Dr. Stiles | memphis-int-med-peds

Meet Dr. Allison Stiles (6/19/16)

Dr. Stiles comes from an unusual background, having taken a circuitous route to medicine, a road that led her back to Memphis where she grew up. Her parents initially moved to Memphis from the Midwest in the late 60’s after Dr. King was shot and with much trepidation. They moved to Midtown for the Optional program at Bellevue then Central High School where she was co-valedictorian. She studied Biochemical Engineering at the University of Missouri –Columbia, so that she could get the prerequisites for Med School. She worked for Procter and Gamble for 10 years at Cape Girardeau, MO and Cincinnati, OH, before going to Med School at the University of Cinncinnati.

After med school in Cincinnati, OH she went to Chicago, IL for residency training in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Med Peds is a program that takes Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, both 3 year programs, and combines it into one. It is like Family Practice but without Obstetrics and Surgery and including more ICU and Hospital care training. As a Med Ped Physician, Dr. Stiles maintains 2 board certifications, meeting the same qualifications as both an Internist and a Pediatrician.

Dr. Stiles moved back to Memphis to be near her family in 2003, getting her start through Methodist Hospital then going independent as a solo practice in 2005. Although she would like a partner, she likes having a small practice that hopefully provides better personal attention and customer service.

Dr. Stiles is a mother of 2 very active kids who attend Snowden School, where she and her practice try to volunteer, support, and sponsor. She breastfed both kids exclusively for 7 months even when back at work, proving that anyone can do it! Breastfeeding is one of her passions and she is Chair of the Shelby County Breastfeeding Coalition. She loves her newborns and helping her new Mom’s with breastfeeding and the challenges of that first month. Being a Med Peds doc comes in handy here, because she can help with Mom’s issues like post-partum depression. She became a consultant for the TN Breastfeeding Hotline in 2015 and became board-certified as a Lactation Consultant in 2016.

Her practice is a host to UTHSC Medical Students through which she was given a Volunteer Faculty position with University of Tennessee.

What is a Med Ped?

Dr. Stiles is a “Med Ped” doctor. This means she is both an Internal Medicine and a Pediatric doctor. She is double board certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. She completed the equivalent of both residencies of training and passed both board exams. So she is just like any Internist who takes care of Adults. She is like any Pediatrician who takes care of children. Med Peds is probably most like Family Practice but with more training. She can see any age, from newborn to elderly, the whole family. However, unlike Family Practice, she does not do prenatal pregnancy care or surgery.

The advantages of Dr. Stiles practice are many. Most of us are a part of a family unit and are affected as a whole family together. Dr. Stiles can help everyone. If your child has Strep Throat there is a good chance you might get it! Losing a family member affects everyone. As a parent develops Alzheimer’s, the children are stressed with difficult decisions, coping, and dealing with behavior issues. Dr. Stiles can treat a newborn and help his mother with breastfeeding and postpartum depression. Losing weight and quitting smoking really have to involve the patient and their significant other.

Teens really feel comfortable here. The office and practice doesn’t feel child-like. We have all the needed vaccines for teens, unlike some adult offices. We take extra time with teens to talk about some issues particular to that age. Please refer to “For Teens” to see these areas.

What is Med Peds Training?

The “Med Ped” residency training is 4 years long, longer than Family practice, Internal Medicine, and Pediatric residencies. This training takes the key rotations from both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and combines them. This can be done because there is a lot of overlap. For example, both residencies have outpatient or ambulatory rotations. In Med Peds, we do a combined outpatient experience.

There are only a few of us special Med Peds docs practicing in town. Others include Dr. Mary Margaret Hurley, Dr. Graham Warr, and Dr.’s Gina and Ara Hannisian.