Redbird Pediatrics

12/25/2025

12/10/2025

We are excited to announce the newest addition to our Redbird Family: Katherine (Katie) Conkling, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. She will be joining our practice in January.

Katie grew up in Glen Carbon, IL and obtained her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College in 2013. She worked at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital for 5 years on the Infant/Toddler Medical/Surgical unit. During that time she became a Certified Pediatric Nurse. She completed her Masters of Science in Nursing, focusing on Pediatric Primary Care, from Maryville University in 2017.

She is board-certified by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB). Katie has been practicing as a primary care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Illinois since 2019.

Katie resides in Illinois with her husband Ben, their daughter Bailey, and their son Grayson. She enjoys spending time with her family, listening to music, being outside, and swimming in their pool!

12/05/2025

A statement from more than 40 leading medical, health and patient advocacy organizations in response to this week’s ACIP meeting:

"We are deeply alarmed by the actions taken this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The apparent goal of this meeting was to sow doubt in vaccines rather than advance sound vaccine policy, and we will all pay a price for that.

This is a significant departure from the historic role ACIP has played in shaping vaccine policy in the United States. Previously, we could expect science to drive decisions, experts to debate evidence, and consensus to lead to shared, clear recommendations. That is not the case with the current committee, and this change puts Americans’ health at risk.

The evidence remains clear: the hepatitis B birth dose is safe and an essential component in helping children develop immunity against a serious, potentially lifelong disease. In fact, since the U.S. implemented the hepatitis B birth dose in 1991, annual hepatitis B infections among infants and children have dropped 99%, from 16,000 to less than 20. This progress is directly attributable to timely vaccination.

ACIP’s actions will harm children, their families and the medical professionals who care for them. That is why we are joining together to speak up. American families deserve information grounded in science and clear, consistent guidance – not speculation intended to scare them. We urge the CDC leaders to reject ACIP’s new recommendation and instead retain the current, evidence-based approach.”

Read the full statement: https://bit.ly/4a0EyFN

11/22/2025

11/19/2025

***Please Share and Spread the Word***

HIRING PART TIME PEDIATRIC NURSRE PRACTITIONER

We are looking for hard-working and dedicated applicants interested in joining our Redbird Pediatrics team! We are a private, physician-owned, pediatric practice located in O’Fallon, Illinois. We care for patients from birth through college.

We work as a supportive team to provide exceptional care to our amazing families and patients. PNP duties include: providing expert medical care for all kids at both well-child checkups and sick visits, participating in an after-hours call rotation every 1-2 months, and helping staff triage non-urgent medical questions from parents.

Benefits included.
Open Monday-Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm.
No weekends. Paid holidays off.

Please send your resume to mydocs@redbirdpediatrics.com

Do not hesitate to reach out with any further questions.
We look forward to hearing from you.

**PLEASE SHARE**

11/18/2025

We would like to wish our wonderful nurse practitioner, Melissa Thole, well as she enters the next chapter in her career. She has been an important part of the Redbird Pediatrics team for the past three years. Unfortunately, her last day will be December 23rd. However, we are excited for her as she pursues her new passion for adult wellness. Rest assured that the rest of the providers are ready to step up to help care for her patients during this transition.

“This was not an easy decision as I LOVE my patients, their families, and the team at Redbird Pediatrics. After losing weight during my health journey, I developed a desire to help other adults as I learned to help myself.”
-Melissa Thole

11/03/2025

Our power has been restored. Thank you for your patience.

11/03/2025

Our power is out at Redbird Pediatrics. We are trying to triage phone calls, so please be patient as we work through this outage

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween. All you kids (and parents) have a fun and safe night.