While Medicine was a part of her life growing up in Saint Joseph, there was surprisingly no pressure for her to pursue it as a profession. However, Dr. Ami Shah-Shine grew up knowing from a very young age that helping as many children as she could grow up healthy and strong was her calling.
During her time at Lake Michigan Catholic High School she found the smaller class sizes extremely helpful to allow her further pursuit in Math and Sciences. She had the unique opportunity to play on the Boys State Tennis team for four years and found it extremely rewarding. She also looks back fondly on how close the Graduating Class of 1995 became as a result of its size, which eventually led her to her now husband Matt Shine, a fellow '95 alumnus.
After graduating from LMC she pursued a Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Psychology from the University of Michigan. She followed that with 1 year of Public Health work before going to medical school at Wayne State University. During that time and the many medical rotations she went through, she tried going into each rotation with an open mind, but kept coming back to her love of working with kids. The smile on kids faces and, subconsciously, the smile her Dad, Dr. Shah, always had on his face after treating each and every one of them. A residency at the University of Michigan in Pediatrics solidified that she was on the right track, and she was awarded the Academic Award of Excellence in Pediatrics.
Coming back home to to serve Berrien County at the Saint Joseph Pediatric Medicine Office on Hollywood Road was a rewarding full circle moment for her. An opportunity to carry on and further progress, the community legacy her father had built in a practice 25 years ago. She returned to the area with her husband, Matt, the Creative Services Manager at Spectrum, and they have since grown their family together to include Noah, Ethan, and Luca.
Doctor Ami would never consider herself an essential worker over the course of the last year's pandemic, but like many needed community resources, she found herself working ceaselessly to ensure the safety and well-being of the Office's patients, staff, and her own family during this time. Pivoting quickly in their medical approach but always ensuring children's and families safety was their number one priority at Saint Joseph Pediatrics. Their office had not previously been offering telemedicine, but quickly put that into place to ensure safe care for those that could be diagnosed based on symptoms that way. In addition, they instituted strict rules of what type of patients can be seen at what times (e.g. wellness checks and sick kids at different times), 1 parent per child, no additional siblings, etc.
Looking back on the last year the tough parts of providing medical care were extremely stressful, but she and the team learned a lot and grew tremendously as a team together. A smile broke out on her face talking about how telemedicine 10 minute appointments have now turned into 30 minute appointments because kids want the Doctors to meet their pet, or see their rooms, or the Lego set they just built. It's providing a connection they thought they would be missing out on in a very different way, and provides her with the smiles she looks forward to every day.
When asked if she had any advice going forward to all the amazing students at LMC her smile was knowing and clear "Small towns and small schools doesn't mean you have to stay small. There are a lot of people who have done very cool things from LMC and you CAN do anything you put your mind to. If you apply yourself to your education it is an amazing launching pad for you to truly do anything. Go out there and pursue it. I want to read about YOU as an alumni article in the not too distant future."
Doctor Ami Shah, and all the Doctors, Nurses, Health Care workers and staff in our community (alumni, parents, and community members) thank you! You have worked exhaustively over the last year of a pandemic to educate, inform, and care for us as well as your own families. We appreciate you, and wish we could write an article about each and everyone of you. Thank you from the entire Lake Michigan Catholic School Community we appreciate you.