Dr. Luis Rodriguez: Healthcare Hero Dad and Local Neurosurgeon
Modern day Brady Bunch families really do exist, just ask Luis Rodriguez, M.D., M.A.S., and his wife Lisa Moore, M.S.N., M.H.A, R.N., who both work at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Luis Rodriguez is a neurosurgeon and Moore can be found in the cardiovascular ICU. This Father’s Day, Dr. Rodriguez reflects on his work as a neurosurgeon and what it means to be a father of seven kids.
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How did your dad impact your life?
Dr. Rodriguez: I don’t think I would be where I am today if it wasn’t for my father. He is an example of hard work. His ethics and his morals are what have guided me throughout all my high school, college and medical school residency. My father always instilled in me that you have gifts from God, and they are not for your enrichment, but instead so that you can help others. He is the reason why I went into medicine and why I do what I do.
What does being a father mean to you?
Dr. Rodriguez: Being a father means to provide for your children, not just physical comfort, but also emotional comfort as well as moral guidance. I try to set an example for my children of how they should conduct themselves and help them guide them in their decisions, while letting them make their own decisions. It is often that we say you should do this, or you shouldn’t do that, but in reality, all we can do is provide some guidance and knowledge based on our own experience, and allow them to lead their own lives.
How does fatherhood impact your care as a surgeon?
Dr. Rodriguez: When I take care of a child, it is not hard to put yourself in the situation of that parent. Being able to relate at that level to the family makes it so that we can truly be able to provide more than just neurosurgical care, we can actually provide human care. I have a child who has Autism, and through my experience with him, I’ve been able to better relate to a lot of the parents who have patients that have chronic or longstanding conditions.
How do you bond with your family?
Dr. Rodriguez: We always try to meet together whenever everyone is home and make it a point to all sit at the table, turn our phones off and have discussions. We also have a policy at our house that all are welcome because we’re such a big family. We also do a lot of boating and go to the beach together. On special occasions, we always make a point of celebrating. Everybody has such different and busy lives and careers that it can be hard, so we make it a priority.
Also, every winter, we go skiing with friends from medical school and their families. We’ve done this since about 2005 when all the kids were really little taking ski lessons, and now today, they’re all skiing circles around us.
To learn more about neurosurgical services at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, visit Institute for Brain Protection Sciences.
Dr. Luis Rodriguez specializes in pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. In 2023, Dr. Rodriguez received the Armstrong Award for Excellence in Quality and Safety at Johns Hopkins All Children’s.
After general neurosurgery training at the University of Michigan, Dr. Rodriguez completed a Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowship at the University of Utah. He joined our program in 2005. His practice encompasses the entire range of pediatric neurosurgical problems but his main area of interest is the pediatric spine. He is a charter member of the Pediatric Craniocervical Spine Society and is the director of our Pediatric Neurosurgical Spine Program.
He is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is fluent in Spanish. Dr. Rodriguez is board certified in Neurological Surgery and Pediatric Neurological Surgery.
*Presented by Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital