Dr. Jeliazkova was drawn to medicine as a teenager when her mother battled cancer in their homeland of Bulgaria.

“During my mother’s critical illness, I spent a long time with her in the hospital – going through surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, diagnostic and medical procedures … My experience with her health care team was great,” she said. “It was during this time when I realized doctors do something special – that medicine drives our progress. It finds answers to unsolved mysteries and unlocks hidden mechanisms to restore a person’s livelihood. To me, medicine is the closest thing I have to faith, and it is the ideal way to achieve purpose of life.”

She chose pediatrics because of its challenge of offering exposure to a broad spectrum of disease processes and interaction with a diverse population – from newborns to adolescents.

“During an appointment, my team and I provide a warm and nurturing environment. Our goal is that parents never feel rushed at their child’s visit,” she said. “I am a mother and I approach each patient as if they were my own child.”