Occupation: I’m a pediatrician with Newtown Center Pediatrics. I started working here in 1999.

Family: My husband, David, is a dentist with Family Dentist here in Newtown. We have four children. Micaela is 16, Johnny is 14, Ben is 12, and Sarah is 10.

Pets: We have a cat that is 8 years old. We found him in Southbury when he just jumped into our van. No one ever claimed him. That’s Blackie Nowacki. Blue is our yellow Lab. He is 9 years old.

How long have you been in Newtown? I’ve lived in Sandy Hook since 1991, when I was still a student at UConn Medical School. I met David here. We found out we both lived in Sandy Hook, and started commuting together.

What do you like to do in your free time? I love to go to all the kids’ activities. That’s priority Number One. I love to sneak in some outdoor time, find time to run outdoors. I run marathons. We’re putting in a 40- by 50-foot vegetable garden this spring. It’s monstrous. That might take up some time! And I’ve always loved writing and poetry.

Do you have a favorite poet? My favorite is a poem by Marianne Moore, called “What Is Our Innocence?” I also like Rimbaud and Baudelaire, some of the romantic French poets. I like the writings of Thoreau, too, and lately I’ve read a lot by Dr George Sheehan, too. He’s a cardiologist, philosopher, and runner that I really relate to.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? We go to Block Island every summer. We rent a place on the point of the island, with water on three sides. It’s just beautiful. It gives us time to spend outside with our family doing physical stuff. It’s very simple living, but beautiful.

What is the best thing about Newtown? The strength and sense of community is unbelievable. Also, its natural beauty. I go out on my long runs, 20 miles or so, and see the most amazing places here in town. Our town is beautiful. Nature can be cruel, man can be cruel, but we adapt.

What has been the greatest influence in your life? It’s corny, but it’s love. That’s what it’s all about. I learned that from my husband and from the kids.

Do you have a personal philosophy? It’s a phrase: Believe in the good in the world. Be the good.

Do you have a guilty pleasure? I love my early morning runs. Other than that, it’s dark chocolate espresso flavored anything.