Dr. Charles Ryan, M.D.

Charles Ryan makes the most delicious eggnog of all time.  You don't like eggnog?  Then you haven't tried Dr. Ryan's recipe.

It's a laborious, three-day procedure to prepare this beverage, but Dr. Ryan enjoys the process almost as much as witnessing how satisfied folks are with the results.  The same attitude prevails in his work as a pediatrician.  Dr. Ryan likes meeting and working with all different kinds of patients, and is always thrilled to see them develop into the best people they can possibly be.

Dr. Ryan is our East Coast representative.  Though he was raised in a military family stationed in many places, his deepest roots grew in Massachusetts.  A former restaurant kitchen manager, airplane parts factory worker, postal worker, and Munich resident, Dr. Ryan earned his college degree from University of Wisconsin in Madison, then returned to his home state for medical school at Harvard and pediatric residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.  Dr. Ryan joined the Centers for Disease Control and applied for a position in Alaska because it looked to be the most exciting and inviting.  He knew he wanted to stay before the plane touched the ground.

Dr. Ryan has served as an Anchorage pediatrician since 1982.  His illustrious history of medical leadership includes chairing the Department of Pediatrics, serving as president of the Medical Society, and serving on a national committee of the Academy of Pediatrics.  Dr. Ryan currently serves as vice chair of the Providence Alaska Medical System Advisory Board.

Dr. Ryan's most memorable childhood illness?  "Probably whooping cough, which I did my best to make fatal by climbing up on a high chest of drawers to overdose myself on more of my tasty grey medication pills.  I fell off the chest, onto my head.  I still remember the headache!"

His interests?  "Visiting other countries, getting to know other cultures and languages, and having people from abroad visit us.  I enjoy the outdoors, fishing.  I like art, symphony, and opera.  I like a whole variety of other kinds of music, like pop, folk, and jazz.  I cultivate several varieties of lilacs.  I like good conversation."

His favorite part of being a healthcare provider?  "It combines the use of science, which I love, with close and meaningful interaction with people, which is so fulfilling to me.  What I most enjoy are the long-term relationships that I have with families over decades.  I am humbled by the opportunity to take part in some of the most critical milestones in people's lives, and I am constantly aware of the great privilege that families extend to me every day."

Advice for patients and families?  "Go with your gut.  Seek the best advice you can find, educate yourself, be open to ideas and change.  Establish a good relationship with a provider you trust, but in the end, do what seems right and comfortable for you."