INDIANAPOLIS — A Hoosier's special connection to Riley Hospital for Children led to a career in medicine and now a residency in pediatrics at the hospital that treated her as a child.
Starting a new job doesn't usually come with cameras and fanfare, but this was no ordinary first day for Dr. Maria Dodson.
It marked a full circle moment.
"Walking in today was almost a little emotional because you're just...I just feel very thankful," Dodson said.
She's thankful not only because this is such a prestigious program, but out of all the new Riley residents, Dodson has a history in this place. The IU School of Medicine resident will now see patient at Riley Hospital for Children as part of her clinical training.
"I'm fortunate enough to be sitting here in this position that a lot of 'Riley Kids' don't," Dodson said. "So I just feel really grateful for this opportunity."
As a teenager, Dodson was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome – an electrical problem with her heart that she'd had since birth.
"My heart would go into very fast rhythms, during sports, when I was sleeping," she explained, "which led to many emergency room visits."
It also led her to Riley Hospital for two surgeries.
Doctors not only cured the heart problem, but also changed the path of her life.
"None of my family's in medicine. A lot of engineers and people that work in law enforcement," Dodson said. "This whole process opened me up to that."
She embarked on a journey into med school at Marian and eventually got a match in pediatrics for a residency with Riley.
Dodson says the team of doctors and nurses all those years ago and the care she received as a kid inspired her to choose pediatrics specifically.
Day one on the job as a resident is just the start of making a difference for children.
"If I could make someone else how I was treated here," Dodson said, "I mean I can't think of a more fulfilling career -- a calling."
Especially now, that she's at a hospital that feels like home.
Dodson will spend three years as a resident at Riley.
She's originally from the Evansville area.
Eventually, she hopes to serve kids in rural communities where there's a gap in primary care.