Daniel Solomon, MD, is a Yale Medicine pediatric surgeon with Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital as well as a father of two himself. He says, however, he initially didn’t see himself in pediatrics. “I actually wanted to be a trauma surgeon. But I discovered that I like taking care of children more,” says Dr. Solomon. “I get to manage a greater spectrum of conditions (including trauma) but the patients recover faster and are more fun,” he adds. 

After completing medical school and training, he joined the pediatric surgery faculty at Yale School of Medicine. He and his wife settled in Westport with their kids, Harrison (11) and Clive (8). “We knew exactly which town we wanted to call home. Since I see patients at Pediatric Specialty Center locations that span Greenwich to New Haven, it’s great—or as great as possible with Merritt Parkway traffic…” jokes Dr. Solomon.  

 For this week’s Meet a Dad interview, we asked Dr. Solomon to share more about his practice.  

What types of surgeries do you perform?  

My colleagues and I perform operations in children and young adults from the snout to the paws. We operate on every organ system (which is why I love this specialty so much). Skin: Lumps and bumps. Endocrine: Adrenal, pancreas and Thyroid. Chest: Esophagus, chest wall and lungs. Abdomen: All of it… 

 Last year our smallest patient was about 450 grams and our largest was 200 kilograms. But my most common elective procedures are for hernias and my most common emergency procedures are appendectomies. 

How do patients come to you? 

I see patients that self-refer, and I get referrals from pediatricians (I think the majority of pediatricians in Fairfield County have my cell number), and I have parents show me their kid’s hernias at dinner parties…I’m never not wearing my pediatric surgery hat. 

Ha, love that. Do you meet patients (and parents) right before surgery? 

I see everyone before the decision for surgery is made. Many parents just want to be reassured from a surgeon that their child’s condition doesn’t need surgery (or that their small baby doesn’t need surgery right away). Providing that reassurance is just as important to me as operating. 

What would you want parents of children needing surgery to know?  

There is a cliché in pediatrics: “Children aren’t just small adults…” It’s a cliché but it’s true. Children often breeze through and recover more quickly from surgeries that would normally require a long hospital stay for an adult patient. 

The best example is hernia repairs: when I repair a hernia laparoscopically in an infant, parents tell me their babies are usually back to themselves the day after surgery. The same surgery in an adult would require at least a week out of work and weeks of activity restriction. I send most of my kids back to sports as soon as they feel like playing. 

Over the years, I have come to the realization that there is nothing I can say to completely relieve the anxiety of a child about the prospect of surgery, but I tell each and every one of them “when I see you in the recovery room, I’m going to ask ‘was it as bad as you thought it was going to be?’” and every child (and parent) says no. Our anxieties about pediatric surgery are much worse than reality. 

Is there anything Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital offers that isn’t available elsewhere? 

My pediatric surgery colleagues are the smartest, most talented people I know. They are national leaders in their fields of interest. And I would let each of them operate on my children. Pediatric surgery is a rarefied field; I know most of the pediatric surgeons in New York, Hartford and Boston. We had to meet pretty exceptional expectations to do what we do, and I like to think we hold ourselves to a pretty high standard. 

What can I offer that isn’t available elsewhere? I live here, too. If I’m going to see you at Stew Leonard’s or Compo Beach I better do a really good job taking care of your kid. 

Amazing. Why is seeing a pediatric surgeon, and going to a hospital that specializes in children, crucial for the best result?  

There are too many examples of why children’s specialists provide the best care to mention them all. But the care of appendicitis is an example that’s near and dear to my heart:    

Starting in the emergency room with a child experiencing abdominal pain, pediatric emergency specialist and pediatric radiologists are more likely to diagnose (or rule out) appendicitis with an ultrasound, and not require a CT scan and its commensurate radiation. In the operating room, about half of my patients with appendicitis are able to have their appendix removed through a single 5mm incision and most go home the same day.  

We are constantly honing our protocols to minimize children’s exposure to radiation, narcotics and antibiotics. We do this in conjunction with pediatric anesthesiologists who provide the safest experience during surgery, and child life specialists whose sole charge is to help children and families through the process.  

We offer these pediatric specialty services I mentioned throughout Fairfield County in Greenwich, Bridgeport and Trumbull as well as the Children’s Hospital in New Haven. 

Anything else you’d like to share? 

My email address is [email protected]. I’m happy to answer questions from my neighbors who are worried about their kids. The answer might be “you need to come in to see me, or one of our specialists.”  But I’m happy to do what I can to address the anxiety we all feel about the well-being of our children.  

Dr. Daniel Solomon sees patients at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital in New Haven as well as the Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Specialty Centers in Greenwich and Trumbull.

 To make an appointment or find a pediatric specialist, please call 877-YALE-MDS (877-925-3637), or visit ynhch.org/make-an-appointment.