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Rajanee Sripaipan: Physician treats children — and their children

Dr. Rajanee Sripaipan has been a pediatrician in the Copper Country for nearly 50 years. She treats sniffles, saves little lives, and everything in between.

She’ll never forget a baby who was admitted to the hospital with acute respiratory distress and wheezing. A chest X-ray revealed a tumor in the baby’s chest. “I immediately called my colleagues at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, where I had trained, and I sent the patient there for further evaluation,” she recalls. The baby was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma, a cancer involving the spine, which required treatment with chemotherapy and radiation.

At that time, chemotherapy had to be delivered intravenously. Sripaipan had been trained at Children’s Hospital to deliver intravenous chemotherapy to babies. “Following the instructions from the oncologist at Children’s Hospital, I was able to give this type of chemotherapy to the patient at my office with the help of my nurses every week for six months, alternating between two different chemotherapy drugs each week,” she says. “Although the patient had to travel to Children’s Hospital multiple times for radiation treatment, the baby was able to return home to receive chemotherapy here.”

The baby recovered from the cancer.

From Thailand

to Michigan

Sripaipan hails originally from Bangkok, Thailand. After receiving her medical degree from Mahidol University Faculty of Medicine there, she came to the United States to do an internship at Highland Park General Hospital in suburban Detroit and a residency in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

In 1976, her husband, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Pichai Sripaipan, got a job at the old Portage Hospital in Hancock. Rajanee joined him there a few months later.

Why pediatrics? “I love kids,” she says. “And they’re easier to take care of than grownups,” she adds with a smile.

The kids she treats love her too. So do their parents.

A parent’s praise

“She’s wonderful; she’s exceptional,” says Jen Dessellier, whose three children have been Sripaipan’s patients since they were born.

“She remembers everything — children’s names, siblings’ names, something a child said years ago,” Dessellier remarks. “How does anyone remember all that?”

Dessellier goes on to say: “She gave me her home number and invited me to call if we were ever having a problem.”

Her oldest son did just that. Struggling with a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder, he called Sripaipan, crying. “I can’t stop doing my threes (feeling compelled to do three certain things in a row),” he sobbed. The doctor talked him through it, calmed him down and called the next day to check on him, Dessellier recalls.

Generations of children have passed through Sripaipan’s clinic. Dessellier’s husband was one of the first children under her care when she came to the Copper Country 47 years ago. And there are many others.

“It’s nice,” the pediatrician says modestly. “I’m glad they want to bring their children to see me.”

A colleague’s

accolades

Her colleagues have nothing but praise for Sripaipan.

“Rajanee and I have been partners at work for about 14 years,” says Dr. Colleen Vallad-Hix. “She has been an inspiration to me as a pediatrician and person. She is very committed to her patients and has been for over 45 years.”

“She is ageless,” Vallad-Hix goes on to say. “Despite her age, she was running the practice solo when I arrived, including being on-call and practicing at the highest level with up-to-date knowledge. She is tireless and is available to her patients at all times.”

In addition to her medical practice, Sripaipan is interested in the arts. She works to support the Pine Mountain Music Festival and has hosted performers in her home. She regularly hosts students and families from Thailand, too, inviting them to stay in her home over the holidays.

“She has been a wonderful colleague and friend over the years and has regularly hosted Christmas dinners for the staff in her home with home-cooked Thai food, Vallad-Hix goes on to say. “I cannot say enough about her professionalism and friendship. I am proud to call her my partner and friend.”

Sripaipan is a highly rated pediatrician. US News and World Report gives her five stars for provider’s follow-up, time spent with the patient and provider’s attitude. WebMD, a trusted online medical resource, gives her five stars for taking time to answer questions and providing follow-up.

“I always want to provide the best care possible for my patients, and I thank them for their confidence in me,” the pediatrician says. “I also am thankful for the wonderful team of nurses, staff and physicians who support me in caring for our patients. It’s an honor to serve the wonderful people of the Copper Country.”

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