Valerie Burns grew up in the Corona neighborhood of Queens, New York. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Hunter College and her MD from Stony Brook University. She completed her residency at Nassau County Medical Center on Long Island and worked in the Sea Islands of South Carolina. She believes children are wonderful, and the pediatrician’s objective is to prepare them to live their best lives.

While pursuing her education in medicine, she minored in dance, which remains one of her favorite activities. She enjoys attending dance performances and visiting art museums. Her hobbies don’t stop there. She is a voracious audiobook listener and appreciates the art of knitting, which she learned from her grandmother. She’s familiar with Spanish, French, and Russian, and looks forward to learning some Indigenous languages here.