Cassie Gessling, MD
I am currently a second year (nearly third year!) fellow at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. I graduated from the University of North Texas with a Biology degree and obtained my medical degree from Texas A&M. I completed residency training in pediatrics at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, which was briefly interrupted by an operational medicine tour with the 3D Marine Regiment in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Before entering fellowship, I served as a general pediatrician at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California. It’s been quite an adventure, thanks to the Navy.
I am interested in obesity medicine, Type 1 Diabetes care, graduate and undergraduate medical education, and quality improvement. My scholarly work focuses on improving the quality of our group’s lifestyle education for adolescents with obesity who cannot access intensive health behavior and lifestyle treatment.
As a resident, I was struck by the close relationship between patients with diabetes and their endocrinologists, especially the opportunity to care for these families longitudinally and celebrate patients’ successes and milestones. This initially sparked my interest in endocrinology. Then, I discovered the fascinating pathophysiology of the rest of the field. Through fellowship, I’ve further reaffirmed my interest in the specialty with the intersection of genetic disorders and endocrinology, and the novel therapies I’ve been able to prescribe. It’s an exciting time to train in our field!
In military pediatrics, we are particularly lucky to have loads of outstanding and dedicated pediatric specialists. In residency, Dr. Melissa Buryk and Dr. Daniel Adams modeled superb pediatric subspecialty care and resident education and inspired me to pursue fellowship training and continue to hone my teaching skills. My entire fellowship faculty showcases scholarly pursuits, excellence in medical education, and high-quality, patient-centered care. I am inspired by all in our small but mighty group: Dr. Sarah Reynolds, Dr. Noelle Larson, Dr. Rachael Paz, Dr. Kirk Jensen, Dr. Anthony Recupero. I must end by stating my ultimate inspiration is my family- my husband Eli who put his career on hold for me to pursue my training and our fearless 3-year-old daughter Heidi.