Dr. Maria E. Petrini

I grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina and got interested in medicine while caring for a cousin born with a heart condition. My parents supported my decision to attend medical school and become a physician. Today, I care for inpatients at duPont Hospital for Children. My husband, Francisco Vranic, is a primary care physician at St. Francis. I have always enjoyed working with kids and helped care for many of my younger cousins. I knew all along that my career would involve caring for children. I started medical school before I turned 18, which is normal in the Argentine education system, and I have never had a second thought about it. I try to exemplify the values I learned when I was growing up: the importance of family and maintaining open, healthy relationships; honesty, faith, and making a difference in what you do. Even if it doesn’t always feel like you’re making a difference, the important thing is to try, every day. That’s what gets me up in the morning. I make an effort to listen to children and families and understand what their needs are and help with that. It’s always about the children and their families. Sometimes, the child is fine but needs help understanding what’s going on with the family. So I try to be as comforting as I can.

Her clinical expertise encompasses Obesity in Children, Developmental Dysphasia Familial, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Delayed Growth, and Gastrostomy.

Dr. Petrini is board certified in American Board Of Pediatrics. She is actively involved in clinical research, co-authoring 2 peer reviewed articles.