kris Woldu

Medical Doctor, Pediatric & Fetal Cardiologist at Cook Children’s Medical Centre, TX

I grew up in Canada and Idaho, attending Brentwood from grade 9 to 12, before moving to New York to attend Columbia University. I always knew I wanted to help people and from a young age I was drawn to medicine. My father is a physician and spending time with him in the hospital or in his office showed me what an amazing relationship a doctor can have with their patients. In pursuing my career in medicine, I found no specialty more intellectually stimulating and emotionally rewarding than pediatrics. Understanding the evolving pathophysiology of disease in children in the first day, the first month, the first year, and the twenty-first year of life has always captivated me and throughout my training, I have cherished the duty, responsibility, and privilege that a pediatrician assumes when a parent puts their child’s life into their hands. I continually strive to be worthy of that trust and do my best to give each child the healthy future that they deserve.

Nowhere have I experienced more interesting pathophysiology and more ability to truly impact children’s lives than in Pediatric Cardiology. Understanding the physics of a malformed heart and accurately counseling the family through the initial diagnosis has an immeasurable influence on the care of patients and their families. In particular fetal echocardiography not only allows for diagnosis of heart disease in utero, allowing for invaluable time to prepare and connect with parents prenatally, but also provides the unique opportunity to potentially alter the course of disease. Being the first person to tell a family that there is a problem with their unborn child and to take them through an understanding of what that means is an incredibly powerful and intimate connection, which is never easy but I try my hardest to let families know that this is a road that we will embark on together.

Although free time seems to get harder and harder to find, I love spending time with my family and friends whenever I can. We have a wonderful, active, happy young son and a growing extended family. My husband (as a physician) and I love to travel, watch a good movie, and have some great food. I have always been interested in arts and loved to dance, sing opera, paint, and play piano (when I had more time!). I love to be active, run outside in good weather, and have recently taken up cycling.

Although I have never lived in Texas before, Dallas has quickly felt like home and I’m finding my work at the Cook Children’s Medical Centre extremely rewarding.

Additional Credentials and Information

Specialty: Cardiology (Advanced Cardiac Imaging)

Residency: 2010-2013, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY

Fellowship: 2013-2016, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY

Advanced Cardiac Imaging Fellowship: 2016-2017, UT Southwestern Medical Center/Children’s Health Dallas, Dallas, TX

Board Certified:

· American Board of Pediatrics – Pediatric Cardiology

· American Board of Pediatrics – Pediatrics