Mithya Lewis-Newby, MD

Dr. Lewis-Newby is one of my favorite doctors. One more than one occasion, she went above and beyond while our son was in the CICU. She is very personable and intuitive to family needs. Given the CICU and the frenetic nature of critical care, it was important that we were seen as more than a series of symptoms. Dr. Lewis-Newby repeatedly took the time, not just to explain a situation to us, but to share a point of view or ask us how we were. Her warm nature and approach to parenting in the CICU were evident as she surprised us by encouraging our Alexander not just to eat (which was not a guarantee before his open heart surgery) but to breastfeed any chance we could. I believe that approach is a large part of what enabled us to continue to breastfeed, even though we spent Alexander's first month in the hospital. Dr. Lewis-Newby is also a great communicator. Her assessment of a delicate situation and how she chose to present it to us took a potentially souring event and framed it in the best possible light. Later, when things had calmed, we sought to further our knowledge on that subject matter and have been pleased thus far with the results. Of course, her technical skills are outstanding, as are most of the Seattle Children's medical staff. What sets her above the rest is her capability to temper those skills with compassion and empathy. We know that we will find ourselves back in the CICU in the future, but it is a comfort to think that Dr. Lewis-Newby will be there to help things along.