Meet Our Team

We are a team of medical professionals who go to great lengths to care for your child. We hang our hat on an amazing patient experience and make sure your child always leaves with a smile.

FRONT DESK

MEDICAL OFFICE SPECIALIST — FRONT DESK LEAD

Jennifer

As a Proud Mom of an Eagle Scout, you will still find Jennifer within the Scouting scene or with her husband at the Knights of Columbus, or in the church gardens. But on a nice day you may even see her on her Harley! As Front Desk Lead, she strives to make your experience with Watch Us Grow the best that you can have, whether it is trying to find that must have appointment, giving special prizes out, holding a child while siblings are being seen, finding a pharmacy for those out-of-stock medications, or just listening to your concerns. It is always a pleasure to see WUG families out in the community when they recognize and share with her what a great office Watch Us Grow is, saying “I couldn’t agree more!”

Heather

Heather has a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Service Administration. She loves coming to work at Watch Us Grow, where she uses her expertise to answer parents’ questions. She loves exploring the outdoors, taking short weekend trips throughout Michigan. She loves looking for farm market stands and creating her healthy meals from what she finds. She loves spending time with her kids who are college-bound. You may see her riding her bike around the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, where she also volunteers.

Sheri

Sheri is a big kid at heart and loves getting to know the children and making them smile. She is proud to admit that she is a Star Wars, Marvel, and sci-fi geek! When not at work you can usually find her at the dog park playing with her huge fur baby or hanging out with her son and grand fur baby!

Brianna

Brianna looks forward to coming to the office each morning at Watch Us Grow. She loves getting to know the families. She spends her free time taking long walks with her boyfriend and fur baby named Bubba. She also enjoys fishing off her dock in her backyard, visiting all the local coffee joints, couponing, and baking.

Jennifer

As a proud Mom to a wonderful daughter, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her and exploring and experiencing different adventures. It can be as simple as a girls day filled with fun, or a trip to a museum. Along with Jennifer’s two degrees, she has been in the medical field for over 10 years, using her knowledge and experiences to answer questions that families may have. She enjoys relaxing with movies, ice cream and frozen custard, being active and enjoying yoga, along with walks through the park, especially during the fall.

Natalie

Natalie helps in many ways around the office. You might see her filling popsicles, stocking, or cleaning. She loves to help everyone she can whenever they need it. Natalie loves spending time with family and friends, enjoying music, and playing games with family. She loves kids and seeing all the different faces coming to our office. In the summer, Natalie loves going on walks, being outside exploring, and the water. She is very artistic and loves anything to do with arts and crafts.

MEDICAL ASSISSTANTS

Crystal

Crystal is one of our medical assistants. She helps with direct patient care and behind the scene work to help our office run smoothly. She loves helping to care for your families. She is a talented photographer and loves spending time with her boyfriend, her furbabies and out in nature.

Renee

Renee is a Certified Medical Assistant and front office staff member. She is passionate about her job and is dedicated to helping parents and patients have a wonderful experience at Watch Us Grow Pediatrics. She has a love for dogs and has three fur babies. She also enjoys spending time with her son and husband during her free time.

Jessica

Jessica is a Certified Medical Assistant who joined the Watch Us Grow family June 2022. She loves children and loves getting to know them and their families! When not at work, she is cheering on her 2 kids at their sporting events. She also enjoys watching movies, singing karaoke, spending quality time with her family, and spoiling her 2 fur babies, Axle and Zeppelin :)

Nichole

Nichole has been in the medical field for 20 years. With the majority of her career in the emergency department at both Beaumont and Mott as well as urgent care. During this time she has had the opportunity to meet the most wonderful children and families and help them through some of the scariest times of their lives and that is when she realized her passion in pediatric care. Children are so resilient and have taught her so much throughout her career and she can’t wait to learn more from our patients and families. In her spare time she enjoys camping, traveling, country concerts, and spending time with her family and friends.

MEDICAL ASSISTANT

We are currently seeking a certified Medical Assistant with Pediatric experience.

Ruthie

Hi, I’m Ruthie. I’ve spent 20 years in pediatrics as a medical assistant and couldn’t imagine a more rewarding career. My passon lies in working with infants, children, and teens. I strive to deliver efficient and exceptional care to your family. In my spare time I enjoy spending it with my family and friends. Family is everything.

NURSES

Katie

Katie joined our team in 2022 after practicing as an inpatient medical surgical nurse for 7 years and a case manager for 2 years. She and her husband enjoy traveling with their 4 children. One of her passions is teaching her kids sports, especially golf, skiing, tennis, and basketball. She takes a special interest in helping new moms learn to breastfeed and care for their newborns.

Cynthia

Cynthia joined our team in June 2020. Her role is to support our efforts in improving patient care. Under our guidance, she works with our Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan patients and families in the Provider Delivered Care Management program. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family. Cynthia is passionate about fitness, and can be found cycling, running and strength training daily.

OFFICE COORDINATOR / MEDICAL BILLER

ADMIN, PAYROLL, & IT

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING

Leslie

Leslie has years of billing experience. She is a reliable and dedicated employee, and always willing to help others. Leslie is a mother of three little ones. She enjoys the outdoors, spending time with her family, and in her spare time, likes to relax by catching up on of her favorite shows.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT / PAYROLL SPECIALIST / IT CONSULTANT / ENTERTAINMENT

Rob

Rob helps the WUG team wherever he can add value. He is a supportive husband and proud father. Outside work, Rob produces music at Groove Heights, plays with his band Forever Foo and enjoys watching Watch Us Grow grow.

FINANCIAL COORDINATOR

Ben

Ben officially joined Watch Us Grow in February 2025!

MEDICAL PROVIDERS

Dr. Heather Cadena, MD

Dr. Heather Cadena did her undergraduate training at Oakland University, receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in biology. She completed her medical school training Wayne State University School of Medicine in 2001. Her very rigorous residency training was done at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. She is passionate about providing quality, personalized care for her patients. Her pediatric and medical interests are vast; including breastfeeding, development, asthma, infectious disease, prevention of illness and disease by building healthy habits that will continue throughout life.

Dr. Rabia Akbar, MD

Dr. Rabia Akbar believes that her patients deserve the best of her – unrushed compassionate, quality care that provides peace of mind. She is a seasoned Pediatrician who completed her residency training at St John’s Children’s Hospital in Illinois in 2010 and then did 2 years of Pediatric Critical care Fellowship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Akbar is a mother to 3 healthy children, two whom had premature births and had special needs early in life. Through her own challenges, she understands deeply what difference a caring doctor can make! Her varied clinical interests include childhood obesity, mental health and asthma. Dr. Akbar is fluent in English, Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, interior design and traveling.

Dr. Debra Mulrooney, MD

Dr. Debra Mulrooney joins our team following wonderful decades of practice as a pediatrician, first in Michigan and then in Florida. She has decided to return to Michigan from Florida and eventually retire here, in the state she calls home. She did her undergraduate training at the University of California, Irvine, where she earned a BS in biology. She then pursued a BSN in nursing and practiced as a pediatric oncology nurse before going to medical school at Michigan State University. Over the years she has come to love caring for children and families who face chronic illness and complex medical and behavioral dilemmas. Her belief is that doctors are only as good as patients and parents help them to be, and that doctors need to listen. It is the trust between doctors and their clients that fosters the flow of information that is vital to providing appropriate medical care.

Kari McCoy, CPNP

Kari McCoy will be joining our staff in November! Kari is a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, who graduated from Wayne State University in 2012. She has spent the past ten years working in the Emergency Department at Children’s Hospital in Detroit. Kari’s clinical interests include acute care, preventive medicine, adolescent mental health and providing families with the knowledge and tools to make confident medical decisions for their children. Having two young children of her own, she recognizes the importance of having a trusting, open relationship with one’s provider, and is looking forward to building these relationships with the families at Watch Us Grow Pediatrics. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids.

Katie Callaway, CPNP

Katie is a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner who graduated from the University of Michigan in 2017. She began her career at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, working for 6 years in the emergency department as a nurse. Over the last 5 years she's worked as a Nurse Practitioner in the emergency department at Detroit Children’s Hospital. Her clinical interests include asthma management, adolescent care, and mental health. As a Nurse Practitioner, she values building trusting relationships between patients and families. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and kids, working on house projects, crafting, and reading.

Letter from Elise Guido, CPNP