Dr. Petru was just starting out as a young doctor when the AIDs epidemic began. She recalls, "As I started seeing a few kids with HIV, my boss and mentor in Infectious Disease at Children's Oakland said, 'I take care of the Department. I run the show. You figure out what to do for these kids.'" Petru couldn't imagine not taking care of these kids, she told me. 35 years later, Co-Director of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Director of the Pediatric HIV AIDS Program, Infection Control Officer and head of the Ethics Committee at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland, Dr. Petru is still working a 60 - 70 hour week and trying to raise money on her own time for the children's HIV program. If it wouldn't upset her to be called a saint, it's what I'd call her.
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