’Canes Connect
Five Miller School alumnae practice pediatrics together
By Karen Doss Bowman
Photography by Jeffery Salter
Kings Bay Pediatrics physicians, from left, Madelyn Dones, B.S. ’93, M.D. ’97, Danielle Katz Squires, M.D. ’11, Linda Keller, M.D. ’87, Ayleen Pinera-Llano, A.B. ’91, M.D. ’95, and Cheryl Cornely, M.P.H. ’12, M.D. ’16.
The Story Behind the Photo
Physically distanced? Yes!
In order to maintain physical distancing, our team photographed each physician in this photo safely and individually and then brought them together, through the magic of editing, as a compilation to help us better tell their story.
D
anielle Katz Squires, M.D. ’11, never imagined the pediatricians who cared for her as a child would eventually become her colleagues.
From birth into early young adulthood, Dr. Squires was a patient at Kings Bay Pediatrics in Miami, her hometown. With plans to pursue a career in medicine, she kept in touch with her doctors, even after leaving the area to pursue her bachelor’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania. After Dr. Squires returned home to enroll at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, the pediatricians mentored her throughout medical school and residency. She joined the practice in 2014.
“It was a natural fit,” said Dr. Squires, whose two children are now patients at the practice.
Dr. Squires is one of five Miller School alumnae practicing at Kings Bay Pediatrics. Although the practice founders weren’t Miller School graduates, they began recruiting new pediatricians from the medical school several decades ago.
Danielle Katz Squires, M.D. ’11
Linda Keller, M.D. ’87, was the first graduate to join the practice in 1990. As the years passed, the partners began expanding the practice by seeking recommendations from friends and colleagues in the Miller School’s Department of Pediatrics.
“Kings Bay is a family, as is the UM medical community,” said Dr. Keller, who was one of Dr. Squires’ pediatricians. “We look to UM first when we need expert specialty opinions and seek to hire new physicians.”
Kings Bay Pediatrics, which opened its doors in 1975, delivers compassionate, evidence-based medical care. The medical team stays up to date with the latest research and therapies to provide the best care possible for their young patients.
Linda Keller, M.D. ’87
“We are deeply invested in the health and happiness of our patients,” said Cheryl Cornely, M.P.H. ’12, M.D. ’16, who joined the practice in September 2019. “We follow their therapy progress, hospital discharges, grades, growth spurts, cancer remission celebrations, counseling sessions, sports stats, college acceptance letters, and more.”
Left: Cheryl Cornely, M.P.H. ’12, M.D. ’16
Right: Ayleen Pinera-Llano, A.B. ’91, M.D. ’95
Ayleen Pinera-Llano, A.B. ’91, M.D. ’95, who joined the practice in 1998, believes the ’Canes connection strengthens the group’s ability to collaborate.
“UM prepared us in every way, providing the academic background we needed and also the experience relating to patients and working as a team,” she said. “We all trained in the same environment, and we enjoy consulting and collaborating with each other.”
Dr. Pinera-Llano’s daughter, Gabriella Llano, is a second-year medical student in the M.D./M.P.H. dual-degree program at the Miller School and will be a fifth-generation doctor in the Pinera family.
As mothers to children with special needs, both Dr. Pinera-Llano and Madelyn Dones, B.S. ’93, M.D. ’97 — who joined the practice in 2001 — have formed special connections with other parents of children with special needs who bring their children to Kings Bay Pediatrics for care.
“Having a child with special needs has really helped to shape the type of physician I’ve become,” said Dr. Dones, whose son has hemophilia. “It’s made me a strong advocate for the disabled and special needs community because I have so much first-hand experience navigating the system. Parents look to me for guidance, and I feel like that has become a special niche for me within the practice.”
For Dr. Cornely, the opportunity to practice with so many UM grads was a significant factor in her decision to join Kings Bay Pediatrics.
“There is a special connection between graduates of the Miller School — were always willing to go that extra mile to help each other,” said Dr. Cornely, whose husband was a Kings Bay Pediatrics patient as a child. “We’ve been in each other’s shoes. We all bring the well-rounded UM education with us, but we also each have a unique perspective. We have tremendous respect for one another’s training and experience.”
Madelyn Dones, B.S. ’93, M.D. ’97
Visit the Medical Alumni Association website for alumni news, event updates, and ways to stay connected.
