Lisa Brannon
BSN, RN, CLC, IBCLC

Lisa Brannon is a Registered Nurse and an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She grew up in Dallas and received her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing in 1994. After college, Lisa worked as a nurse for 6 years in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Baylor University Medical Center. It was while she working at the Baylor NICU that Lisa was first exposed to working with breastfeeding moms and babies. She met her husband Tim while working in the NICU, and they went on to have 3 children. Lisa left the NICU to raise her children and occasionally worked in various private schools as a substitute school nurse. In 2014, Lisa joined Pediatricians of Dallas as a part-time nurse, but soon fell into the role of speaking with breastfeeding moms.

Her love of working with moms and babies returned, and Lisa began to train as a lactation nurse for POD. In the fall of 2017, she became a Certified Lactation Counselor by the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice. Lisa continued more lactation consultant education and became an IBCLC in December of 2020. Lisa enjoys helping new moms with both the joys and struggles that accompany breastfeeding. She firmly believes that a happy mom makes for a happy baby, and she strives to help moms get the support they need to be successful in their breastfeeding journey. In her free time, Lisa enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, reading, and running.

Ashley Smith
RN, MSN, CPNP-PC/AC

Ashley Smith, RN, MSN, CPNP-PC/AC, was born and raised in North Dallas. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Clemson University in 2006; Masters of Nursing from the University of Alabama - Birmingham in 2015. She is honored to be a part of the team at Pediatricians of Dallas since 2015. Previous nursing experience includes working at Children's Medical Center and Medical City Children's Hospital.

In her free time, Ashley enjoys spending time with her husband, Wade, and their daughters: Tilly Kate and Taylor. Outside of the office you can find Ashley cheering her girls on at all of their events. She is also an active member at Highland Park United Methodist Church.

What is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner?

A Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) is a nurse that holds an advanced degree, usually Master’s of Science in Nursing, to practice as a nurse practitioner. This advanced training allows a nurse practitioner to perform physical examinations, diagnose and medically manage common childhood illnesses, and teach with focus on disease prevention. A PNP holds a nursing license from the State Board of Nurse Examiners with a specialty designation: a PNP receives prescriptive authority and is allowed to prescribe medications to treat childhood illnesses. A PNP works in collaboration with a pediatrician in most settings. Many of the skills of a PNP straddle both the role of a nurse (assessments, in most settings. Many of the skills of a PNP straddle both the role of a nurse (assessments, histories, diagnosis, and teaching patient/families) and the role of a physician (order diagnostic exams, order medications, treat medical diseases and patient/family education).

Scope of practice of a PNP:

• Serve as health provider for well and sick children from newborn through adolescence.
• Perform wellness and health maintenance examinations.
• Perform developmental screenings.
• Diagnose and treat common childhood illnesses.
• Provide anticipatory guidance regarding common child health concerns.
• Provide childhood immunizations.

The above information is from:

http://www.napnap.org/PNPResources/PatientInformation/WhatIsPNP.aspx

What should one expect when seeing a PNP?

When you schedule a visit with a PNP at Pediatricians of Dallas, the appointment format will be the same as seeing your primary pediatrician. Your child will be weighed and measured with a brief history obtained by the nursing staff. The nurse practitioner will then see you and your child–collect a history, review pertinent data for a well child examination, perform a physical assessment, order any necessary diagnostic examinations/immunizations, discuss important safety and health promotion tips, and treat any illnesses with appropriate medications. If the nurse practitioner feels a second opinion is needed during your visit, there will always be access to a pediatrician with whom the nurse practitioner can collaborate.

When might one see a PNP at Pediatricians of Dallas?

We are privileged to work with two outstanding PNPs. We utilize our PNPs in order to see your child in a timely manner. There may be an occasion when your primary care physician is unavailable and in those instances there is a PNP available to see your child. You may see a PNP for any well child examinations or sick visits.

Joe B. Neely
MD, FAAP

Dr. Joe Neely grew up in Plano, a sixth generation Texan. He completed his pediatric residency at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas after receiving his MD from UT Southwestern Medical School. In 1993, he started practice with Woodhill Pediatric Associates and in 1999, he and Dr. Yaeger and Dr. Watkins established Pediatricians of Dallas, P.A. He is a board certified Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Neely is actively involved at Highland Park Presbyterian Church, is married to Maggie, and has three children: Sarah, Annie, and Robert.