Pictured are Dr. Lynn Dunham and her daughter, Sarah Gibson, a third-year medical student. Gibson had the chance to learn from her mom at Jamestown Pediatric Associates in July. Submitted photo

Dr. Lynn Dunham and her daughter got some special bonding time together this summer while offering care to the youngest of patients.

Sarah Gibson was given the chance to shadow her mother, Dr. Dunham, through an elective clinical rotation with Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. Gibson is a third-year medical student and jumped at the chance to learn from her mom at Jamestown Pediatric Associates in July.

“She had an elective month that she could choose to take off, which she figured she would be home for anyway,” Dunham said. “So, she thought ‘Well, what the heck, maybe I could spend a month doing a pediatric elective with (me). She got approval from her school to do it here and she spent four weeks with us at Jamestown Pediatrics.”

Dunham has been with Jamestown Pediatrics since 2002 and is a Jamestown native, graduating from Jamestown High School. Her daughter also graduated from Jamestown High School, following in her mom’s footsteps in more than just medicine.

Jamestown Pediatric Associates is located at 816 Fairmount Ave. and provides various medical services for children of all ages.

Dunham said she and her daughter had a great time working together while taking care of pediatric patients. She has always had a great relationship with her daughter, but it was interesting throwing the role of teacher into the mix.

“Most times, with parenting, I think it’s hard to be the teacher to your child. I give credit to all these parents that have had to teach their children the last year,” Dunham said. “It’s different now that she’s an adult. She came up with questions that most I had the answers to and some I didn’t. That’s part of the reason I like working with medical students because I think they challenge us, even physicians who have been working for 20-25 years.”

She said it was a great experience to see her daughter in her element, learning and growing in the medical field before her eyes. Dunham said she wasn’t sure if her daughter will go into pediatrics, but it is an interest of hers, alongside women’s health.

During the rotation, Dunham said they covered doing a patient history and physical examinations, as well as abnormal and normal development in pediatrics.

“There was a lot of that with all the visits from newborns to infants and toddlers, then to teenagers,” she said.

Dunham said it was nice to see her daughter back in her hometown, enjoying what the area has to offer. She said many young people want to move away and might not know what they are missing. Her daughter, however, has come to value her hometown and might have plans to return after becoming a doctor.

“I think one of the things she really enjoyed was being back in Jamestown,” she said. “I think that a lot of our kids that graduate from the local schools — a lot of them go away and don’t think there’s a lot to come back to. But, I think she actually feels the opposite. There’s a lot of opportunities here, and there’s a lot to give back to.”

Dunham said her daughter has always been interested in giving back in general, having done missions trips and other volunteer work — but she is also aware of the need in Chautauqua County, especially for medical care.

Gibson said she enjoyed learning from her mother during the rotation as it provided a level of comfort she wouldn’t have otherwise had. Also, she said it was made even more special as her mother had just gone through treatment for breast cancer in the winter. The opportunity gave the pair a chance to bond over their shared interest in the medical field and spend time together they might not have had otherwise.

“I had a fun time learning and working with my mom,” Gibson said. “She was a great teacher, and I felt comfortable asking questions.”

She said she was able to work on primary care issues while she was at Jamestown Pediatrics, even when other physicians were involved.

“If they would see something less common, other doctors would call me into their rooms to see it,” Gibson said.

She said it was good to see the rapport her mom had built up with her pediatric patients and their families. It was clear that there was mutual respect and compassion for one another, and she hopes to have a similar relationship with her patients when she goes into practice.

Asked whether she plans to return to Chautauqua County, Gibson said she hasn’t decided. She said she would like to do some traveling, but hasn’t shut the door on the area completely.

“I definitely love the area, and all that it has to offer,” she said. “Ultimately, it’s likely I’ll come back to the area.”