Elizabeth Anne Tucker, M.D., said she believes being a mom will help her be a better pediatrician.

“A lot of pediatric medicine is reassuring new moms,” Dr. Tucker, who has a five-year-old daughter, said. “It helps that I’m a mom, too. I had not done my residency when I had her, and I worried about a lot of stuff. Now when moms come in with concern, I can say, ‘Yes I worried about it, too.’ ”

Dr. Tucker recently joined Andalusia Health, and expects to begin seeing patients in her office in September. She also will take call, and make hospital and nursery rounds at Andalusia Health.

A native of Washington state, Tucker said her mom was a pediatrician.

“I like the other specialties, but I always knew it would be peds for me,” she said. “My mom was a pediatrician, and I grew up in her office. I knew it wouldn’t be adult medicine I chose.”

Dr. Tucker earned undergraduate degrees in microbiology and cellular and molecular biology at the University of Washington in Seattle. She attended St. Matthews University’s School of Medicine in Grand Cayman, and earned an MBA in hospital administration from Davenport University in Grand Rapids.

She met her husband, Rowan, who recently retired from the Army when he was stationed in Washington state. It was when he was assigned to Texas that she began her residency program at LSU.

“He’s been in the Army for 20 years, and spent most of his time in the South,” Tucker said. “We decided to stay.”

She said pediatrics is especially interesting because it is very different.

“Kids aren’t tiny adults,” she said. “They are a whole different set of medicine, and have different issues that go along with it.”

Her advice to new moms would be to always ask questions if they have concerns about their children’s health.

“Never be embarrassed,” she said. “Any time you have a concern, always ask. Even if it is just for reassurance.”

“Well” visits or checkups are important, she said, because they give parents an opportunity to bring up issues or concerns.

Tucker said when she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her family.

“We go to the park, exercise, and take short trips to explore new places,” she said.

Her husband, who is originally from Jamaica, but moved to New York before joining the Army, also has a business degree, but has enrolled in Troy University and begins classes in the August.

Dr. Tucker’s office, which is expected to open in September, will be located at 109 Medical Park Drive, Suite B.