I'm Dr. Nathan Boonstra
I am a general pediatrician practicing in the Blank Children's Pediatric Clinic.
Disclaimer: The postings on this site are my own and don't represent Blank Children’s Hospital’s positions, strategies, or opinions.
Family
I have a wife and two boys. We love discussing books and movies as a family, board games (we've recently gotten into Small World and Sushi Go), and outdoor activities.
Hobbies
I'm a surprise runner. Meaning, I'm as surprised as anyone that after years of assuming I would hate running for fitness, I started in 2013 and have been hooked. And yes, I still play video games, especially when I'm down with a running injury. Which seems to be happening with greater frequency, possibly due to my age, possibly due to certain video game releases.
Favorite Children's Book
The Hobbit, hands down. I've read it aloud to both kids and loved creating a different bad Scottish accent for each of those umpteen dwarves. Also, The Chronicles of Narnia, the Harry Potter series, and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. And if we're talking young children's books, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. And of course, this one: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-ABC-Scholastic/dp/0545227380
Favorite Movie
Star Wars goes without saying. As far as children's movies, The Incredibles.
Favorite Super Hero
From Marvel, I have to go with the Hulk. From DC. I'd probably echo 95% of my patients and say Batman.
Favorite Video Game
Hard to choose, but I have to go with Portal for its humor and low-violence yet riveting story. I'm also a fan of the Batman Arkham games, and nearly anything Nintendo. Recently, we've enjoyed exploring The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Despite my appreciation for digital entertainment, we work hard on maintaining appropriate screen time limits for the kids. And I like to think the kids benefit from my thorough knowledge of what they're playing. Plus I get to play with them.
Words to Live By
The face of a child can say it all, especially the mouth part of the face." -Jack Handey
If you could meet anyone in the world, fictional or real, who would it be and why?
Batman, because then 95% of my patients would be impressed that I met Batman. And that kind of cred might get me a few tear-free throat swabs.
Why you love being a doctor?
I've wanted to work with kids since I was a kid. I just enjoy talking to kids. If I could talk to them about what they're thinking about all day, I would. This is the next best thing, and I get to talk to them about ways to stay healthy too. Win-win.
Hometown
I was born in Grand Junction, Iowa, about an hour northwest of Des Moines, but I lived a lot of my childhood in Cedar Rapids and graduated from Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School.
College
Luther College, which I like to call "The Harvard of Extreme Northeast Iowa. GO NORSE!
Medical School
The University of Iowa Roy J and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, which I like to call "The University of Iowa College of Medicine."
Residency
Blank Children's Hospital, which I call "Blank Children's Hospital," after which the person to whom I am speaking thinks I forgot the name of the hospital. I've been enamored with this place since I did a medical school rotation here. I'm hard-pressed to find a teaching hospital with a better mix of primary and specialty care, child- and family-centeredness, and camaraderie among the staff and residents.
Special Pediatric Interests
Anticipatory guidance of all kinds when it comes to child safety. I get excited over studies on helmets, co-sleeping, nutrition, and of course, vaccines. I'm passionate about educating families about the importance and safety of childhood immunizations. Go on and Google me, you'll see.
Recognitions
Center for Disease Control Childhood Immunization Champion for Iowa, 2014
IDPH Iowa Immunization Champion, 2015