Monroe Pediatrics Inc / Andrea V. Hill MD

10/15/2026

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. I think about this day because I have suffered two miscarriages. I also think about this day because as a Pediatrician I have lost infant patients to SIDS, cancer, and accidents over the years. My heart goes out to any of you who have suffered. For those who have suffered loss recently, I want to tell you that your pain will always be with you, but it will become bearable with time and you will smile again one day.

The staff of Monroe Pediatrics and I send you all love, today and every day.

Dr Hill

10/07/2026

Last weekend I volunteered at Fight Against Su***de fights at Akins Arena in Athens. We raised over 300,000$ to contribute to su***de prevention and awareness programs in the Athens area.

It was a little overwhelming to meet so many people whose lives had been impacted by su***de.

Remember to call 988 if you are having thoughts of su***de. They really do a good job with helping those who need it.

09/28/2026

It’s that time of year again. Football and cheerleading season when we start seeing more concussions.

Some of you get a little frustrated when I don’t let you return to play until all your symptoms are resolved. This is is why.

Second impact syndrome can be lethal. It involves severe and rapid swelling of the brain when a person essentially gets a concussion on top of a concussion.

If you have a concussion first thing is to rest your brain - but for only 2-3 days. Then it is super important to start 20-30 minutes a day of aerobic activity like walking or a very light jog. Studies show this brings a faster recovery. Other activities like school should resume after the first few days with accommodations for sound and bright lights if necessary.

Unfortunately, I have seen this happen in combat sports. The fighter I know lived but it was very scary to see. Not everyone is as lucky as he was, or have as skilled doctors available as quickly.

This is why being HONEST about your symptoms is so important. It could save your life.

09/17/2026

Happy first ever Women in Medicine Day! Kind of like Mothers Day for some of us but without the presents.

09/16/2026

This is a picture of me and my older daughter on Mother’s Day when I was a pediatric resident.

I graduated from Medical school and completed my residency in Texas. I loved living in Texas. I loved how friendly my classmates at Texas A&M were. I loved the family feeling TX A&M gave me. I loved the food, spring when the bluebonnets exploded onto the scene, cowboys - who you could hear walking from the sound of their spurs long before you saw them in the hospital parking lot and I loved learning to be a doctor. I felt like I had found my place in the world - both in Medicine and in Texas. I honestly didn’t see myself leaving Texas.

But the last two years of residency changed my mind. I found out from attendings (doctors who had finished residency) that the female doctors were being paid almost 25% less than their male counterparts for the same job… the same job, the same number of hours and the same employer. Then my pediatric program director told me I was too outspoken for a woman in that part of the country and that I needed to be more quiet and another male doctor told me that I was going to work part time and my career was never going to matter. And the rose colored glasses came off.

I started looking for jobs on the east coast.. I decided I wanted to see green grass again and magnolia trees and honeysuckle.. the plants I grew up with (none of this grew in central Texas well).

As I searched for a job, I found more and more that it was common to pay female doctors less for the same work as men, it wasn’t just a problem in Texas. It made me mad that a man might hire me, make me see way too many patients, and make money from my work while paying me less (every job I interviewed for in Alabama and Georgia had male employers/bosses).

And that’s why this little girl ( literally this picture was taken May of 2002 only 2 months before I moved to Georgia and opened my own practice) moved to Georgia and opened her own practice straight out of residency. I didn’t know anything about owning a practice, and I had no idea if my practice would be successful or not - but I did know that I would get paid for the true work I did and not only 75% of it.

I see this picture and can’t believe I did what I did. Remove the red lipstick and I look 14 years old. No wonder people didn’t always like it when I stood up for myself or when I gave medical orders to staff. No wonder I had to fight to be heard and to be taken seriously.

And you know what I have found over the years? I still often have fight to be heard, to protect myself and for people to know I mean business.

And, My older daughter, the little girl in this picture, fights everyday - as a lawyer - for other women to be heard. And she is a beast in the courtroom.

I am happy with the life I forged, don’t get me wrong, but I hope my younger daughter (20 years younger than her sister) and your next generation of girls don’t have to fight so much. And I hope, if they are loud and outspoken like me, men don’t just label them a B$&!h and actually treat them fairly, like they should, not just when it comes to pay but with simple civil and constitutional rights. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful world in which to live?

❤️Dr Hill

PS: I was 29yo in this picture. (Old enough to be taken seriously as a doctor).

09/14/2026

This is important.

There are around 10 confirmed measles cases in Atlanta in daycares. What we all need to understand is that measles is an AIRBORNE disease. This means it spreads like crazy and the spread is very hard to prevent.

And, you can assume that if there are 10 cases in daycares in Atlanta, the number infected and contagious is probably way higher. The incubation period for measles is up to 14 days, so the spread can be vast - in the air - when you don’t even know it.

Even worse, the part that worries me the most is - I have never seen measles. The last massive outbreak of measles was when I was a freshman in college. That is when scientists realized that the one vaccine we were getting as children wasn’t enough and we all had to go to our college health centers to get a second shot. After that, a second shot was added into the vaccine schedule and there have been no more big outbreaks like the one when I was a college freshman.

I turn 54 years old this month. The last major epidemic was when I was 17 years old.

The only time I saw anything like measles was when my older daughter had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever at 4 years old. She had a high fever for several days and was at my parents’ home. She went to church (with a fever because back then you went to church or else) and she passed out and fell off the pew and had a spotted rash everywhere that appeared out of nowhere. I was an intern in Texas and I left to fly to her - terrified. And, when I saw her - I absolutely freaked out. It was the worst rash I had ever seen in my life - still the worst rash I have seen to this day as a pediatrician. They tested her for measles. But, it turned out it was Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

That is the closest I have gotten to seeing measles. I have been studying it, I have been educating my staff. We have made sure to have the correct swabs to do pcr testing to find it. But, we don’t know what it looks like. We haven’t seen it. Almost none of us have seen it. And that’s honestly what worries me the most.

So we are doing our best to learn and identify if. But we need you all to help. We need you to let us know if your child has been exposed to measles. We need you to tell us if your child has red eyes with a high fever and rash. We need you not to come into the building and warn us if you suspect your child has measles. Our staff will be asking the questions to triage but we need you all to help us keep you all healthy. We have online check in. We have a doorbell with video camera at our front door. Please don’t come inside if you are worried your child has measles. Let’s work together to keep our community healthy.

From what I understand - and It’s based on books and historical data because like I said - I have never seen it. (Again - The second vaccine was implemented when I was a freshman in college - several years before I started medical school). But, from what I understand is - death from measles comes from fulminant pneumonia and brain infections that can come from it. And, when I do the math, the death rate seems about as high as it used to be 40 years or so ago when people used to see it more - in spite of better supportive medical care.

So, we all really need to work together to keep the spread of measles down and to keep each other healthy. Let’s all try to stop the spread of measles together.

09/10/2026

7/12/16:

“Today I thought hard about the last 15-20 minutes of Tim’s life and I really saw, really understood the incredible amount of pain that was overwhelming him. I wish I had been the kind of person who just hugged him, held on tight, and told him to cry. I feel like I failed the person I loved most in the world in his worst time of need.”

My journal and my guilt.

Since my husband died by su***de June 13,2016 I have learned more than I ever wanted to learn about su***de.

Today is World Su***de Prevention Day. This is your reminder that hugs and crying won’t prevent su***de. Su***de happens - the majority of the time when a brain is sick. Very sick. Self talk starts - like a demon - telling you that the ones you love are better off without you. You feel like the horrible pain inside will never end.

By the time it happens, you aren’t being selfish - you actually believe you are doing the most unselfish thing you can do - saving those you are hurting from you.
.. Here’s my message to you. 1. The voice in your head is lying to you. They are not better off without you. 2. You will feel happy again - it takes time and hard work.

Call 988 if you are in the US and having thoughts of su***de.

Don’t do it. Stop. Make a call. You are the one who can prevent your own su***de.

***depreventionawareness

09/08/2026

I have a friend who is a photographer. She photographs women in what she calls their “soul portraits.” Years ago I met her for a photo shoot. The first photo shoot I was just trying to like myself. I had struggled with that since childhood. The next one I was trying to balance the hard and soft. A battle so many face, especially single moms and moms with busy careers. We get so used to having to be tough and trying to force others to respect us that we sometimes lose touch with who we really are.

I look back at some of the pictures and realize that my friend is really good at capturing the mood of the shoot, and catching a psyche in a snapshot of time. But I also like looking back at the most recent ones, the ones of me in white pants and I see that my years of photos with her have showed an evolution I’m proud of. An evolution into confidence and the work I have been doing towards true internal peace.

She wants to take pictures of me this month for my birthday and wants me to look deep into my soul for them. Through our conversions about this, and reviewing the soul portraits she has done for other women, I see so many women follow the same path I have. This feeling that we need to be tough, we need to protect ourselves. The feeling that makes us put up walls and feel exhausted from how much work It takes. The feelings that often cause anger and resentment at the people who we perceive cause these needs in us.

I am happy that I don’t feel the need to look tough or pretend to be soft for pictures this year. I want to see what pictures of just me look like, what they reflect about my life journey. If you look at these pictures and the feelings I’m showing resonate with you, know that you are not alone.

May we all get to the peace we deserve as moms and as women.

Not everyone has a friend to take photos like this, but you do have the ability to look deep inside and ask what you want your next year, your next 5 years, even your next decade to look like - from the inside out. Then - pick out some clothes that reflect that. Take a day and get dressed in a way that shows the “you” you want to show to others and look at yourself in the mirror and really see yourself. Consider it - like a costume party. Maybe even do it with some girl friends and see if others can tell what you are trying to show them. It’s an amazing exercise in self discovery and self acceptance.

I can’t wait to see what she does in pictures for my birthday this year. I have long considered September the start of my new year. With my birthday, I set goals for the next year, not on New Years Eve. Seeing myself more objectively helps me understand my goals better, how I’m feeling.

Happy September all you amazing women out there. I see so many moms in my office and I think we are all doing a great job at this thing called life.

❤️ Dr Hill

PS I turn 54 this month, makes me a tiny bit sad that it took me until 53 (the photos in white pants) before I got to where I see who want to be in photos. May you all love yourselves and let go of the tough girl you need to show decades sooner than I did.

09/07/2026

Our office will be closed tomorrow for the holiday weekend. We will reopen at our usual time on Tuesday.

08/27/2026