Pediatrician Sophia DeCambre, who left Addabbo to have another child, is back at work, by Brian Abate

Dr. Sophia Morisseau DeCambre, a pediatrician and Brooklyn native, returned to work at the Addabbo Center at 120 Richards St.

DeCambre is from Flatbush but has already spent years working in Red Hook at the Addabbo.

“I’ve always wanted to do this and it has always been pediatrics for me because I love children and I love babies,” DeCambre said. “I used to volunteer at the Kings County Hospital in the pediatric ward.

I was 14. Back then you couldn’t do much. I would feed babies and play with them when the parents weren’t around. Ever since then, I wanted to be a pediatrician.”

While becoming a pediatrician was DeCambre’s dream, it was a long journey with a lot of hard work to make it a reality.

“There are summer programs that are very helpful but you don’t always hear about them,” DeCambre said. “I did a six-week summer program at Yale when I was in college which helped prepare me for the MCAT [Medical College Admission Test.] The whole process was a struggle. For some, the process goes smoothly but it wasn’t smooth for me so I felt very thankful for the love and support I had from my family. I can’t describe the feeling. The dream was always to become a pediatrician and become a mother.”

DeCambre was initially in Florida for a year and then came back to New York when she was pregnant with her first child and wanted to be closer to her family.

“I was told there was a very good pediatrician, Dr. Rosemary Jackson, who helped train family medicine residents at Downstate,” DeCambre said. “I got word that she was looking to hire so I was able to work with her in primary care in private practice for five years. I learned a lot from her, especially about private practice since it helps to build a sense of independence as you don’t have everything that you would have at a medical center.

“Then Addabbo came up and Dr. Luis Velasquez told me about the site here and a lot of old classmates who were working within the association. It was a great experience and then I left for about three years because I had my third child and had an opportunity closer to home. I still had my foot in the door though since I did per diem here at the Addabbo Center. Now my daughter is in school with the older ones, and so I’m back.”

DeCambre credits both Jackson and Velasquez as role models who “helped her pivot to the right direction.” She also thanked her parents for being great role models for her.

Now that DeCambre is back at the Addabbo Center, hours are Monday-Friday from 8 am to 4 pm.

There is a lab and a pharmacy on site, as well as social workers .

When DeCambre was in private practice, she took her own vitals and did her own phlebotomy. “I’ve had some patients that have followed me from private practice which is very humbling and very sweet,” DeCambre said. “It’s nice because the kids are about the same age as my own, I’ve gotten to see them grow up.

“One of the biggest challenges is getting parents back for follow-ups, especially with people moving and phone numbers changing. However, the most rewarding part is watching them grow up, holding the babies, and getting to spoil them. I’ve always been a little child-like and I like to joke around with kids and with my own kids as well.”

DeCambre also said that she loves being in Red Hook and could see herself retiring here. She also is still trying to see more of Red Hook and enjoys walking in the neighborhood.

“My long-term goal is just to be the best doctor I can be,” DeCambre said. “Now my daughter wants to be a doctor, so I want to help her on her path. I want to make a difference wherever I am.”