in partnership with their families. I love seeing our patients grow up over the years with an unlimited quality of life.

When I'm not working, I enjoy spending time with my family traveling, spending time at the Kimbell Museum or enjoying a local festival. We love being in Fort Worth, being part of this community.