We all have heard stories of a long-ago, simpler time when doctors made house calls and their patients grew up under their watchful eye. It was a relationship forged by generational connections and sustained by a trusting comfort that Doc was always available.

Today’s on-the-run lifestyles and modern medicine don’t seem to lend themselves to close-knit family/doctor relationships — or do they?

One of UTMB’s pediatricians, Dr. Cindy Judice, might not make house calls but she is definitely in the business of maintaining family ties.  

“I am seeing children of the children that I took care of and am actually getting close to seeing their children,” Judice said. “It is amazing to see these young patients in my office who look familiar and then to realize that I took care of their parents; it is the most rewarding part of my job.”

Judice credits the ability to talk to patients as one of the most important tools of the trade and encourages students and residents to invest time in cultivating their communication skills.

“If I could deliver a message to each and every UTMB student and resident, I would tell them that they need to know how to communicate,” Judice said. “I don’t think I am known for a lot; but I think I am known for taking the time to have the patient understand what I am telling them.”

Dr. Cindy Judice, senior resident, prepares to see a young patient in UTMB’s new Child Health Center in this photo that appeared in the January, 1977 issue of Impact.

Judice came to UTMB from Louisiana State University as a first-year resident in 1974 and began her first rotation in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She completed her senior year of residency three years later in the brand new Children’s Hospital.

Judice operated a private practice with Drs. Ben Raimer and Bill Noble for 15 years until they merged with UTMB to become one of the primary care outpatient clinics. She serves as the community clinics medical director and currently practices in one of the newest mainland community clinics, the Pediatric Associates, Adult and Specialty Care Clinic in Friendswood.

The Friendswood practice is shared with Drs. Michael Binder, Kathrym Espana, Patricia Stockman and Sonia Patel. The clinic recently celebrated a 99 percent patient satisfaction score on their Press Gainey surveys for the month of November — their best score ever.

Judice’s clientele range in age from birth to 18 years, and many continue to seek her services into their college years — especially those with special needs.

“The patients I see a lot longer than others are the ones who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They continue to come back while they are in college and even out of college because adult physicians are not particularly comfortable treating them,” Judice said. “I am looking into doing more in the area of ADHD.”

Judice, the mother of three sons, enjoys varied interests including golfing with her husband, gardening, playing with her Boxer puppies and traveling with her husband.