Dr. Jessica Aderman, D.O., is one of the first people to greet newborns at Bluffton Hospital.

Joining the staff on Nov. 11, Dr. Aderman is the second pediatric hospitalist at Bluffton. She and Dr. Jennifer Hohman, M.D., share duties of meeting each Bluffton Hospital newborn within 24 hours of birth.

In addition to Drs. Aderman and Hohman, Dr. Darrel Hotmire, D.O., Bluffton physician, also provides some newborn care at the hospital.

“I do an assessment from head to toe of each newborn,” she said. “Looking for things like heart murmurs, respiratory issues, and anything out of the ordinary.”

Typically, she completes a second check before newborns go home.

Being on call 24-hours a day, she is also a emergency room consultant for incoming patients who are 18 or younger.

“I’ve always wanted to do something involving kids,” she said, reflecting on her path toward pediatrics, adding that the decision came in high school.

And, she says that she definitely understand what it’s like to have children. She and her husband, a dentist, are parents of four children ages 3 to 12.

“Swimming, gymnastics, soccer, all of that come with parenting,” she says.

At home, she says she enjoys reading. “The Secret Garden” and “Little Women”  are among her favorite titles. She’s a big Harry Potter and Downton Abbey fan, although she’s not yet seen the Downton movie.

In addition to reading, she’s taken nine years of piano and enjoys playing that instrument.

Dr. Aderman holds a bachelor’s from Bowling Green. She completed her doctor of osteopathic medicine at Ohio State and her pediatric residency at the University of Toledo