Meet Dr. Janet N. Scheel

Q: What made you decide to go into medicine and focusing on specifically pediatric heart transplantation?

A: Always knew I wanted to be a doctor- when I started pediatric cardiology in 1988 was a relatively new and exciting field. We have only grown and improved since then. What I continue to love about it is that there is always something more to learn.

Q: What new emerging technologies are most exciting to you personally/professionally?

A: Precision medicine and the possibilities of tailoring our immunosuppression to the donor/recipient match is very exciting.

Q: What area would you like to see more research funding?

A: Non-invasive diagnosis of rejection, increasing donor supply, tailoring immunosuppression.

Q: On a more personal note, what was your favorite toy growing up?

A: At the risk of dating myself, I had two favorite toys. One was an Irish mail cart which I rode around for hours with my siblings and the other was a pogo stick.

Q: As a child, what were your favorite tv shows or Disney movies?

A: I will again be dating myself – I loved “Leave it to Beaver” and “Gilligan’s Island.” We did not have the money to go to movies often. My favorite and the one I remember going to with the whole family (big treat) was “The Sound of Music.” It is a 20th Century Fox production but that is now owned by Disney so I guess that counts.