Dr. Vicki Ip is a pediatric specialist at Neighborhood Health Center, but she might not be with Neighborhood if not for the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A native of Toronto, Ontario, Dr. Ip earned a bachelor’s degree in life sciences from the University of Toronto before studying at University College Dublin School of Medicine in Dublin, Ireland where she earned her medical degree. She returned to the United States to do her residency in pediatrics at what is currently John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo.

Following her residency, Dr. Ip practiced as a pediatrician at Jericho Road Community Health Center in Buffalo. While at Jericho, she went on numerous volunteer trips overseas to care for people in areas that have been medically underserved. Before long, she and her husband, a family doctor in Buffalo, decided to leave their practices in the States and dedicate themselves to global health work. They joined an international health initiative through a non-governmental organization (NGO) that took them to Botswana and Tanzania where they served in health centers and helped teach local doctors and nurses current best practices.

“It was a challenging experience but I learned so much in helping to capacity build their local health systems,” she says. “The people knew that we were there to help and they welcomed us with open arms.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Dr. Ip and her co-workers began preparing the health centers for their pandemic response. Then the United States issued a Level 4 travel advisory. The NGO advised Dr. Ip and her husband to leave Africa before travel restrictions could leave them without a way to get back home.

Returning to Buffalo, Dr. Ip and her husband volunteered with the Erie County Department of Health to assist with the area’s COVID response while they re-established their roots in the area. It was the county commissioner of health who recommended that Dr. Ip look into practice opportunities at Neighborhood Health Center.

“I knew I wanted to practice at a community health center and continue working with underserved children,” Dr. Ip says. “Neighborhood’s mission is similar to my overseas experience in that we are helping people access quality medical care – it is very rewarding to bring pediatric capabilities to our community as part of that mission.”

Dr. Ip says she typically sees as many as 20 children a day at Neighborhood's Blasdell, Mattina, and Northwest locations, and with COVID precautions in place for patient safety, she sometimes sees patients via telehealth instead of in the office. As if her schedule wasn't busy enough, Dr. Ip recently began studying online for a master’s degree in public health from University of California, Berkeley. “My goal in studying for a master’s is to help increase my advocacy for kids,” she notes.

Speaking very highly of practicing with the team of medical professionals at Neighborhood, Dr. Ip says everyone works together not only for patients but also for the health of the community as a whole.

“Public health and medicine go hand in hand,” Dr. Ip concludes. “The pediatricians at Neighborhood are here to meet the physical, emotional and social health needs of our community’s children from birth to young adulthood.”

Her path to Neighborhood is truly global and we are honored to have Dr. Ip's passion for caring for kids here to serve our Western New York community.

To learn more about our pediatrics services, click here.