Dr. Vera Tory – The Doctor Of The Smallest

We published this article in June 2015 when we spoke with another fantastic doctor from our pediatric team Dr. Vera Tory.

I will assume that you must have lived and worked abroad in an English-speaking country given your quality of the language?

Well in fact I was born in Budapest; a child of two doctors. At one point when I was younger my father was awarded a two-year scholarship in the United Stated working as a genetic researcher. We were quite fortunate as the whole family was able to join him for his tenure. During this time I worked in a hospital gaining my first international working experience for  my later profession.

How did you become interested in medicine?

My mother is an internist and angiologist. When I was a child I used to visit her at work while she was on duty; I think I was ‘infected’ with the idea of becoming a doctor early in life. There were passing moments when I played with the idea of becoming a lawyer or a dancer, but the original idea was very fixed in my mind. Pediatrics itself is an old flame as well. I have always liked caring for children, often babysitting during my school years. When I had the chance try out other specialties at university, my desire for pediatrics only became reinforced. Children are incredibly honest, the smaller they are the more so.

Even among children it seems you even treat the smallest of them, right?

I am a neonatologist, where I get to experience stunning reactions from prematurely born children who are not yet ready for independent life. The smallest intervention can bring about life-saving results. Besides working for FirstMed as a pediatrician, I am also the head of the Neonatology Department at St. János Hospital in Budapest. There I am given the chance to be present at complicated child-births, providing emergency care to the newborn. I am also involved in the aftercare portion up until the moment the newborn is ready to join their mother.

The delivery room is always a challenge, moments full of expectations. First of all it is always a mystery, what the infant will be like and how we, the team, can use our skills to our best potential. Then to be able to tell when, and if, our intervention is needed. We are the gatekeepers of when the newborn is ready to join their mother. Finally continuous communication with parents and the endless effort of trying to help new mothers with premature children helps us develop feelings of motherhood in them.

The fact that the baby arrived earlier than expected, adding that the baby is quickly taken away for treatment and observation, can create huge amounts of stress for new mothers. Despite all these circumstances we do our best to provide the necessary environment for the initial bonding to happen between mother and child as seamlessly as possible. Making this happen in the neonatal intensive care unit is not an easy task.

I suppose you have saved a lot of new lives this way.

It is always a teamwork. We cannot stress enough that any result from the medical intervention doesn’t rest solely on the shoulders of the doctor but the entire medical team and the equipment available during an intervention. This is ten times truer in neonatology. Without the equipment and my colleagues I would not be effective. We cry and laugh together…

Do you see the smallest of the small only at FirstMed too?

At FirstMed I actually see children up to 18 years of age, but my colleagues know, given my background, they can consult with me or refer patients, when they are newborns in distress. In addition to regular visits I also provide a consultation that enhances bonds between mother and child*.

If you would like to consult with Doctor Tory or any of our other pediatricians please call 224-9090 to make an appointment.

Thank you Dr. Tory for the interview.

Contact us, if you wish to make an appointment with Dr. Tory.

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