Mara Darian, MD, has joined PeaceHealth and will practice pediatrics at the University District clinic and Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend.

She earned her doctor of medicine and master of public health from Wayne State University. She completed the pediatric residency program at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic.

Prior to medical school, she served in AmeriCorps in an urban public high school, which created a basis of her strong values of public health, social justice and humanism, and started her on a path in health care.

“I found pediatrics as a way to meld an interest in public health and medicine,” she said. 

She’s interested in first learning about her patients’ experiences upon meeting them.

“I’ve always loved hearing people’s stories and having the opportunity to experience life through their eyes,” she said. “You can’t help patients the way they want to be helped until you learn what’s important to that individual. 

“With pediatrics, you’re not just caring for the patient but for the entire family,” she added. “I’m making sure that we all agree on a plan for care. I see myself as a liaison for families as they navigate health care system.”

Outside of work, Darian enjoys drinking warm beverages with loved ones, downhill skiing, hiking and enjoy all the Northwest has to offer.