Published: 2/23/2021 11:59:34 AM
NORTHAMPTON — Joel Emrick of Leeds says his daughter Lisa wanted to be a doctor from an early age.
Today, as a specialist in pediatric medicine, neurology, genetics and neurodevelopment disease, Dr. Lisa Emrick has long since fulfilled her childhood dream. And on Wednesday at 3 p.m., she’ll go on national television to talk about some of her work.
Dr. Emrick, who lives outside Houston, will appear on the syndicated talk show “The Doctors,” a program on which medical professionals discuss a range of health and medical issues. The show is a spin-off of the long-running “Dr. Phil” show.
In a phone call with the Gazette, Joel Emrick said his daughter, a 1990 graduate of Northampton High School, went on to the University of Vermont College of Medicine and then did residencies in neurodevelopment and pediatrics at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland.
She’s now affiliated with the Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, and she specializes in rare diseases among children.
Indeed, a 2017 article in Houstonia magazine said Emrick is “known as the ‘Zebra Doctor’ among her colleagues for her ability to see rare diagnoses — zebras — where others might only think of the more common ‘horses.’”
Joel Emrick said he hadn’t known about ”The Doctors” before this but is excited to see his daughter speak on TV about her work.
“She’s worked very hard to get where she is,” he said.
He added that his daughter will be talking about one of her pediatric patients who has a rare brain disorder and needs to go to Milan, Italy, for a kind of treatment that isn’t yet recognized in the U.S.
Joel Emrick has been staying in Texas since January with his daughter, son-in-law and their young daughter. The family was able to avoid the recent massive loss of power in the state from unseasonable cold because they have a generator at their home.