Doctor Biographies for Kid Care Pediatrics

Doctor Biographies

Omar A. Gomez M.D.

Dr. Omar A. Gomez Dr. Gomez was born in Denton, Texas and was named by his father, who is a
U.S. Army veteran, after WWII General Omar Nelson Bradley, the United States’ last five star general. Dr. Gomez was raised in Fort Worth, where he attended school through graduation from Nolan Catholic High School. Dr. Gomez completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, and he received his medical degree from Texas A&M University College of Medicine in 1994. Dr. Gomez completed pediatric residency training at Texas A&M University Health Science Center - Scott & White Hospital (Temple, Texas) in 1997, where he served as Chief Resident and Clinical Instructor.

After one year in private practice in Kerrville, Texas, he returned to Fort Worth in 1998 to join the Cook Children’s Physician Network to start up its Fossil Creek office. He built a successful practice over the next three years and left the network at the end of September 2001 to start his own private pediatric practice, under the name of Kid Care Pediatrics, which opened October 1, 2001.

Dr. Gomez is board certified in Pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He enjoys an excellent reputation within the medical community and the public at large. His practice philosophy is to provide professional, competent, and thorough care for infants, children, and adolescents in a warm and friendly manner.

In his free time, Dr. Gomez enjoys spending time with his family, reading, arts & culture, sporting events, and family cook-outs. He is married and has four young children. His parents and extended family live in the Fort Worth area, where he also happily resides. As such, Dr. Gomez is committed to staying in the local area on a long-term basis.

Alicia R. Leffel, M.D.

A native Texan, Dr. Alicia Leffel was born in Austin and grew up in La Grange – halfway between San Antonio and Houston. After graduating Valedictorian from La Grange High School, Dr. Leffel went on to Texas A & M University where she graduated Suma Cum Laude in just three years. Dr. Leffel chose to stay close to home and attended medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, graduating with honors, and was inducted into the prestigious medical honor society, Alpha Omega Alpha in May 1996.

Dr. Leffel pursued her residency training at Texas A & M University Health Science Center - Scott and White Hospital in Temple, TX. Her internship included studies in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. She completed her medical training in June 1999 after serving as Chief Resident of Pediatrics in her final year.

Over the next 4 years, Dr. Leffel served both as a clinician, within the Scott and White System at its Fish Pond Clinic in Waco, TX, and as a faculty member with the Texas A&M University Health Science Center in Temple. She is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Leffel is married and has 2 young children. She enjoys spending time with her family and also a wide variety of outdoor activities.

Dr. Leffel joined Kid Care Pediatrics in December 2003 and is now proud to call Keller, TX home.

Timothy J. Fricker, M.D.

Dr. Timothy J. Fricker Dr. Timothy Fricker was born and raised in the Pittsburgh, PA area. He completed his undergraduate studies in Biology at Grove City College, and then went on to receive his medical degree from his father’s alma mater, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in 1998. Venturing south, he completed his pediatric internship and residency training at the Children’s Hospital of Oklahoma in 2001. There, he would eventually meet his wife, Kristin Kosanke, M.D.

After working a short stint in Fargo, North Dakota, over the next 4 years Dr. Fricker’s professional career continued at the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas’ Emergency Department First Care section where he concluded his tenure as its medical director. Dr. Fricker is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Texas Medical Association.

Aside from spending time with his wife, Dr. Fricker also enjoys reading, drawing & painting, long distance running, and other sports. He also dabbles in web design, and is a digital video enthusiast.

Dr. Fricker joined Kid Care Pediatrics in October 2005. His goal is to provide the most complete, professional medical care possible for the children and parents in the Kid Care Pediatrics family.

Kristin L. Kosanke, M.D.

Dr. Kristin L. Kosanke Dr. Kristin Kosanke was born in Hobart, Oklahoma and raised in the neighboring town of Lone Wolf, a small town in southwest Oklahoma which was named after a Kiowa Indian chief. She attended grades K-12 there, and then went on to Stillwater, OK to attend Oklahoma State University, completing her undergraduate studies in Biological Sciences in 1996.

Following this, she studied medicine at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine from 1993-1997. Dr.
Kosanke completed her internship and residency in Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, where she would eventually meet her husband, Tim Fricker, M.D.

Over the next 5 years, since finishing residency training in 2000, Dr. Kosanke worked at the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas – First Care, which is the urgent care side of the Emergency Department. She is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics & the Texas Medical Association.

Dr. Kosanke is married to Dr. Fricker and they have one chldd. She enjoys many activities and interests, not the least of which is attending college football and basketball games in order to cheer on her alma mater’s OSU Fighting Cowboys whenever the opportunity arises.

Dr. Kosanke joined the Kid Care Pediatrics team in October 2005.

Kyler G. Crary M.D.

Dr Kyler G. Crary Dr. Crary was born in Reno, Nevada, but spent most of his childhood and graduated from high school in Raton, New Mexico. He then moved to New Orleans where he received both his undergraduate degree in biology in 1996 and his medical degree in 2000 from Tulane University. Dr. Crary then attended the pediatric residency program at Vanderbilt University in Nashville which he completed in 2003.

For the following three years, Dr. Crary worked at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas in First Care and the Referral Care Center (two divisions of the Emergency Center) and at Presbyterian Hospital of Plano’s ER, where he also recently served for one year as medical director of their pediatric section. Dr. Crary is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Crary is married to a fellow pediatrician, who is on staff in the hematology/oncology department at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas, and they have one beautiful daughter. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, various outdoor activities, and traveling as much as possible.

Dr. Crary joined the Kid Care Pediatrics team in October 2006.

Jennifer R. Pulliam, M.D.

Dr. Pulliam was born and raised in Medford, Oregon. She completed her undergraduate studies in Biology at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. She received her medical degree from Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska in 2000. She attended the University of Texas – Houston for her pediatric internship and residency, which she completed in 2003.

After residency, she initially worked as a general pediatrician at Wee Kare Pediatrics in Humble, Texas until she transferred with her husband and family to Anchorage, Alaska in 2006. There she worked as a general pediatrician at LaTouche Pediatrics in Anchorage until another transfer brought her to the Keller/Fort Worth area in June 2008.

In addition to providing general comprehensive pediatric care, she holds special interests in breastfeeding education and asthma treatment and education.

Dr. Pulliam is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Texas Medical Association. She joined Kid Care Pediatrics in October 2008.

Dr. Pulliam is married and has two young children. Together with her family, she enjoys many outdoor activities, including camping and hiking. She looks forward to meeting the patients and families in the Kid Care Pediatrics practice.

Lisa E. Lewis, M.D.

Dr. Lewis was born in Fort Worth, Texas. She grew up in Liberty, Texas, a small town outside of Houston. After completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Lewis attended medical school overseas at American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. During her third and fourth year of medical studies, she performed her clinical rotations at London Hospital Medical College, where she received Clinical Honors.

After returning home to the United States, Dr. Lewis completed a Pediatric Internship at Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She then decided to return home to Texas, and completed her pediatrics residency at Texas A&M University Health Science Center/Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas. The last year of her residency was spent as Chief Resident.

She stayed on two years after her residency as Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Texas A&M University Health Science Center. During her tenure at Scott and White, she served as Medical Director for Reach Out and Read, which is a program to promote early literacy in children. Dr. Lewis trained many other physicians and professionals on the important literacy quest for all children. Her program was the first of its kind in Texas.

Dr. Lewis’ heart as always been in “just taking care of children,” so she moved to Fort Worth in September 1998 to join Cook Children’s Physician Network, at its Cityview clinic. After ten years building a full time practice, and taking care of many wonderful families, Dr. Lewis decided to join Kid Care Pediatrics as a part-time physician in November 2008. Dr. Lewis would like to remain active in the field of pediatrics, while pursuing her career in writing. She has a strong interest in International Adoption, and has given many talks offering her expertise in this area to colleagues and parents.

Dr. Lewis is Board Certified in Pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Lewis’ goal is to provide ongoing excellent medical care for the children of our community.

Dr. Lewis is married, with two children. Dr. Lewis enjoys spending time with her family, her daughter’s school activities, writing, and is the troop leader for the Girls Scouts, Brownie Troop 3090.

Kathryn K. Mandal, M.D.

Dr. Kathryn Mandal was born in New Jersey, and lived in several states across the US before graduating from high school in South Carolina at the age of 14. She completed her undergraduate studies at Smith College in Northampton, MA and then worked at Duke University doing research in molecular biology for 2 years. She moved to Texas to be closer to her parents, and went on to study medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio where she met her husband, a fellow medical student in her class. She received her medical degree in 1999.

She completed her pediatric residency at the University at Stony Brook in New York in 2002 before moving to Washington D.C. to be with her husband as he finished his medical training. Dr. Mandal worked in a private pediatric group practice for 4 years in suburban Washington D.C., before returning to Texas in 2006.

She then worked for Texas Newborn Services providing inpatient care for newborns at newborn nurseries at local hospitals in the Fort Worth and Arlington areas. Dr. Mandal joined Kid Care Pediatrics in January 2009 with the goal of providing quality care in a private practice setting.

She is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Mandal lives in Keller with her husband and her young son. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading, and traveling with her family.

Who are Pediatric Nurse Practitioners?

Pediatric Nurse Practitioners are very special health care providers who are dedicated to improving children's health. PNPs have advanced education in pediatric nursing and health care and they serve children and families in an extensive range of practice settings.

What do PNPs do?

Perform routine developmental screenings
Diagnose and treat common childhood illnesses
Provide anticipatory guidance regarding common health concerns
Provide childhood immunizations
Perform school physicals

Kami R. Wegner, R.N., C.P.N.P.

Kami Wegner was born in Las Cruces, NM. She lived there until she was 15 years old. At that time, she and her family moved to Worthington, Ohio (a suburb of Columbus). She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the Ohio State University in 1991. Then, she worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital for one year. Following this she spent almost 4 years working in New York with mentally retarded and developmentally disabled individuals. Finally, she returned to the Ohio State University and graduated with a Masters of Science and completed specialized training as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in 1997.

Over the next eight years, Mrs. Wegner served as the clinical manager and then lead Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) for First Care (ER urgent care) at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas. She also served as a preceptor (training other student PNP’s) for 5 years for The University of Texas at Arlington and Texas Women’s University.

Mrs. Wegner is married and she is the very proud mother of three children. She spends much of her outside time at various activities for her children.

Mrs. Wegner joined Kid Care Pediatrics in July 2004. She is very happy and proud to be a part of the Kid Care Pediatrics family and looks forward to meeting each patient and their family.

Jennifer F. Flippo, RN, MSN, CPNP

Mrs. Flippo grew up in Houston and considers herself a native Texan although her extended family hails from Canada. Mrs. Flippo is a 1990 graduate of Texas A&M University. She completed nursing school at Texas Women’s University in Dallas. After working as a nurse for several years in the Pediatric ICU at Medical City Children’s in Dallas, Mrs. Flippo graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with her Master’s Degree as a Nurse Practitioner in 2000.

After attaining pediatric nurse practitioner status, she had the pleasure of working at Children’s Medical Center First Care in Dallas with Dr. Fricker, Dr. Kosanke, and Kami Wegner, RN, CPNP prior to their arrival with Kid Care Pediatrics. Following her time with Children’s Medical Center First Care, Mrs. Flippo worked for five years at Medical City Children’s in Dallas as part of the pediatric inpatient hospitalist team. She was the first pediatric nurse practitioner to be employed as a hospitalist in the north Texas area.

Mrs. Flippo joined Kid Care Pediatrics part-time in August 2007. She is also on the faculty of Texas Christian University where she teaches nursing students also on a part-time basis. She lives in Saginaw on the family farm with her husband and two sons who are very active in sports and 4-H, along with tending to an assortment of animals. Mrs. Flippo is thrilled to be working close to home and to be part of the Kid Care Pediatrics family.