Westchester mom and doctor Kristin Casasanta is this week’s Meet a Mom! She has lived in Bedford, NY, for the past three years with her husband Marc (also a doctor) and their two kids. A board certified pediatrician, her practice is part of Northeast Medical Group in Rye Brook and affiliated with Greenwich Hospital. Here’s a little more about this pediatrician mom!
Can you please describe your kids?
Francesca is a sassy but fun loving 6 years old and Leo is a stubborn but absolutely lovable 3.5 years old.
They sound adorable! Why did you choose Bedford?
I am from New Fairfield, CT and Marc is from East Hartford, CT so this move was an effort be closer to home. Although a bit removed from the major cities, Bedford is a great location for both of our jobs as well as our families. Our actual neighborhood is close to the village and schools and is made up of 2 cul de sacs, making it a fun place for the children to bike ride, scooter and take walks.
Sounds lovely. Can you please tell us a bit about your practice with Northeast Medical Group?
I work in a practice that includes 5 physicians and 1 nurse practitioner. We all strongly believe in practicing evidenced based medicine and make every effort to keep up with the most up to date guidelines. We work really hard to communicate well within the group and also to include our patients in our decision making process. We are all moms so we “get it”! I also take a lot of pride in the fact that we are open 7 days / week, 365 days / year, providing our patients great access to care.
What inspired you to go into this area of medicine?
I love working with children in the various stages of development, emotionally and physically. But pediatrics is also about communicating with and caring for the parents, which contributes to the fun challenge of being a pediatrician.
What is the best part of working with kids? And hardest part?
There are too many “best parts” of working with kids to list, but some include watching them grow through the years, being witness to their resilience, and the most simple things such as the smiles they share with me during my day. The most challenging moments in pediatrics are those in which a child is very seriously ill, whether it is a medical illness or mental illness and either there is no cure, or we know the cure will take time.
What’s one thing you wish you could tell all parents?
Much of parenting is about considering the risks vs benefits and then making the decision that works best for your family. Very often, there are many different “right answers”.
Is there anything that would surprise your patients/parents about you?
I actually wanted to be a veterinarian before I decided on medicine. Ultimately, this is the perfect fit for me and I am glad for the path that led me here!
What’s your favorite places in the local area to:
Eat with/without kids: Fortina (Armonk or Rye Brook). Local diners such as Mt Kisco Diner, Elm Street Diner (Stamford), and Glory Days Diner (Greenwich) are also a hit with our kids
Grab a drink with friends: 234 (Bedford), Truck (Bedford)
Have a date night: Moderne Barn (Armonk), The Inn at Pound Ridge (Pound Ridge)
Spend time together as a family: The kids love going to the arcade in Mt Kisco – Grand Prix. We also spend many nice days at the local parks playgrounds including Bedford Village Memorial Park, and Kensico Dam. We also try to get to local fairs/carnivals and just spent a few days at the St Patrick’s Carnival in Bedford, which we love to get to every year.
Go to the salon: I have been to Hopscotch Salon (Greenwich) and loved it there. More recently, I have been staying closer to home at Tease in Katonah.
Grab coffee: GE Brown (Bedford), Taza (Armonk)
