Cynthia C. Roque, MD

Get to Know Me

I enjoy the art of healing and helping children be the healthiest kids they can be. I am a child advocate who feels strongly that children are gifts who need protection, love and support from those entrusted to care for them. I also value comforting parents during times of stress, as well as offering guidance for day-to-day issues that arise. I’m also committed to my patients’ early childhood literacy development.

Why I Treat Children

I was inspired to become a child advocate as early as seventh grade. I saw a commercial about children in orphanages and I remember thinking that one day, I would devote my life to helping kids. That same year, I became a volunteer at the local hospital to get a feel for what it was like to serve people in a hospital setting and I truly loved it. I enjoy pediatrics because I value the collaboration with caretakers on their journey as parents and grandparents, and I enjoy feeling like we are partners and eventually part of the same family. My patients are as precious to me as my own child. There is nothing more precious than seeing a child grow into a healthy and happy young adult, and I do everything in my power to answer questions, offer support, and teach the best practices recommended for keeping children healthy. 

What I'm Passionate About

I am passionate about advocating for children and families, especially when it comes to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle. I also enjoy working with children with special health care needs and helping families provide a healthy social-emotional lifestyle. I care deeply about supporting the development of healthy minds and bodies, and combating health care inequality.  One of the ways I like to do this is by promoting early childhood literacy development. Being able to read well early in life gives young children a foundation for success. Students who enter kindergarten with below-grade-level reading skills have much a higher likelihood of dropping out of school later in life.   By giving infants and young children a foundation for success and early reading skills, we can combat the effects of income inequality. In the past, I have done this by introducing Reach Out and Read in the doctor’s office, and by partnering with families to promote reading aloud to their young children daily as an important part of the primary care well-child visits.  Over the course of my life and my training, I’ve always volunteered my services and mentored students in many areas. I thought at one point of teaching full-time, but I love the art of healing so I have applied this passion and experience to the way I care for my patients — and how I give back to my community. 

Make A Difference

Studies reveal that if a child or family can relate to their provider, they are more likely to accept, understand and follow the advice given. I try my hardest to ensure that I can offer children a sense of comfort and decrease or remove their fear of being in a doctor’s office. I do this in many ways but first by being playful during our interaction, yet respectful of their needs. I enjoy listening to children and teens and helping them feel like they are a part of their own health care. I like to include children in the decision-making and try to help them understand how to live active and healthy lives. My goal is to create a partnership with children/teens and families and to ensure there is clear communication between parent and child and with the medical community. By serving as a confidant for the children, I see better outcomes and help make staying healthy more fun and low stress. I love diversity and speak Spanish, and make it my point to do everything I can to communicate efficiently with every child and family that I encounter. I even pride myself on being able to speak “baby-talk!”