Dr. Melanie Youschak

Pediatrician Dr. Melanie Youschak joins Lower Keys Medical Center

By Sandy Kaster, M.S.
Pediatrician Melanie Youschak, M.D. joins Lower Keys Medical Center and the pediatrics practice of Dr. Steven Takas.   Dr. Youschak graduated from the University of South Florida College of Medicine, where she also completed her internship and residency in pediatrics. She is currently board-eligible and plans to take the board exam to become Board-Certified in Pediatrics in October of 2013.

As a pediatrician, Dr. Youschak sees patients ranging in age from newborn to 21 years old.  She enjoys her profession because she values spending time with her patients and answering their questions.  Says Dr. Youschak, “What I love about treating kids is their honesty and how much fun they are to work with.”  She adds that children tend to heal quickly, and she enjoys working with both the child and the child’s family.  To put her patients at ease, Dr. Youschak laughs, “I really am a big kid at heart.  I laugh with and engage the kids during their exam to help them relax and not be scared anymore.”  Her compassion and respect of patients as unique individuals was recognized when she was awarded the Arnold P. Gold Humanism award.  This award honored Dr. Youschak for demonstrating excellence in clinical care, compassion and humanism in medicine.

Among Dr. Youschak’s clinical interests are preventative health, childhood asthma, women’s health in older teens, growth and development in the early years, and childhood obesity.  To make potentially awkward issues easier to broach with her patients, she discusses weight, development, and healthy lifestyle habits from the time the child is an infant.  “Every child should have a healthy weight goal, whether they are overweight, underweight, or normal weight,” Dr. Youschak explains.  By introducing issues early and discussing them routinely during visits, she maintains open communication with her patients and their families.  She also strives to provide her young patients with accurate facts and a comfortable environment in which they can ask questions and get the information they need.  

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Dr. Youschak has happily made Florida her home since 1995.  For the past 11 years, she and her husband have taken trips to Key West to enjoy fishing and diving, and she now relishes Key West as her full-time home.  With an extensive background in volunteer work, Dr. Youschak plans to continue her service in the local community.  “I hope people will see me as a community resource,” she says, hoping to be involved in teaching health classes in the schools and giving talks about health issues to local sports teams.  

Dr. Youschak is now accepting new pediatric patients and accepts most insurance plans.