Rainbow PCI Pediatrician Leader Prioritizes Communication, Education

Michele Carruozzo, MD, fell in love with pediatrics after her first rotation in medical school at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) – the medical school that first caught her eye as a ninth-grader at a middle school career expo.

Michele Carruozzo, MD

“Pediatrics combines the practice of medicine and teaching perfectly,” she says.

And in her more than 30 years as a pediatrician with UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s, Dr. Carruozzo has excelled in both. She spent 15 years as Site Medical Director for UH Rainbow Pediatric Services, helping create the conditions where her pediatrician colleagues could thrive and deliver the best outcomes for their patients.

“I enjoyed playing a role in the growth of staff and providers, introducing new providers and problem-solving healthcare changes and challenges in the practice,” she says. 

Dr. Carruozzo is also well-known for educating and communicating with her colleagues, as Rainbow PCI Medical Director for Communication/Education. Everyone looks forward to the “Weekly Buzz” newsletter, always jam-packed with helpful information that can make a difference for RPCI practices – and their patients.

“I have always felt my role as a pediatrician is to teach others, and as a RPCI Medical Director, I enjoy bringing another resource for education, our monthly CME, to the providers, as well as our weekly newsletter for staff and providers,” Dr. Carruozzo says. “I find my time working as a team with the other medical directors very rewarding, challenging and, hopefully, impactful to the RPCI providers. I feel that in my role, I represent the community pediatrician.”

UH CEO Cliff A. Megerian, MD, FACS, Jane and Henry Meyer Chief Executive Officer Distinguished Chair, recently recognized Dr. Carruozzo for this outstanding commitment to her colleagues and patients, naming her a “Dinner with the Doc” honoree.

The practice of pediatrics has changed significantly over her career, Dr. Carruozzo says, with technological changes like the EMR and ambient listening and advances in science such as the use of the pneumococcal and HIB vaccines in infants.

“This has brought the biggest positive change to diseases I see in my office,” she says.

But what has not changed is her approach to every patient.

“I start every visit with what their concerns are, and I hope they leave feeling heard,” she says.

To nominate a physician for this honor, please use this nomination form.