‘Heroes in HealthCare’ 2013 Awards Physician Recipient – Dr. Gregory Watts
MADERA – Dr. Gregory Watts has been with Children’s Hospital Central California for 32 years, first arriving when it was located on Shields and Millbrook in Fresno. His mother was a nurse, and his aunt was a chief nurse at Charity Hospital in New Orleans for 50 years, and Dr. Watts decided to enter the medical industry himself and become a physician while in college.
Dr. Watts is an emergency physician at Children’s, and is trained to follow algorithms in a multitude of different situations. On any given day, he sees patients that are suffering from colds, vomiting, have fallen out of trees or from monkey bars, or have even been struck by vehicles. Even though situations are often stressful, he tries not to let his emotions affect his work.
26 years ago, Dr. Watts met his longtime friend Lisa Casarez when she brought her daughter in to get treatment for a laceration. A couple of days later he brought Casarez to his home, and she also befriended his wife, Mary. Casarez had broken up with her husband and struggling, but the couple encouraged her to get her master’s degree. She eventually founded Angels of Grace Foster Family Agency, where Dr. Watts is president of the board.
Dr. Watts and Mary live in Fresno, where she is a licensed clinical social worker. Their son is an editor, filmmaker and producer in Hollywood.
The “Heroes in HealthCare” awards reception is coming to the Skyroom Lounge in the Holiday Inn Fresno Downtown on Thursday, May 30. Awards will be presented in the following categories: Physician, Nurse, Healthcare Professional, Volunteer, Emergency Response, Innovation, and Dentist. A special Lifetime Achievement Award will also be given. Tickets are $55, and can be purchased at http://heroesinhealthcare.com/heroesinhealthcare.com/Tickets.html.
