Never a dull moment for Dr. Andrew Hertz.

By Jennifer Proe

Dr. Drew Hertz

Who: Dr. Drew Hertz, pediatrician.

Where: Lives in the Boulevard neighborhood, works in the Warrensville/Van Aken district.

Business/Employer: Suburban Pediatrics, a member of the University Hospitals Rainbow Care Network.

Professional Mission: To help children develop to their fullest potential while helping parents enjoy parenting.

Personal Background: I have been in this practice for 18 years. I grew up in Shaker Heights. I’m a 1983 graduate of Shaker High. My father grew up here and also went to Shaker High. My children are third-generation Shaker Schools students. Sam graduated last year; Madeline is a sophomore. My wife, Linda Rae, is president of Keithley Instruments.

In addition to seeing patients at my Shaker location, I have an administrative role at Rainbow as medical director of the UH Rainbow Care Connection, one of the first pediatric accountable care organizations in the country. I am also the medical director of the UH Rainbow Call Center, the largest pediatric nurse advice line in the country. Another area of expertise is pediatric tele-health – healthcare by phone and video.

What I love about my work: I love the variety. One patient can be a newborn with a first-time mother, another can be a child having trouble in school, and another might be a teenager who is depressed. There’s never a dull moment. If I can help a parent feel more comfortable in their role as a parent, and I can help the child feel more successful in life, then I have succeeded. Pediatrics is not just focused on medicine, but on a child’s wellness and development, their overall well-being. It is very gratifying to help both children and adults.

On working and living in Shaker Heights: I enjoy having the opportunity to give back to the community I grew up in, and I appreciate the diversity of Shaker, which adds to the variety of care we provide. After I finished my residency and Linda graduated from the Weatherhead School of Management, we knew we wanted to stay in Cleveland.

There are many advantages to working and living in Shaker Heights, because you are so accessible to your kids and to home. You can’t beat the commute, you can’t beat being able to care for your neighbors and for some of the kids who go to the same schools as your children. I like being able to go home for lunch sometimes. When my kids were in elementary school I could rearrange my schedule to volunteer weekly in their classes. Linda and I sponsored a science night at Boulevard for a number of years. There are also tax advantages to working and living in the same city.

Shaker is special because it’s an old-fashioned neighborhood where you can ride your bikes to get ice cream, or walk to the park, and there is a great community feel where you can be exposed to a diverse population. We love going to Shaker Square for breakfast or dinner, or riding bikes to Fairmount Circle. I get my hair cut at Joe Sgro’s and we get takeout from the Pearl Asian Kitchen about once a week.

Originally published in Shaker Life, Spring 2014.