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Biography

With four children in her house under the age of 9, Maggie Egbarts, MD, already has plenty to think about with her own family. But the pediatrician also sometimes stays awake at night worrying about her patients and their well-being — which means she has hundreds of children on her mind at any given time.

"I tell my patients' families this: 'It is my job to care for your children like I would want someone to care for mine,'" she said. "'I deeply care about their health and well-being. How much of a privilege it is to be trusted to care for the most important people in your life is not lost on me.'"

A native of Waterloo, Nebraska, Egbarts married her high school sweetheart, Adam, and received her medical degree at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. She and Adam knew they wanted to live in a rural community — she completed her outpatient rural rotation for residency in Columbus with Kimberly Allen, DO, and David Rohwer, MD, at Columbus Children's Healthcare. They offered her a job in 2017, and she and Adam happily accepted the opportunity to raise their family in Columbus.

Over the years, her favorite part of her job has been to see patients she has cared for over an extended period of time at their well checks. "I love watching children grow and flourish," she said.

The most challenging part of her job, on the other hand, is giving parents bad news about their child's health or condition. "No one wants to tell a parent that their child has a chronic disease or cancer," she said. Egbarts also stresses the importance of finding a primary care provider you can trust. There is a lot of misinformation out there, she said, particularly on the internet and in social media. It's important to have a pediatrician whose
values align with yours, and with whom you have developed a trustworthy relationship.

When she's not treating her young patients, Egbarts spends time with her husband and four children. "They are starting to get involved in activities and sports, so we are always on the move!" she said. "I do have to admit that I am a self-declared homebody and love being home with my family. I love snuggling on the couch and having a movie night."